Chef Chris Koetke had the opportunity to visit an avocado orchard on one of his many trips to Mexico.

“First of all, these huge 30 and 40-foot trees were all in various states of bloom. On one tree you’d see flower buds alongside hard, tiny little marble-shaped fruits and then small, medium and large avocados all growing right beside each other.” Chef Koetke notes leaving the fruit on the tree is possible because avocados won’t ripen until they’re picked.

He notes the fruit is also treated differently than in America. “The avocado farmers I saw were picking the fruit off the tree and eating them firm, like an apple,” he notes. “And the Mexican guacamole I had was filled with a texture and intensity that’s often lacking in the baby-food mush that passes for guacamole here in the states.”

Grilling Avocados

Chef Koetke’s trip to the orchard got us thinking about grilling avocados. We found that because of the high fat content, an avocado cooked on a SABER^® grill transforms into a mouth-watering treat. Avocados and grills are truly meant for each other.

Cut the avocado in half, remove the seed and brush it with lemon or lime juice and olive oil. The lemon or lime juice adds flavor and helps prevent the avocado from browning so quickly.

Place it flesh-down on the hot grill for about five to seven minutes. You’ll know it’s done when the sides start to rise up slightly next to the skin.

Remove the halves from the grill and sprinkle with a little more lemon or lime juice and salt. The avocado meat gets soft and the texture is almost custard-like.

Try this Grilled Avocado Caprese Salad recipe by Colleen Kennedy of Souffle Bombay.