Jicama Salad

By cweeks

Ingredients

• 1 large jicama (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled, then julienned or cubed (easiest to work with if you cut the jicama in half first)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 a large cucumber, seeded, chopped
• 1 navel orange, peel cut away, sliced crosswise, then each round quartered
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup lime juice
• Pinch of cayenne
• Pinch of paprika
• Salt
• 1/2 avocado chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

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? This tuber looks like a seriously overgrown radish and is the root of a vine native to Mexico and Central America. The flesh is crunchy, mild, and even faintly sweet, and is often served with a little lime juice and chile powder to accompany Mexican dishes. I first encountered jicama (pronounced HICK-ah-mah) years ago in cafeteria salad bars, and on its own (how they typically serve it in those places), jicama can be a little boring. With some seasoning and lime juice, however, it comes alive, and is wonderfully refreshing, especially along side tacos and

, then you don't need to add olive oil or avocados. There is enough fat in the main dish to balance the acidity in the salad. In fact, a benefit of the salad is that it does just that, brings balance to these types of dishes. But, if you are serving the salad on its own, then you may want to add a little olive oil or some chopped avocado to the salad so it is balanced in and of itself.

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Toss together the jicama, bell peppers, red onion, cucumber, orange, and cilantro in a large serving bowl. Pour lime juice over all. Sprinkle with a pinch of cayenne and paprika. Season generously with salt.

I make a great jicama salad with chunks of watermelon, thick matchstick sized bites of jicama and a chiffonade of fresh mint. It gets dressed with a habanero and lime infused simple syrup, and then refrigerated. A tasty treat on a hot summer day, and a wonderful alternative to a traditional fruit salad.

Jicama is wonderful for adding variety. First encountered in a couple years ago down in Mexico.

It is best not to refrigerate the root if storing, cold temperatures will cause it to lose it's beauty. The root will last a couple months in a dry place.

Jicama makes a wonderful substitute for water chestnuts in cooking. It does not lose its crunch when stir-fried.

Thanks for sharing this recipe, Elise! I ended up grating the jicama and substituted canned mandarin oranges. Turned out great! To my leftover salad from yesterday evening, I took Becki's suggestion and added cumin. A good combination.

I just made a second batch of this delicious salad and added fresh diced mango along with navel oranges. Perfectomundo!

I took this to 2 BBQs this weekend - a hit at both - so, of course I had to make a batch for my own fridge.... totally yummy. Thanks Elise.

Wow I made this salad today and it is wonderful. I added some black beans but other than that followed exactly. Sooooo good.

I made your slaw last night for a large group of friends. It was an excellent, refreshing side dish to enjoy with the Thai Red Curry Mussels that we were having. I loved that I could make it in the early afternoon and not have to worry about too much to do before dinner. I did add a finely diced Serrano chile to the mix.....thank you thank you for a site I reference for trustworthy recipes again and again!

This was brilliant for dinner tonight. Added a little agave nectar for sweetness and some rice vinegar because my limes weren't very juicy. Perfect on a spring evening.

This salad is always a hit when I make it - Added blueberries for the 4th of July. I love the simple syrup infused with mint! Jicama can be julienne cut and tossed w/ lime juice and stored refrigerated for several days in a ziplock bag. Mine is 6 days old and still fresh and wonderful!

What a wonderful recipe! It was a big hit. I mixed the little bit of leftover salad with quinoa the next day for another delicious version of this salad.

This recipe is delicious. I found in a pinch if you don't have lime, pour a splash of simply orange pineappple juice in and it's extra zesty!

Going to make this with taco-style, seasoned tilapia fish and another side-dish TBD. I love radish, daikon and veggie "roots" the like, so I will let y'all know how this turns out. Thanks for the recipe, Elise.

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