I know when I talk about giving up grains that some people go, “Tsk, tsk – where is she getting her fiber?”
Well, I’ll tell you – in dishes like this.
I post, on average, three recipes a week. I cook or prepare, on average, nineteen to twenty-one meals during that same week, which means you don’t see what I eat the vast majority of the time. You may think my diet is pretty meat-centric but we eat quite a bit of vegetables, many of them raw (I love me a good salad). Add a reasonable amount of fresh fruit in the warm months, and we get a good amount of fiber in our diets. Perhaps not the 25 grams the USDA recommends (but we all know what I think of that particular government agency), but then again neither does the average American, even with all those whole grains.
At any rate, this dish was the result of Beloved’s insistence that we buy some jicama (my experience with that particular tuber being somewhat limited) and the need to use some cantaloupe that was in danger of becoming too over-ripe for consumption in the next five minutes. The result was a light, refreshing and tasty salad that would be an excellent accompaniment to chicken or fish. And it has a whopping 5.34 grams of fiber per serving.
Note: If you don’t have a melon baller or simply don’t want to mess with it, feel free to cut the cantaloupe into bite-size cubes along with the jicama. Neither the flavor nor the presentation will suffer.
Jicama Cantaloupe Salad
Jicama Cantaloupe Salad
serves 6
1/2 medium cantaloupe
1/2 large jicama
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Scoop the melon out with the small end of a melon baller; place in a large, non-reactive (stainless steel or glass) bowl. Peel the jicama and cut into bite-size pieces; add to the cantaloupe.
Add the remaining ingredients and toss well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend. Serve either cold or at room temperature.
Printable version (requires Adobe Reader)
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27 comments
Simple, fresh and tasty! I like the crisp clean “melonish” taste of jicama.
It was quite tasty – we’ll have to make it again. Or something similar.
First I’ve even heard of these things. Probably not likely to show up in my local Czech grocer anytime soon…
Jicama is the root of a vine native to Mexico and Central America, so I imagine you won’t be seeing it in your local Czech market. LOL It’s very popular in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine, and since my Beloved is so fond of it, I’m sure I’ll use it in another dish soon.
I was born and raised in New Mexico and Southwestern cuisine and I still ain’t heard of it. Of course I’ve been a long time gone. Still, it must be a fairly novel thang. At least for NM/SW cuisine.
How long have you been gone?
I like jicama. I like cantaloupe. I’ll try this some time.
I have no problem with fiber. Must be all the veggies I eat
Ah, one of the many benefits of your veggie-centric diet.
The salad is good; I think you’ll enjoy it if you make it.
Why have I not heard of jicma before?? That looks SO GOOD!!!! You always make my mouth water and my tummy growl every time I read one of your recipes.
See my reply to Sean – jicama isn’t a “northern” thing. LOL You should be able to find it at the grocery store, though – we did!
You know, I got your email and have not replied. My bad – I shall remedy that this evening.
Ooops! See? I’m clueless – I even misspelled jicama!!
Don’t worry, I must have misspelled jicama AND cantaloupe about 47 times just while writing this post and recipe! LOL
Maybe you meant “hic i’m a” bit tipsy?
What is the consistency of jicama? Is it like a potato or like a melon? I’m always curious about it, but a little leery.
More like a raw potato, or very firm pear – it’s definitely not soft like a melon. It has a very faintly sweet taste, too.
Imagine if a pear married a celery and they had a baby. That is what a jicama is like. Refreshingly tastey! Also great
dipped in Almond butter!
Jicama fan raises hand. It’s everywhere in California. I believe it’s common in Latin American cooking. Crisp. Most like an apple, in texture, but filled with more water.
I’d eaten jicama before – as you say, it’s quite common in Latin American cuisine – but I’d never prepared it before. This salad was very good, and interesting texturally; the crispness of the jicama balanced and complimented the softness of the melon quite well.
That looks way too pretty to eat.
LOL – wait till you see what I have in the works for Thursday.
Delish! I just served jicama to my husband for the first time. He was in awe. Personally, I love the watery, crunchy almost sweet flavor. Beautiful salad
Sasha – thanks so much for stopping by! I hopped over to your blog; what an awesome idea, to cook a meal from a different country every week! I’ll be interested to see how Haiti and Honduras come out. Are you doing this alphabetically?
OMNOMNOMNOM Looks nummy, Mommeh!
It was, sweetie! You planning some menus for when you visit in August?
I love jicama and I love all of the ingredients in this. I will DEFINITELY make this soon!
Yay! I think you’ll like it – we did!
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