The Big Guacamole Mistake People In The US Make At Mexican Restaurants

The next time you dine at a Mexican restaurant, whether it's Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex, New Mexican, or a family-run hot spot serving authentic regional flavors of Mexico, don't limit the potential of guacamole to just a chip dip. Instead, enjoy it as a spread, topping, or condiment with your meal (maybe skip ordering guac to-go at chipotle, though). According to David Stadtmiller, senior director of food and beverage for Dallas-based M Crowd Restaurant Group, guacamole is incredibly versatile and can be used on a variety of dishes. "From breakfast items to soups and sandwiches, guacamole has far more range than most people give it credit for," says Stadtmiller.

But what exactly is it about guac that makes it the perfect complement to a dish? Stadtmiller explained, "In its most traditional form, guacamole in Mexico is very simple, but delicious: avocado, lime, salt, serrano chile, and sometimes onion." (We can thank a pirate for writing down this century-old guacamole recipe)

This combination of specific flavors — fat from the avocado, acid from the lime, heat from the serrano chili, and salt to bring out all the flavors — is what creates a rich, well-rounded mixture while providing the same profile to whatever it's added to. Since many Mexican dishes also incorporate fat, acid, salt, and heat, when guacamole is added, its unity of flavors provides balance to the other elements within those dishes.

Within M Crowd Restaurant Group's portfolio of restaurants, there's Mi Cocina, an upscale Tex-mex eatery where guac makes its way onto almost every dish. Traditional favorites like fajitas come with guacamole on the side, while guacamole is uniquely one of the main ingredients in a chalupa trio.

Whether at a Mexican restaurant or whipping up Mexican dishes at home, don't be afraid to add guacamole to your meal if it's not already included. Guac dolloped onto chicken tortilla soup, roughly mixed into enchilada fillings, or spread onto a tortilla before layering with cheese for the richest-tasting quesadilla — my personal favorite — provides more flavor and a creamier texture to whatever it's added to. The creamy texture guacamole provides can also be used as a sour cream replacement for those who don't eat dairy or (for a wallop of protein) mix guacamole with tuna or any other tinned fish.  

Avocado is famously known as "the good kind of fat," meaning not only does adding guacamole make our taste buds happy, but the fat and fiber found in avocados aids in feeling more satiated after enjoying tacos, tostadas, and tamales accompanied with guacamole. As a bonus, the avocado in guacamole also supplies a whole slew of vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B, C, E, K, folate, magnesium, and potassium.