It's Time To Start Utilizing The Pit Hole In Your Halved Avocado

The impassioned culinary love affair that many people have with the avocado shows no signs of stopping, and for good reason — this creamy treat is one of the most versatile ingredients out there (avocado chocolate chip cookies with avocado frosting, anyone?). But while countless home cooks have taken to scooping it, slicing it and mashing it into guac, the pit hole of the avocado seems to be one area of this fruit — yes, it's a fruit, not a vegetable — that's not getting a ton of love. In fact, once the pit is removed, too many people sadly ignore the space entirely.

However, the options for making use of this lovely indentation are endless, as it can be utilized as all kinds of things — from a holder for salad dressing to a makeshift shot glass. In fact the very idea of stuffing avocados has historically been a part of culinary traditions in a variety of locations around the globe, from Peru to Mexico to New Orleans, where the avocados that came there from Cuba were originally referred to as "alligator pears." In these and other locales, stuffing them with elaborate combinations of ingredients became a sort of artform unto itself. So, you may want to think twice before just slicing your next avocado into oblivion and lazily piling it on your morning toast.

First things first — if you haven't worked with avocado before, step one is cutting it lengthwise all the way around, twisting it open, and removing the large, round pit, which can be done by simply sticking a sharp knife into it, or carefully scooping it out with a spoon. Just be sure not to disturb the pit hole itself when removing the pit.

How many times have you heard someone say "This guac is so good, I could eat it with a spoon!"? Well, a deconstructed, spoon-friendly guacamole can be assembled by squeezing a bit of lime juice in the pit hole and dropping some diced onions and cilantro on top. A sprinkle of kosher salt, and you'll be ready to go. Mix it up as you would a fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt. 

A bit of vinegar poured into the hole of a halved avocado balances the richness and serves as a perfect system for distributing a makeshift dressing on your very own mini avocado salad. Just add a few chopped shallots, sprinkle of sprouts and microgreens for it to all pull together perfectly.

Though delicious, when it comes to getting creative with an avocado, guacamole and avocado salads are just the tip of the iceberg. A few shots of good tequila sucked out of an avocado pit hole is guaranteed to get any fiesta off to a strong (albeit messy) start, and for the utmost in simplicity, a handful of crumbled bacon and a few diced tomatoes in the hole and you have yourself a delicious B.A.T. — a perfect lunch or snack that comes in its own bowl.

You can also use the space to bake an egg right into your avocado hole, which serves as a fancy, yet easy way to impress your guests at brunch. Or throw a spoonful of grilled corn on the cob in the pit hole — it will add both sweetness and a smoky char, which is divine when mixed with the creamy texture of the avocado. Toss the corn in a little melted butter first and dust with chili powder to really punch things up.

One thing to note — in any preparation, make sure to choose a ripe avocado, which will be dark brown or black in color and have some give to them. An unripe avocado can be flavorless and nearly impossible to work with due to the flesh being hard. Avoid that pitfall and you'll be filling your pit holes in no time.