It's one of chef Dani García's most popular starters from 'Leña': recreate his famous braised avocado at home

The Dani García universe continues to expand. This summer, he will open a new Leña restaurant and a new Lobito de Mar restaurant on the stunning island of Ibiza. Among all his dishes, one of the most popular starters combines the best of grilling, for which his restaurant is famous, with the versatility of a fruit we're eating more and more of: the avocado.

Besides being a master of rice pudding, the chef created a fresh dish at his first steakhouse that captures the essence of the grill. It's called Grilled Malaga Avocado, and here's how he prepares it. We're also sharing his recipe with you.

A charcoal-grilled cuisine that spans half the world

The fact that embers are the star of the show speaks volumes about the chef. Dani García's cuisine is familiar, a style of cooking found all over the world, using fire. It's a gastronomy that is approachable, honest, and designed to be enjoyed with others at the table.

On June 15th, Leña and Lobito de Mar - the maritime version of Dani García - will land in Ibiza to expand their experience, which is already present in cities like Dubai or Bodrum, in Turkey.

To celebrate from home, we've selected their freshest recipe with the essence of fire: their famous and most requested grilled Malaga avocado.

Dani García's complete recipe for grilled avocado

It's a simple, summery recipe that's easy to adapt for home cooking. While we're usually used to eating it cold, freshly sliced, or in versions like guacamole or avocado pulp, this one is different. It's served warm with a refreshing feta cheese salad.

Ingredients needed to make grilled avocado

First, you'll need one avocado as the main ingredient. You'll also need cilantro, two cloves of garlic, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil. For the base, you'll need sour cream. For the salad, you'll need onion, green and red bell peppers, and feta cheese.

Prepare a cilantro pesto and the salpicón

First, we'll make the cilantro pesto, which enhances the avocado's flavor. First, blanch the fresh cilantro for a few seconds. Then, transfer it to a bowl of ice to chill it immediately.

Using a blender, combine the blanched cilantro, two cloves of garlic, shaved Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts. Blend everything with extra virgin olive oil until it reaches a texture similar to regular pesto.

The salad is also very simple: dice all the vegetables into small cubes, mix with the olive oil, and let it rest. Now all that's left is to grill the avocado. If you're doing it at home, you can grill it and sear it over high heat with the avocado skin on.

Grill or barbecue the avocado and plate it.

Place a spoonful of sour cream on a plate. Peel the avocado and use it as the base of the plate. Add salt to taste and season with cilantro pesto, feta cheese crumble, and finish with furikake for umami flavor and a sprinkle of pine nuts. It's now ready to enjoy with family, friends, or as the perfect start to a garden meal, complete with after-dinner conversation.