GUACAMOLE & MEXICAN SALSA WITH CORN CHIPS

SERVES 8–12

These two salsas work perfectly as starters with corn chips; they both go beautifully with grilled fish and they are essential in the middle of the table with all the other Mexican recipes that follow with tortillas, to make fresh tacos.

SALSA

5 roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

1 small red onion, finely diced

½ bunch coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

small handful mint leaves, finely chopped

30 ml (1 fl oz) fresh lemon juice

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

GUACAMOLE

½ small red onion

3 fresh jalapeño chillies, halved lengthways and seeded

½ bunch coriander (cilantro), leaves only

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 ripe avocados

juice of 2 limes

8 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped

corn chips, to serve

To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and season to taste.

To make the guacamole, finely chop the onion, chillies and coriander leaves. Place in a mortar with a generous amount of sea salt and pound with a pestle until you have a rough paste.

Halve the avocados, remove the stone and skin and add to the mortar, pounding with the pestle until they start to mash.

Add the lime juice and a good grind of pepper and fold through. Add the cherry tomatoes and fold through gently.

Serve the salsa in one bowl and the guacamole in another surrounded by the corn chips.