The ideas for these tacos came to me when I saw these jicama slices which looked exactly like white corn tacos on sale at my Wholefoods Market. They are labeled as Jicama tacos. I mean come on how brilliant is that! Needless to say I grabbed a packet and my mind went into overdrive with all these ideas of making tacos for lunch the next day.
If you’re not familiar with Jicama, it is a tuberous root from the bean family. Native to Mexico and the Americas, also called Mexican potato, it has a thin papery skin and the inside is white, crisp almost like pear, lightly sweet and very juicy. Almost always eaten raw, best with lime juice, salt and a sprinkle of chili powder. Its very hydrating and refreshing to eat as a snack between meals, plus low in calories and very nutritious.
Jicama is 89-90% water, low in carbs and great source of prebiotic fiber. Its high in Vitamin C, with moderate amounts of B vitamins, iron and potassium. I use it in combination with summer salads and salsas, ceviche and fruit salads. You can find it in all the Latin grocery stores, Asian markets and most regular grocery stores have them next to potatoes. Many stores have them pre cut into batons and into thin slices for tacos. Be sure to look for them where precut veggies are kept.
You could peel and thinly slice the jicama yourself using a mandoline or if your knife skills are better than mine, slicing them will save quiet a $$ than presliced.
The filing for these tacos can be anything you fancy. I usually like these either with some kinda seafood or simply with chickpeas. To keep it light and summery I also added mango, pickled red cabbage, onions, avocado, and lots of lime juice. Here’s the exact recipe.
INGREDIENTS
Makes about 8 tacos
- ½ pound shrimp, cleaned and patted dry or for vegan/ vegetarian I used 1 can of chickpeas drained
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons Mexican seasoning homemade or store bought
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- sea salt as needed
For the tacos:
- 1 small jicama (about 5 inches in diameter), peeled
- 1½ cup thinly shredded red cabbage
- ½ medium red onion thinly sliced
- Juice of 1 lime
- Kosher salt
- 1 mango diced
- 1 medium avocado, thinly sliced
- Drizzle of Aquafaba Crema (recipe follows)
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges, for serving
For the dairy free Aquafaba crema
- ½ cup aquafaba (liquid from a can of organic chickpeas), you can use water from freshly cooked chickpeas that is not seasoned.
- ½ cup cashews soaked in warm water for a hour
- 2 tablespoons any neutral oil like avocado or grapeseed
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Preparation
- Place the shrimp or chickpeas in a bowl and toss with Mexican grill seasoning, lime juice, ground cumin, and a pinch salt. Cover and set aside to marinate for a few minutes.
- For the jicama tacos, use a jumbo mandoline to slice four ⅛-inch-thick “tortillas” from the jicama. (If you don’t have a jumbo mandoline, slice the jicama carefully with a sharp knife or buy precut slices.)
- In a small bowl, toss the red onion and cabbage with the lime juice and a pinch of salt and set aside. Dice the mango and avocado.
- To make the crema, drain the soaked cashews. place all the ingredients for the crema in a high speed blender and blend till smooth and creamy, this may take upto 2 minutes of blending. Adjust the salt and lime juice to your taste.
- Heat a skillet and flash fry the marinated shrimp and once they turn opaque and pink transfer to a plate and set aside. For the chickpeas fry them for 3-4 minutes till we’ll coated.
- To assemble take jicama slices place a little cabbage, onions, mango, about 2-3 shrimps, avocado, cilantro and squeeze of lime juice. Finally before serving drizzle some crema.
- Enjoy!
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