One of my very first blog post 3 years ago was about our Seafood Ceviche recipe which we had tweaked and finally perfected (to our taste, of course).
Now, I have added a new twist to this recipe by creating a mini taco version of them but with a unique twist…the shell is a round piece of Jicama!
For those of you not familiar with Jicama, it is a tropical root vegetable often used in Mexican cuisine. You can usually find them in your local grocery (you probably have never even noticed them before). They can be eaten raw as I have done in this recipe or cooked, which I haven’t tried yet. I usually use it as an added crunch to slaw. It has a fresh crispy texture and is a perfect substitute for the high carb taco shell! I wish I could take credit for the idea of using it this way but the idea came from a wonderful restaurant in Asheville, North Carolina called “Nightbell”. They served a ceaser salad inside a jicama shell and it was a such a unique bite that I had to recreate it at home.
This inspired me to see what else I could do with that Jicama shell. Not only is it delicious and low calorie but it is also very vitamin and mineral rich. This high fiber vegetable is the perfect vessel to hold summer’s freshest flavors. By using my ceviche recipe to create a taco shell with the Jicama, there was no need to turn on an oven or stove in the summer heat!
Mini Seafood Ceviche Tacos with Jicama
Ingredients:
- English cucumber ½, peeled seeded and coarsely chopped
- Roma tomato, 2 seeded and coarsely chopped
- Large red pepper, ½ finely chopped
- Purple onion small, ½ finely chopped
- Jalapeño or Serrano pepper, one finely chopped or to taste
- Garlic, 2 cloves shredded on a micro planer
- Cilantro, 3 Tbsp. finely chopped
- Kosher salt, 1 tsp or to taste
- Pepper, 1/2 tsp or to taste
- Rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp
- Limes, 2 juiced or more to taste
- Lemon, ½ juiced or more to taste
- Cayenne pepper, optional to taste
- Shrimp, 1 lb, fresh, cleaned and deveined and chopped
- Fish filet, mahi mahi or red snapper or other firm fish, 6 oz., chopped
- 3-4 Jicama roots (depending on size), sliced thinly *(Best to use a mandolin for this so you get extra thin slices that are more pliable)
- 2 Avocados, peeled and chopped
- Additional cilantro and lime to garnish, if desired
I think its really important to find the freshest ingredients for this dish, especially your shrimp and your fish. Don’t cut corners here!
I started with some beautiful shrimp and snapper for today’s recipe.
The rest of the ingredients were the freshest I could find from the market and local farmer’s market.
Combine first 15 (all ingredients but Jicama and Avocado) ingredients in glass bowl, blend and chill for 2-3 hours.
Stir every hour or so. Taste and add any additional citrus and/or salt and pepper needed.
Now, for your Jicama. For best results, I microwave the jicama slices for 25 seconds then wrap them in damp paper towels until they are cooled. This makes them much more pliable and won’t break on you.
Using a slotted spoon, to avoid having to much juice in your taco, place a couple of tablespoons of the Seafood Ceviche in the Jicama Shell, top with the chopped avocado. Top it with some additional lime juice and a little cilantro, if desired! Serve immediately and have a napkin ready!
I served these in a Cucumber Boat so they would stay up…beautiful and delicious!
Bottom Line: These little flavorful morsels got a double thumbs up of approval from my husband! They are packed with so many beneficial vitamins and minerals, they are low-calorie, high fiber, and so delicious! Best of all, no need to turn on an oven or a stove! These will be devoured at your next summer get-together! Let me know what you think! I am Chef Frankie, Always in the Kitchen, and Always having fun and cooking with Wild Abandonment! See you next time!