a blackberry and avocado salad
because you deserve it!
Hello lovers! It’s blackberry season. Are you excited? I’m excited.
Sometime in the last few weeks, massive blackberries made their way to my farmer’s market, which means it’s finally time for me to release this ~recipe~
I say ~recipe~ because it’s not so much a Recipe™️ as it is a **vibe**
It’s an opportunity to take some really delicious ingredients, not mess with them too much, and make something even more delicious.
It kind of feels like cheating to tell you to make a salad with blackberries in the summer because, really, you can’t do much better than blackberries in the summer. Honestly, you could just salt and pepper some blackberries and call it a day. If you’re too lazy to do the rest of this, you can go ahead and just do that. I won’t tell anyone. But if you’ve got a little more energy in you, the additional, like, four steps are really worth it.
I will admit, here and now, this is an “expensive” salad. It’s blackberries and avocados. According to some financial commentators, you could choose to make this salad or put a down payment on a house. Given what the current interest rates are (lol, like I know), I think this salad is a better investment!
This salad is all killer, no filler, and by that, I mean we’re not bulking it up with anything. There’s no arugula. No cucumber. No fluff or additional volume here—just the good stuff, baby! We’re basking in the bounty of summer and refusing to distract ourselves with any, well, distractions!
It’s going to be prettiest the day you make it. It’s one of those things you can make and serve right away (it takes a total of, what, maybe ten minutes to come together). However! As a recent camping adventure has proven, the leftovers hold up. They might even be better! They definitely won’t be prettier, but if you happen to find yourself on a big rock in the middle of a lake with a dozen friends and a three-day-old container of this salad… it’s gonna get eaten, is all I’m saying.
I’ve included measurements here because that’s what you do when you write a recipe, but feel free to play a little fast and loose, depending on what you like. In general, I’d say one avocado for every half pint of blackberries. This ~recipe~ should serve about six people, or a dozen if everyone is on a rock in the middle of a lake sharing a fork. You decide!
The point is, it’s summer, have fun, eat berries, and kiss your friends. It’s hot! Maybe too hot! Jump in a lake. Climb a mountain. Sit in the shade and read a book or go to the farmer’s market, or don’t do anything. Make this salad! It’s expensive, but you’re worth it!
blackberry and avocado salad: ingredients
2 avocados: these should be just ripe—I like them to be a little firm because it’s nice when they keep their shape while mixing—this isn’t guacamole!
1 pint of blackberries: size does matter! bigger berries mean fewer berries when you measure by volume, so go with your heart
1 shallot: you could also use a quarter of a red onion or something like that
1 jalapeno: I use the whole thing because I like spice, but, you do you
10-15 basil leaves (like, half a cup, thinly chopped): you could use cilantro here (it’s what I used originally), or mint, or a combo of your choosing—pick your favorite, but I do think basil is best
2 limes: zest and juice, baby! (you could also use rice vinegar or apple cider or red wine vinegar here if you wanted to—probably two tablespoons or so)
kosher salt: I didn’t measure this, I’m sorry! but probably, like, just under a full tablespoon when all is said and done
fresh ground black pepper: see above
a drizzle of nice olive oil: it’s worth it!
blackberry and avocado salad: method
Ok, start by getting two bowls out. One big one you’re gonna mix and serve in and one small one to quick-pickle your shallot and jalapeno.
Start by zesting your lime into the big bowl, and then cutting them in half and juicing them into the small bowl.
Next, slice your jalapeno as thinly as possible (I keep the seeds and ribs, but if you want it less spicy, you can get rid of some or all of those). Slice your shallot only slightly thicker than the jalapeno, and then put both in the bowl with the lime juice. Toss with a pinch of kosher salt and set it aside.
Now, you could pause for five or so minutes to let those pickle. The rest of this comes together so fast that if you don’t pause, there won’t be much pickling happening. If you’re impatient, just carry on!
Halve your avocados and discard the pits and peels in whatever way you like best. TikTok has proven that everyone likes to do this differently, and everyone thinks their way is best. So do it your way! Once it’s de-pitted and skinned, half them again (so, quartered), and then dice into roughly blackberry-sized chunks. Uniformity!
Chop your basil. I like to do this by stacking the leaves on top of each other, rolling them, and then thinly chopping them. It’s called julienning! You can also just chop it. I’m not the boss of you.
Add the avocados and basil to the bowl with the zest, and then add your blackberries. Toss the mixture with the jalapeno-shallot-lime-juice mixture, and season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Finish with a couple drizzles of nice olive oil, another shower of black pepper, and a sprinkling of finishing salt if you’ve got it. Then enjoy! Or don’t. Put it in a container, refrigerate it for a few days, and enjoy it on a big rock in the middle of the lake. Totally up to you!
xoxo,
Garrett
