Our “winter” months bring us superb avocados from our Green Gold and Sharwil trees. They both produce fruit with creamy, rich interiors. At times the trees are so heavy with fruit the branches must be propped up. And, for several months we have far more avocados than we can eat, but they don’t go to waste. There are many evenings and early mornings when I make big batches of guacamole to take to work and share with our neighbors. Other favorite avocado dishes are pesto, pan-seared tuna with avocado, and fish tacos with avocado crema and of course avocado toast. I call this version deluxe avocado toast. Pickled red onions and tuna in olive oil along with those delicious Castelvetrano olives make for a fine and satisfying meal.
The Green Gold avocado is probably my favorite. The tree is a heavy bearer of rich and creamy fruit that never turns brown even when made into guacamole.
The pickled red onions are slightly tangy, a perfect, colorful addition to the avocado toast.
Being a big fan of tuna, I have tried many different brands over the years. For salad nicoise and toast, tuna in olive oil is the only way to go. Ortiz and As do Mar are both excellent tuna options. These days they are readily available on-line for purchase.
- For the pickled onions:
- ½ large red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ⅛ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch of allspice
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- For the avocado toast:
- 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
- 2 large pieces country sourdough bread or 4 pieces whole wheat bread
- 1 tablespoon Vegenaise (or regular mayonnaise)
- Maldon sea salt or other flaky salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (4 ounce) can tuna in olive oil (Ortiz recommended)
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley torn into pieces
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons pitted Castelvetrano olives, coarsely chopped
- Place onions in a small bowl. Bring vinegars, sugar and salt to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Remove from the heat and add the allspice and red pepper flakes. Pour vinegar mixture over the onions and let cool completely. Store in a jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Toast bread until nicely browned. Spread Vegenaise over the toasts. Divide avocado slices between the toast and mash gently with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Top evenly with tuna, pickled onions, parsley, almonds, and olives.Season again with salt and pepper. Serve right away.