Flavors of the Sun: Avocado Fries with Cilantro Lemon Dipping Sauce. Morocco Itinerary 2014

Avocado Fries with Cilantro-Lemon Dipping Sauce

Avocado Fries with Cilantro-Lemon Dipping Sauce

by Victoria Challancin

Over and over I tell you that even though I was raised on lots of fried food, I rarely fry anything. Yep, I often insist on this. Then I turn around and give you something for some morsel that just requires a bit of frying--just a wee bit. That hardly counts, right? Mainly appetizers...but still, frying is required. It must be in my blood, my Southern blood.

I have seen lots of recipes for avocado fries in the past few years, but these from adventures-in-food.com particularly appealed, so I chose to try them in a class for Mexican cooks this week, knowing they would love them. And they did.

I have long thought that avocados deserve a more expanded treatment that the usual guacamole or a casual toss into a salad. Remember when I shared the following with you?:

How to Use Avocado Leaves (A Secret Mexican Ingredient)
Chocolate Almond Cake with Avocado Crème Anglaise
Caramelized Avocado (a recipe I developed for a Food Network show--and a favorite)
Avocado Oil--and How to Use It
Avocado Mayonnaise for Retro Pigs in a Blanket
Avocado Aioli to accompany my Shrimp Burgers (another recipe developed for Food Network)
A Mediterranean Spread with Avocado, Beans, and Preserved Lemon
Mexican Green Sauce with Avocado and Pápalo
Avocado Stuffed with Dill Shrimp Salad
Healthy, No-Fat, Non-Traditional Mexican Black Beans with Avocado Leaf

Well, today I give you a perfect appetizer, not exactly low-fat, but excellent nevertheless. Truly, in my heart I believe that you can sneak in a bit of fried food every now and then knowing that magically the "love and appreciation" factor will make it good for the soul.

Cook's Notes: I used three avocados instead of two just because we were hungry! I also grated lemon zest into the breadcrumb mixture as I had no Lemon Pepper. Miraculously, I had lemons on hand (they used to be quite rare here), but limes would work equally well. I upped the ante for the ground cumin as well...just because I like it so much.

Recipe: Avocado Fries with Cilantro-Lemon Dipping Sauce

(Original recipe from Adventures in Cooking)

Avocado Fries:

Oil for frying

3 Hass avocados

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/3 cup Panko

1 teaspoon Lemon Pepper or grated lemon or lime zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cilantro-Lemon Dipping Sauce:

5 tablespoons mayonnaise (or Ranch Dressing, preferably homemade)

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Juice from 1/2 lemon or lime

In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt, and cumin. Set it aside. Cut the avocados in half and slice vertically into 4-inch x 3/4-inch wedges. Set them aside.

Heat the vegetable oil to 335 degrees F in a large frying pan, adding enough oil so that the oil is about 3 inches deep.

Dredge the avocado slices in the breadcrumb mixture, then in the beaten egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture again.

Place the avocado slices in the hot oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon or tongs, and set them on a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Allow them to dry for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a serving tray and serve immediately with the Cilantro-Lemon Dipping Sauce.

For the Cilantro-Lemon Dipping Sauce: place the mayonnaise, cilantro, and lemon juice in a blender and mix until smooth and creamy in texture.

Angus

To those of you who emailed me or sent loving comments about my sick puppy, I give sincere thanks. After two rounds of different meds plus injections for a liver infection, he wasn't getting better. Today the vet took him to put him on an iv. Please keep sending those loving thoughts. I am worried sick about him.

On a lighter note...

Parting Shot: Morocco

My itinerary for the Morocco Trip for April of 2014 is ready! For more information, please email me at flavorsofthesun@gmail.com. Thanks!