I’m writing this post on the UK’s hottest day of the year so far. By the time I come to publish it, no doubt the clouds will have returned – but for now, the sun is blazing, there’s not a cloud in the sky, and I am basically melting. The temperature’s reached around 33°C (around 91°F), which is probably fairly normal to some of you, but we Brits are not built for this kind of heat. I can’t cope! And you can be sure you won’t be finding me turning on the oven on a day like today. Grilled avocado to the rescue! It’s fresh, it’s summery, and best of all, it requires barely any heat whatsoever.
This time I prepared my avocado in a griddle pan on the hob, purely because I wanted those gorgeous black char lines (what can I say, I had a very vain avocado and it wanted to be pretty). It literally takes about 30 seconds, and gives a beautiful charred flavour (I’m going to be saying the word ‘char’ a lot in this post, warning you now).
If you prefer, you can char your avocados on the BBQ instead – my mother-in-law made something similar a couple of weeks back and it worked just fine! You’ll get an even layer of crispiness rather than pretty char lines, but in my opinion, that’s just how things cooked on a BBQ should be – if it’s not lightly charred all over, it’s not cooked properly. Be aware that they don’t take long at all, and they don’t need a very high heat – keep an eye on them if you don’t want them to be burned to a crisp!
I stuffed my grilled avocado with an easy spicy tomato salsa, with spring onions, corn, tomatoes – and my favourite spicy Peppadew piquante peppers. I love cooking with these babies – blending them into pasta sauces, using them to add heaps of flavour to creamy dips, baking them into cheesy breads… and now, adding them to salsa! They’re so versatile. The slightly sweet spiciness gives the salsa a real punch, and it’s perfect alongside the creamy avocado. Just pile it high, and dig in. This time I used the ‘mild’ Peppadews (which are still fairly spicy!), but you could use the extra hot Peppadews if you’re feeling fiery.
I hope I’ve convinced you that grilled avocado is a great thing to try! A lot of people shy away from cooking avocado, but in this recipe it only needs mere seconds over the heat, so it still stays mostly cool inside – and it’s just so preeeetty! If you’re still not convinced, make the spicy tomato salsa anyway, and serve it with something different (halloumi! eggs! tofu!).
If you want to give this grilled avocado a try, Peppadew® products are stocked in Waitrose, Tesco, Morrisons,
- 1 spring onion, chopped
- 8 Peppadew piquante peppers, chopped (mild or hot)
- 6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 2 tbsp sweetcorn kernels
- Small bunch fresh basil, chopped
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 1 avocado
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First, prepare the spicy tomato salsa. Add the chopped spring onions to a bowl, along with the Peppadews, tomatoes, corn and basil. Add some lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, and a good pinch of salt and pepper, and mix well to combine. Set aside.
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Cut the avocado in half, and remove the pit. If cooking on the hob, heat a griddle pan on a very high heat, then place the avocado in the pan cut-side down. Cook for around 30 seconds, then remove. Or, if cooking on a BBQ, place the avocado cut-side down on the grill over a medium heat, and cook for a minute or so, until lightly charred. Watch carefully to prevent burning.
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Serve the grilled avocado halves stuffed with the spicy tomato salsa.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose.
Peppadews are great for all kinds of salads – try my Peppadew panzanella:
I have never seen anything tastier looking in my life! x
Haha quite the compliment, thanks Hannah! :)
What a great idea. I love avocado!!
Have you tried grilled avocado with shrimps?
It is the combination I’m going for:-)
Thanks for sharing!
I’m a vegetarian so I don’t eat shrimp :)
Sorry, I thought you might eat fish as I know many vegetarians that does eat fish. I don’t eat that much meat anymore as I’m a freediver and it is closely linked to yoga and meditation and in those circles there are a lot of vegetarians. I don’t eat meat at all when I’m diving as it is too heavy for the stomach to digest.
No problem! :)
I love doing Avocado on the BBQ but always cut it into chunks and put on a skewer. Def going to try this way.
I love the sound of the spicy tomato salsa with corn and peppadews! And grilled avocado is such a dream. What a perfect summer recipe!
I don’t think I’ve ever had warm avocado – Love the idea of ‘charring’ it. More posts should definitely include the word ‘char’
Haha I’m glad you approve of my overuse of the word! ;)
This looks to me like the perfect summer recipe! Fresh yet flavoursome. I look forward to trying it out x
Wow Becca this looks SO good! I am totally craving it now – sadly I’ve already had dinner so it’ll have to wait til tomorrow, however I have some spicy Peppadew piquante peppers so it’s definitely gonna happen!
This looks and sounds absolutely delicious, my friends would really enjoy being served it as a starter :)
Now that looks great. I’d think I’d love this stuffed with spicy peppers. This is such a fun recipe!
Hasn’t the weather been glorious? I wish it stayed warm today, this salad would still be a delicious dish to eat though!
Ugh it’s raining today, I think that’s the summer over!
I’m not normally an avocado fan but this looks really yummy x
You could use the spicy salsa to stuff other grilled veggies instead if you prefer, maybe aubergine or portobello mushrooms :)
This sounds great, I do like cooked avocado. What a yummy idea.
I love grilled avocado. We usually grill them when they aren’t quite ripe, as it brings out the flavour a bit.
Great tip!
I never used to love avocado but I have really grown to enjoy it! I will be trying this for sure! H x
I love avocado, this looks so good. Never thought to grill it!
I never think to grill avocados and they look SO PRETTY (because that’s what matters right, ha!) This sounds so fresh and yummy.
This looks great for the summer and quite easy to make too x
Delicious, I can’t say I’ve ever had hot/grilled avocado but I’m even seeing it as a pizza topping now, so I’m curious to try. Hope the sunshine lasted!
Mmmm this looks good! I have a jar of these peppers in my cupboard begging to be opened! :)
I have never thought about grilling avocado, but this looks delicious and I love the sound of the salsa too. x
Love avocado boats! Actually just love avocado in any and all forms haha. It was so hot wasn’t it? London was pretty impossible, I was sweating non stop – can’t complain though, I absolutely love this hot weather!
Grilled avocados are so creamy and delicious!
These look divine! Sadly I hate tomatoes so it probably wouldn’t work for me. My husband keeps looking for lighter snacks to have in the warmer weather and these look perfect
You could just leave out the tomatoes and stick with a corn-based salsa instead :) Or use chopped red pepper or something instead!
Looks delicous I’ve not had avocado in ages and never thought about grilling them.
Grilled avocado, so different but I bet it tastes amazing. Mmm I need to go shopping!
I would never have thought to grill avocado but it looks really great.What a perfect salad.
I love working peppers like these into just about anything! The grilled avocado is truly genius for the summer. This dish sounds like it will be a new fave – thank you!
I’ve never grilled an avocado. Inspired to try.
Avocados are my favorite snack option , especially grilled avocado toasts are just divine. But I have never tried avocados in this way. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
That looks so pretty and summery – so nice to have something different to try on a barbeque.
I usually just do veggie sausages and veggie burgers so it’s always fun to try something different :)
Never even thought to grill an avocado before, what a fab idea! A lovely way to use those Peppadew peppers too. :-)