Since tasting this avocado toast at a simple restaurant in Nashville over Summer, I’ve never looked back. I’ve made it every single week since.
I always liked avocado toast, but this recipe made me LOVE IT.
This was the breakfast Chris and I chose, whilst feeling very hungover, after a night exploring a couple of bars on a trip to Nashville. We were feeling rather delicate, and I didn’t really think I’d be able to manage more than a couple of mouthfuls of anything for breakfast.
Well, I was wrong. It was simply the best avocado toast we’d ever tasted. Plus we also felt a million times better after eating it.
I couldn’t wait to recreate it when we got home, and this is the recipe I now use every time I make avocado toast for brunch.
👩🍳PRO TIP How to find the perfect avocado
Finding good avocados seems to be more difficult in the UK than in the US or other warmer countries. It can be a bit hit-and-miss in the UK. These are the things I look out for:
- Hass avocados are the ones we see on the shelves most in the UK. They have a very dark brown knobbly skin. You can also get avocados with lighter green skins, these can be unripe Hass avocados, or are often ‘Fuerte’ or ‘Ettinger’ varieties. Hass avocados have a mush richer taste, so I always go with that variety.
- Feel the avocado and give it a gentle squeeze. It should give just a little. If it’s rock hard it’s unripe, if it’s too squishy it’s overripe.
- The skin should be bumpy, not smooth.
- An extra check I make before using the avocado, it to pull out the little stem at the top of the avocado. If it’s difficult to pull off, the avocado isn’t ripe. If it comes off easily, but the colour underneath is brown, it’s likely the avocado is overripe. If the colour is green underneath and the stem comes of easily, it should be ripe.
🍽️ Flavour swaps/additions
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil – I sometimes add this if my avocado isn’t as soft and buttery as I like it.
- Crispy chopped-up bacon pieces – one of Chris’s favourite additions
- Try rubbing the toasted bread with a the cut-side of half a clove of garlic. This imparts a nice garlicky flavour and a bit of a bruschetta feel.
- Very thin slices of tomato. I like to go for yellow or green heritage tomatoes (yellow are quite mild-flavoured, green are a bit more tangy) if I have them in, or I’ll sometimes use thin slices of red cherry tomatoes. Go with your favourite variety.
- Swap out the quick pickled shallots with my marinated red onions.
Here are those lovely marinated onions (I add them to everything – sandwiches, salads, on top of stews and curries, with BBQ food. They’re so good!!)
In case you’re wondering, that cafe in Nashville was called Two Hands. Thanks for the inspo guys!
🍲 More fantastic Avocado-based recipes
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Avocado Toast
Ingredients
Avocado and toast:
- 1 large ripe, avocado
- 1 tbsp lime juice (approx. the juice of half a lime)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 thick slices of sourdough bread
Pickled shallot:
- 1 red shallot
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Toppings:
- 1 red Fresno chilli sliced
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander cilantro
- 3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- First, make the pickled shallot. Peel the shallot and slice it into thin rounds.1 red shallot
- Add the shallot to a small bowl or dish and pour over the red wine vinegar. Stir together and allow to sit for 10 minutes, while you make the rest of the recipe.2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Slice the avocado in half. Remove the stone and scoop out the flesh. Place in a bowl.1 large ripe, avocado
- Add the lime juice, salt, and pepper and roughly mash the avocado with the back of a fork. I like a lumpy texture, but you can mash it for longer if you want it smoother.1 tbsp lime juice, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Toast the slices of bread and place the toast on two plates.2 thick slices of sourdough bread
- Sprinkle over the sliced chilli, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, fresh coriander, and feta cheese.1 red Fresno chilli, 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, 3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
- Add 6-7 pickled shallot slices to each plate and serve. I like to serve with the rest of the shallot, so I can add a bit more whilst I'm eating.
Notes
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil – I sometimes add this if my avocado isn’t as soft and buttery as I like it.
- Crispy chopped-up bacon pieces – one of Chris’s favourite additions
- Try rubbing the toasted bread with a the cut-side of half a clove of garlic. This imparts a nice garlicky flavour and a bit of a bruschetta feel.
- Very thin slices of tomato. I like to go for yellow or green heritage tomatoes (yellow are quite mild-flavoured, green are a bit more tangy) if I have them in, or I’ll sometimes use thin slices of red cherry tomatoes. Go with your favourite variety.
Yes, I know, sounds like a lot, but avocados are high in calories (but incredibly delicious!!).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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