Jicama Salad Recipe
Salad Salad Recipes

Jicama Salad Recipe

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Jicama Salad Recipe – Vegan

At the Brooklyn Mexican restaurant, Cruz del Sur, practically every table has this salad on it. Why? It tastes as refreshing and vibrant as it looks. The key to its greatness comes from Tajín, the mildly spicy-tangy chile-lime salt that goes into the dressing (double the batch, trust us) and also gets sprinkled on top of the finished salad.

Tajín and fruit are a classic sweet-salty combination in Mexican food, but bringing herbs, chiles and vegetables like jicama and cucumber into the mix make it even better. At the restaurant, the chef Hugo Orozco varies the herbs and flowers seasonally. He also recommends adding a few slices of perfectly ripe avocado on top, if you have access to them.

PREPARATION STEPS

  1. Make the vinaigrette: In the jar of an immersion blender or in a standard blender, purée the avocado oil, lime juice, garlic, serrano chile, tajín and salt until smooth and emulsified. (Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a jar, cover and shake well to combine.) Set aside.
  2. Prepare the salad: Heat the pumpkin seeds in a small skillet over low, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and lightly golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and set aside to cool.
  3. Using a sharp knife, trim the ends and peel off the brown skin from the jicama. Trim and peel the pineapple. Cut the jicama and pineapple lengthwise in half. Using a mandoline or a sharp chef’s knife, cut the jicama, pineapple and cucumbers into very thin slices (about 24 slices of jicama and 16 slices of pineapple). Using a sharp knife, remove the peel and pith from the oranges, then cut them into 8 slices each. Separate the leaves of the lettuce (you should have at least 20). Thinly slice the onion into rings and save the small ones from the center (save the remainder for another use). Thinly slice the serranos.
  4. Divide the jicama slices among 4 large plates, followed by the pineapple, cucumber and orange slices. Top with the lettuce leaves, then 2 or 3 red onion rings each, the toasted pepitas and serrano slices. Sprinkle with the herbs and flowers, if using, and finish with the tajín, a drizzle of dressing and some flaky salt at the end. (Alternatively, layer the ingredients on a large wide platter.) Serve any remaining dressing on the side.

INGREDIENTS

  • Yield: 4 servings
  • For the Vinaigrette
  • ½cup avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil
  • ¼cup lime juice
  • 1small garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ½serrano chile, finely chopped
  • 1tablespoon Tajín
  • 1teaspoon fine sea salt
  • For the Salad
  • ¼cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1small jicama (about 8 ounces)
  • ¼small pineapple
  • 2 to 3Persian cucumbers (about 4 ounces total) or ¼ seedless cucumber
  • 2navel oranges
  • 1 to 2heads little gem lettuce, depending on size (or use hearts of romaine)
  • 1small red onion
  • 1serrano chile
  • Tender herbs (such as small leaves of basil, cilantro, dill and/or parsley) or microgreens
  • Edible flowers (optional)
  • 4teaspoons Tajín
  • Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon), for sprinkling

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