Avocado Shells

Coques d'Avocat
these avocado shells look amazing!

And so easy to make..

Avocado shells are such an easy dish to prepare and only have a few ingredients yet they make a superb hors d'oeuvre or starter dish. One medium sized avocado will serve two people so it is easy to work out how much you need. They look so pretty and they taste wonderful, plus they will impress your family and friends.

The avocado is a fruit and not a vegetable which is what I thought at one time. We are never too old to learn. It's one of my favorite fruit and of course it is a fruit that is ready to go!

When you have ready to eat fruit such as this it is so easy to make a dish in extra no time at all. This is one of the benefits of the avocado and the French eat lots of them in their diet.

The most popular variety of the avocado in France is the hass which is available all year round. The fruit is only eaten when ripe and is of a lovely buttery texture with a sort of nutty taste.

The only thing to look out for when shopping for your avocado is to buy it when it is ripe, it usually feels a little soft to the touch.

So when you have bought your fruit, you can have a go at making these fantastic little avocado shells and impress your family and friends with a tasty dish.

How To Make Avocado Shells

Ingredients (Serves 4 people)

• 2 ripe avocados
• 2 firm tomatoes, peeled
• 1 lemon
• 1 small onion
• 1 teaspoon capers, optional
• 1 tablespoon natural yoghurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and pepper  

Method

• Cut the avocados in half - simply run a sharp knife around the avocado length-wise and twist the two halves. They should split revealing the stone. Remove the stone.
• Scoop out the avocado flesh without damaging the shells  as you need them for your filling.
• Sprinkle a little lemon juice over the inside of the shells to prevent them turning dark.
• Seed the tomatoes and cut them into small dice like pieces - it is optional to seed them, I often leave them in and they are just as good.
• Cut the avocado flesh into small dice-like pieces.
• Cut the onion finely.
• Mix the tomatoes, avocados, onions and capers with the yoghurt and sprinkle in the remainder of the lemon juice, the oil and seasoning.
• Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve your a dish.
• When ready to serve, simply fill the shells with the mixture and dress with a small sprig of parsley.
  
  
  

Don't they look great?

This is a recipe to keep handy for those occasions when you want something easy but special.

If you would like to know more about the avocado, take a look here.