With the addition of seafood and Mexican flavours, these healthy avocado tostadas are sure to be a favourite. Creamy avocado topped with briny clams, charred corn salsa and a hit of citrus and spice, all served on a crisp tostada! YUM!
Perfect for enjoying with family and friends, serve with our lamb tacos for a Mexican feast. They also work as a great appetizer or snack, perfect for watching your favourite game. Let us show you how to whip up these treats.

Traditionally, this Mexican dish has various toppings such as refried beans, cheese and salsa. But we love this delicious, healthy twist on a classic tostada, perfect for any night of the week.
Why you'll love this avocado tostada recipe
- Fresh and healthy: Combines delicious clams, creamy avocado, and fresh toppings.
- Quick to prepare: A simple recipe perfect for busy weeknights or impromptu gatherings.
- Versatile: We used clams but you could use a variety of seafood or leave it out altogether and enjoy simple guacamole tostadas with a range of toppings. This recipe can be easily adaptable to suit taste preferences or dietary needs.
- Impressive yet easy: An elevated dish that feels gourmet but is straightforward to make!
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Fresh clams - we used littleneck clams but use what's available and sustainable in your region.
- Corn tostada (crispy chicas) - we love the Tio Pablo brand! You can buy tostadas at most supermarkets. But if you can't find them in your local area, you can also buy tortillas and cut them into rounds and deep fry them.
- Sour cream.
- Red radish - optional but we love the additional texture.
- A bunch of coriander / cilantro
- Lemon wedges - or lime for serving
For the avocado puree:
- Avocados
- Lemon - juice only
- Salt and pepper.
For the roasted corn salsa:
- Oil - we use canola but use your preferred cooking oil.
- Frozen corn frozen
- Garlic
- Red chilli
- Smoked paprika
- Lemon - juice only
- Coriander / cilantro
- Salt and pepper
Step-by-step instructions
1. Prepare the clams.
- It's important to make sure the clams you are buying are fresh. Always choose clams that are heavy in weight, smell fresh like the sea and discard any that have damaged shells.
- To clean the clams: Rinse the shells and remove any that are damaged or cracked.
- To remove the sand and grit from the clam shells, we highly recommend purging them overnight (or for at least 2-3 hours) before cooking. To do this, prepare salted water with a ratio of 4 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of salt, and whisk to dissolve the salt. Then, place the clams into the water, make sure they are fully submerged in water and place them covered in the fridge.
2. How to cook clams
- The best way to cook fresh clams is to steam them quickly in a large hot pot.
- To do this, place a large pot on a high heat. Once hot add the cleaned, strained clams and 100 ml of water to the pot and cover quickly with the lid.
- Once they have popped open remove them from the pot, discarding any that don't open.
Tip from the chef: Save the cooking liquor as this makes a delicious base for soups and sauces.
- For this recipe, remove the clam meat from the shells and place them in a bowl with a little of the reserved cooking liquid, store in the fridge till required.
3. Prepare the avocado and salsa toppings.
To make the avocado:
- Cut the avocados in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh.
- Place in a small blender with the lemon juice, a pinch of salt and a good grinder of black pepper. Blend until smooth, place in a bowl and set aside till required. (See our chef's tips below for storing).
To make the charred corn salsa:
- Heat a frying pan over a high heat then add the oil, corn kernels and fry until golden and charred.
- Then add the prepared garlic, chilli and smoked paprika, allow the cook for another minute then remove from the heat.
- Squeeze over the lemon, add the chopped coriander and season to taste. Set aside till required.
4. Assemble the tostadas
- On each tostada add a thick layer of avocado, 6-8 clams and a spoonful of corn salad.
- Garnish with a little piped sour cream, radish and fresh coriander.
- Serve with some lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over the top. Serve and enjoy!
Serving suggestions
- As an appetizer: Serve as an appetizer or entree at a dinner party.
- Light meal: Pair with a fresh green salad for a quick lunch.
- Side dishes: Serve alongside Mexican rice or a black bean salad.
- Drink pairings: Complement with a crisp white wine, a light beer, or a refreshing margarita.
Variation
- Seafood swap: Substitute clams with shrimp, crab, mussels or scallops. Peri peri prawns and avocado tostadas are delicious too.
- Other proteins: Switch the seafood for another protein and create a new flavour combination. We have paired rare beef and chimichurri and gin-cured salmon, horseradish and rocket for delicious tostada flavour combinations!
- Vegetarian option: Switch out the protein for black beans or grilled vegetables.
- Avocado salsa: Replace mashed avocado with a chunky avocado salsa and add some tomatoes.
- Additional toppings: Add cotija cheese, more chilli or a tomato salsa for extra flavour.
Chef tips
- Clean and purge the clams - take the time to clean and purge the clams overnight or for a minimum of 2-3 hours, this process helps remove any sand and prevents them from being gritty.
- To storing the avocado puree - To prevent the prepared avocado from going brown, place plastic wrap directly on top of the puree to seal it, until required.
- Clam cooking liquid - It really is liquid gold! Reserve and to add to a soup or stock for delicious flavour! Also pour a little back over the cooked clams for an extra flavour boost.
Storage and meal prepare
- We highly recommend serving these tostadas with freshly cooked clams.
- There are a few elements of this recipe that can be prepared ahead to speed up the cooking time. The corn salsa, avocado puree and garnishes can all be prepared earlier in the day and stored covered in the fridge until required. Which means when it come times to make dinner all you have to do is cook the clams and assemble to tostadas, making this a great recipe for busy week night or when hosting friends.
Fresh, vibrant, and packed with flavour, our clam and avocado tostadas are easy to make and a joy to eat. Perfect for weeknight dinners or gatherings, this quick, chef-inspired dish is sure to impress. Give it a try, and enjoy a burst of flavour in every bite!
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Happy cooking!
Recipe
Clam and avocado tostadas
Ingredients
- 1 kg Littleneck clams See note 1
- 1 packet or 12 Corn tostada (crispy chicas) See note 2
- 50 g Sour cream To elevate the plating, place in a small piping bag.
- 1 Red radish sliced into thin match sticks, for garnish
- 1 bunch Coriander / cilantro for garnish
- 1 Lemon or line cut into wedges, for serving
Avocado Puree
- 2 Avocados
- 1 Lemon juice only
- Salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Corn Salsa
- 50 ml Canola oil
- 150 g Corn kernels frozen
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 Red chilli deseeded, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 Lemon juice only
- 1 bunch Coriander / cilantro chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare the clams:
- Rinse the shells and remove any that are damaged or cracked. Then to remove the sand and grit from the clam shells, we highly recommend purging them overnight (or for at least 2-3 hours) before cooking. To do this, prepare salted water with a ratio of 4 cups of water to 2 tablespoons of salt, whisk to dissolve the salt. Then, place the clams into the water, make sure they are fully submerged in water and place covered in the fridge.1 kg Littleneck clams
To cook the clams:
- Strain the water off the clams and rinse. Heat a large pot on a high heat.
- Add the clams and a 100ml of water to the pot and cover straight away, Cook until the clams pop open.
- Strain the cooked clams, reserve the cooking liquor. Discard any clams that don't open.
- Remove the clam meat from the shells and place into a bowl, spoon over a little of the clam liquor to keep the clams juicy. Place into the fridge until needed.
Avocado Puree
- To make the avocado puree, cut the avocados in half and remove the stone2 Avocados
- Scoop out the flesh and place into a small blender, add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper.1 Lemon, Salt and pepper to taste
- Blend until smooth. Remove from the blender and place into a bowl. (See note 3.)
Roasted Corn Salsa
- Heat a fry pan to a high heat and add the canola oil, add the corn kernels and fry until golden and charred.150 g Corn kernels, 50 ml Canola oil
- Add the minced garlic, red chilli and smoked paprika and cook for another minute.1 clove Garlic, 1 Red chilli, 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- Remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and chopped coriander, season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside till required.1 Lemon, 1 bunch Coriander / cilantro, Salt and pepper to taste
To Assemble
- Spread a good layer of the avocado puree onto each tostada, add 6-8 clams to each tostada. Spoon over some of the corn salsa.1 packet or 12 Corn tostada (crispy chicas)
- Pipe a little of the sour cream randomly on each of the tostadas and garnish with the radish and fresh coriander leaves.50 g Sour cream, 1 Red radish, 1 bunch Coriander / cilantro
- Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over before you enjoy!1 Lemon or line
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