mexican night, without the guilt

Growing up in the US , I grew to love what could arguably be called the country’s national cuisine: Mexican food. I absolutely love it, from fast food drive-thrus to taco night at home, from upscale Mexican eateries to California-style fresh mex.

And then I moved to the UK , and everything changed. The UK ’s understanding of Mexican food is completely different and somewhat centred around the idea of “Tex-Mex,” which entails barbecue fajitas.

I thus learned to cultivate my favourite Mexican dishes at home, and set about perfecting (in my mind) those flavours.

This Mexican salad brings the excellent flavours together but keeps it healthy by not using taco shells or wraps. Trust me, in this case, they are not missed, though I sometimes like to make tacos in their shells as a special treat.

This dish is preparation-intensive but light on cooking time.

To make the salad

Extra lean ground beef (an absolutely yummy vegetarian option is soya mince), sautéed with the mexican seasonings (cumin, oregano, thyme, cayenne are an absolute must).
Crunchy lettuce such as romaine, roughly chopped
Red cheese such as red Leicester , grated
Salsa (see below)
Guacamole (see below)
Black olives, sliced
Crème fraiche, dollop of


The best salsa

Salsa is very personal, and to be honest, I cannot recommend exact quantities, because I know how I like it. And there’s a bit of the ‘whatever’s available’ mentality to whipping one up. But in my opinion these are the crucial elements, though that’s not to say they could not be changed to personalize the sauce.

Ripe red tomatoes, chopped
Red onions, chopped
Red peppers, finely diced
Garlic, minced
Lime juice
Mexican seasonings: cumin, oregano and thymeChilli pepper, deseeded and chopped
Splash of vinegar
Small handful of chopped fresh coriander
Spoonful of tomato puree (optional)

Chop and mix together. For a less chunky salsa, use a hand blender to pulse the mixture for a second or two. Allow to sit overnight if possible to bring out the flavour.

My favourite guacamole

I hate store-bought versions of guacamole, as cream is absolutely not necessary in the mixture. Neither are tomatoes. The best guacamole to my mind is simply mashed avocado (as ripe as you can get it) with a few extra ingredients.

Avocado, peeled, pitted, stoned
1 clove garlic, minced very small
Fresh coriander, minced very small
Lime juice

Mash the avocado with a fork and combine with the other ingredients.