Avocado Salsa

Avocado Salsa is delicious served as a side with any Tex-Mex dinners you may be serving and is a real winner when served with nacho chips or scoops as a snack or appetizer.  As a salad it can be served over shredded lettuce and topped with chopped tomatoes with a dollop of sour cream for a dressing. 

This salsa recipe is not what you would typically think of when you hear the word "salsa".  Most people would think of some chunky tomato based sauce ranging from mildly spicy to fire alarm hot.  This salsa looks and tastes more like a chopped salad. To make it hot you would have to significantly increase the black pepper and use at least all 5 or more cloves of garlic as the recipe does not include any hot peppers.  But I like my salsas mild so I always go with the lowest amount of garlic and usually only use a pinch of black pepper.

I came across the original recipe some years ago when I was searching for healthy snack alternatives for a cooking demonstration I was doing at church.  Most everyone enjoyed it except for the olive haters.  (If you don't like olives, I bow my head in sorrow.)  My friend, Kim who was at the demonstration, made it a few days later and took it to an after school social or staff meeting and she reported that all was eaten, licked up and devoured.  

This makes a nice large bowlful and is an excellent party food. But today I'm making this to go along with rice and beans for dinner.  Because there is only the two of us I made one-fourth the recipe as avocados don't store well once they're cut.

Printable recipe at end of post.

Avocado Salsa

• 4 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 1- 375 ml can sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped or ½ cup finely diced red onion
• 4 avocados 

Dressing

• 1-5 cloves garlic, minced (l like it mild and only use 1 or 2 cloves)
• ⅓ cup olive or canola oil
• ¼ cup lemon or lime juice
• 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

How to make it: 
In a large bowl, mix corn, olives, red bell pepper and onion. To quickly thaw the corn, place it in a strainer and run hot tap water over it until it is thawed.  Shake off excess water.

In a small bowl, mix the dressing ingredients. Pour into the corn mixture and toss to coat. Cover and chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight.  

Just before serving peel, pit and dice avocados. Stir the avocados into the mixture before serving. 

This does not store well after the avocados are added.  If you think you won't be able to eat the whole recipe at one time just serve what you think you will eat and add the appropriate amount of avocado to that portion.  The remaining salsa should be refrigerated up to a couple of days until it is used.  This recipe is easily halved or quartered for small families.  

Makes 32 appetizer servings or about 8-10 salad servings.

Place the olives, corn, onions and red pepper in a large bowl.

Mix the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine the dressing with the vegetables.  Let sit in refrigerator for at least 8 hours to overnight.  This is to blend the flavours. 

Dice the avocado and scoop out and mix in the salsa just before serving.

Place the salsa in a pretty serving bowl and pass the chips.

This is one-fourth the recipe.  It was plenty for Don and me. 

This is the full recipe in a salad bowl.  Plenty to serve at a party.

 Dinner with a side of Avocado Salsa.

To print click on arrow upper right side.⇩