Pan con aguacate, or Dominican avocado-topped bread, is a simple and filling snack and well ahead of the avocado toast craze of these days. Typically as simple as a Pan de agua and avocado sandwich, I share my favorite way of making a dish that every Dominican will love.
By - Reviewed: . Original: May 20, 2006
Why we ❤️ it
Avocado sandwiches or pan con aguacate is a simple traditional Dominican snack. The classic version is made with a pan de agua (the ubiquitous Dominican bread roll) sliced in half and filled with scoops or slices of avocado.
Some people add extra ingredients, like onions, so we've made a more "refined" version that Dominicans will love and visitors will appreciate.
What's pan con aguacate?
In its simplest form, it is just some Pan de agua topped with avocado in chunks or mashed.
But there are varying schools of thought: some mash the avocado onto the bread with a fork, others leave the chunks intact and just squeeze it all together. Many people may find avocado and bread a little bland on their own, so they add some salt or a squeeze of lemon. A dash of chili sauce even? Even some onions, if you have no plans for the rest of the evening?
Pan con aguacate (avocado and pan de agua).
Serving suggestions
This is a very versatile snack, and you can serve it with a variety of drinks. You can go as fancy as a glass of wine, or as nutritious as one of our Dominican juices, or perhaps a fría (cold beer).
Top tips
- Ingredients: The beauty of this dish, as we explain above, is that you can go as easy as some avocado sandwiched between slices of Pan de agua, to a fancy-looking toast.
You can add more ingredients that you can easily add, like a sliced clove of garlic when sauteing the onions, thinly sliced pitted olives, or top with bacon chips. - Vinegar or onion: I love the touch of vinegar with avocado, but some people prefer lime juice, so go ahead and use whichever you prefer.
About this recipe
There are varying schools of thought: some mash the avocado onto the bread with a fork, others leave the chunks intact and squeeze it all together. Many people may find avocado and bread a little bland on their own, so they add some salt or a squeeze of lemon. A dash of chili sauce even? Some onions, if you have no plans for the rest of the evening?
That's the beauty of it. Every person has his or her own particular version. There are probably as many "recipes" for pan con aguacate as there are Dominicans!
But worry not; help is at hand. Tia Clara has devised a system where pan con aguacate can be eaten in a genteel manner in the politest company. Could this be the next big thing to hit the gourmet bistros of the world's most elegant capitals? I'll leave it to her to provide you with the details...
In collaboration with Aunt Ilana
Video
Recipe
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Pan con Aguacate [Video+Recipe] Avocado Toast
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small red onion, minced
- ½ red bell pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon apple vinegar, or Juice of a lime
- 3 panes de agua, cut into halves, or 1 mini-baguettes cut into thirds
- 1 avocado, or 2 medium avocados
- ¾ teaspoon salt, (or more, to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper , (freshly-cracked, or ground) (or more, to taste)
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Instructions
1. Cooking the onions
Heat half the oil over medium-low heat. Add onion and bell pepper and cook stirring until onion becomes translucentPour in vinegar and cook until the onion becomes pink. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
2. Toasting the bread
- Slice the bread. Brush the bread with the remaining olive oil. Heat a cooktop grill and toast on both sides, pressing it to flatten it.Cool to room temperature.
3. Assembling
- Peel and remove the pit. Cut into halves and slice very thinly. Place the avocado slices onto the bread toasts.Top the bread with the onion mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cilantro.
4. Serving
Serve right away. If you wish to make it beforehand, make the onion relish and toast bread and keep them at room temperature. Cut avocado and assemble right before serving.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
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Cultural background
Pan con aguacate can be a very humble snack, often enjoyed by people from the poorest sectors of society. I mentioned in a previous entry that avocado --an exotic delicacy sold at fancy prices in other parts of the world-- is a very inexpensive food in season in the Dominican Republic. Many people have access to an avocado tree and don't have to pay a chele. I have been told that health workers in very poor communities observe that children's nutritional levels show a marked improvement when foods that are freely available, such as avocados, are in season.
Whether you are rich or poor or something in between, pan con aguacate is one of the easiest snacks you can rustle up when there is not much else available or you are too tired or uninspired to make a meal. The avocado's nutritional qualities combined with the bread mean that few people remain unsatisfied after indulging, so to speak.
Despite this, pan con aguacate is looked down on by some people. This could be due to its humble associations, but I also suspect this happens because there is simply no dignified way to eat it.
The avocado will always squelch out of the sides of the sandwich and adhere to your paws and chin. We hope this recipe will solve that little problem.
More avocado recipes
Avocado is served very often with lunch in our country, as you can see just by browsing through our blog, you can read about Dominican avocado and find some avocado recipes.
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