Make a no-bake dinner in minutes with this avocado boat snackboard dinner. A giant platter full of fresh cut avocados, and all the stuff you'd want to stuff them with. Hummus, chicken salad, fireroasted corn, tomatoes and soft-boiled eggs. Perfect for casual weeknight dinners, this big plate is also perfect for parties and gatherings with favorite friends.
A few weeks ago on Instagram, I declared that I was going to be the cheeseboard, party platter, deconstructed queen, and I started thinking about avocados. What if I put together a DIY avocado tray? I’m in love with the creamy texture and mellow taste of ripe avocados, and I think they pair so nicely with a variety of foods, everything from fruit to hummus to chicken salad.
I’ve approached this platter with not just ingredients that will taste really great with avocado, because we visually want people to look at it and say, “Oh my gosh, I am so hungry!” I’m also pulling together some ingredients that lend nice texture and color, and when it’s all together it’s really gonna pop. I’ve got some tips to get you on your way to a stunning avocado platter, perfect for dinners, low-key parties, or a weekend brunch.
Here are some of my favorite food styling tips from this episode:
Add Color
To make those avocados really pop, I went with a complimentary color combination on the color wheel. Since red is opposite on the color wheel from green, I sprinkled red paprika on the avocado halves to offset the beautiful earthy green tones.The result? Contrast that is absolutely to-die-for delicious!
In a photo, anything white is where your eye goes. If you don’t want the eye to go to the chicken salad, give it some color. In this case I love Korean red pepper flakes. They just add a bit of nice color and texture and they add some redness. Now your eye goes to the entire plate instead of just the chicken salad.
Pull out that summer color with a few blueberries. And add cherries too.
Fresh basil leaves pulled right off of the stem are the prettiest little garnishes that you can add to, like, any dish that needs basil.
Ways To Add Texture
Coarsely ground sea salt and a few twists from the pepper grinder add so much dimension to the shot.
Put your avocados, or whatever food you’re shooting, on crumpled parchment paper. It adds a rustic texture that I love.
Instead of just avocados in the shot, add even more toppings and more texture and more movement with extras.
Layer
For dips like hummus, drizzle a little bit of olive oil. Sprinkle some pepper, and toss some greens in at the end.
Create Visual Interest
A little bit of avocado pit here and there is just kind of visually interesting, so leave a few of the pits in place.
For visual intrigue, add tri-colored cherry tomatoes. If you can’t find them the other option that I love using are strawberry tomatoes. And leave them on the greens. Those bright red tomatoes plus those greens look absolutely gorgeous in any shot.
To cut strawberries for visual interest, take your strawberry, slice this direction right here (lengthwise), and you get that really beautiful texture that looks so beautiful in the final shot.
Keep Fruit From Oxidizing
Drizzle the tops of your cut avocados with lemon juice so they can sit out for the length of the party and not brown.
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas
- 1/4 tsp flour
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- 6-12 avocados
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 (8 oz) container prepared chicken salad
- 1 (8 oz) container hummus
- 1 baguette, sliced and toasted
- 1 cup fire-roasted corn
- 4-6 soft-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
- 1 pint strawberries, sliced or halved
- 1 (8 oz) container blueberries and/or blackberries
- 2-3 lemons or limes, wedged
- fresh basil leaves
- salt and pepper to taste