Aguacates Rellenos (Avocados Stuffed with Tuna)

Name: Aguacates Rellenos (Avocados Stuffed with Tuna)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 ripe avocados (ripe but firm enough to hold their shape as a bowl); Juice of ½ lemon (some for the filling, some brushed on the cut avocado); 1 ripe tomato; 1/4 cup red onion; 2 large cans of tuna (about 300 g drained in total); 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; Cilantro (chopped); A pinch of salt and pepper

Avocado halves filled with tuna, tomato, red onion and cilantro bound with mayonnaise. No cooking at all, ten minutes, and the lime goes on the avocado as well as in the filling. Serves six.

Total: 10

JUMP TO RECIPE

Avocado halves filled with tuna, tomato, red onion and cilantro bound with mayonnaise. Nothing gets cooked and it takes ten minutes.

The avocado is the bowl

Which means it has to be ripe enough to eat with a spoon and firm enough to hold its shape when filled. Press near the stem: it should give slightly and no more.

Scoop out a little of the flesh to enlarge the hollow, and chop that into the filling rather than throwing it away.

Lime on the avocado, not just in the filling

The recipe squeezes the lemon juice into the tomato and onion mixture, which is fine, but the surface that browns is the cut avocado.

Brush the halves as soon as they are exposed. Acid slows the enzyme that darkens the flesh, and an avocado left cut on the counter goes grey within twenty minutes.

Drain the tuna properly

Tuna in oil or in water both work, but either way it needs draining thoroughly. Wet tuna makes a filling that slides out of the avocado and pools on the plate.

Press it against the side of the tin with a fork before it goes in the bowl. Two large tins is roughly 300 g drained, which fills six halves generously.

Assemble late

This is a dish to put together shortly before eating. Even with lime the cut surfaces darken over a couple of hours, and the filling releases water into the avocado.

The filling itself can be made several hours ahead and kept in the fridge, which is the practical way to do it for guests: mix early, fill at the last minute.

More avocado

Avocado salad — the same ingredients, loose.
Avocado sauce — thinner, for pouring.
Deviled eggs with tuna — the same filling, different vessel.
Tuna salad — where the rest of the tin goes.
Colombian picadillo — what goes inside them.

Stuffed Avocados FAQ

How ripe should the avocados be?

Ripe enough to eat with a spoon and firm enough to hold their shape as a bowl. Press near the stem: it should give slightly and no more. Very soft avocados collapse when you fill them.

How do I stop the avocado going brown?

Brush the cut surfaces with lime or lemon juice the moment you halve them, not at the end. The acid slows the enzyme responsible. Left alone, cut avocado darkens noticeably within twenty minutes.

How much tuna is two large cans?

Around 300 g drained in total, which fills six halves generously. Tin sizes vary a great deal between countries, which is why the weight is more useful than the count.

Can I make them ahead?

Make the filling ahead and keep it in the fridge, but fill the avocados just before serving. Even with lime the cut surfaces darken over a couple of hours and the filling releases water into them.

What can I use instead of tuna?

Shredded chicken is the usual Colombian alternative and works with exactly the same mixture. Cooked prawns also work. Whatever it is, drain it well or the filling slides out.

📖 Recipe