These Crab Tacos with Pickled Jicama “Tortillas” incorporate traditional Latin ingredients and a hit of Asian simplicity. Cooked shrimp would be great here as well.
I’ve used pickled jicama slices as tortillas but you may serve the crab salad on corn or flour tortillas if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 1 jicama (at least 4″ in diameter)
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ pound lump crab meat
- ½ cup tiny diced mango
- 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon thinly sliced green onion
- 3 teaspoon thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
- ½ teaspoon pico de gallo powder (plus more for sprinkling)
- 16 whole fresh mint leaves (as garnish)
- 16 lime wedges (for serving)
Directions
Make the jicama “tortillas”: Halve the jicama and make 16 very thin center cut slices. A mandoline is very helpful for getting thin, uniform slices. Use a 3 ½” round cutter to cut each of the slices into uniformly sized rounds. Place the rounds in a shallow, heatproof bowl. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, stir the apple cider vinegar, water, salt, sugar and turmeric until the salt and sugar dissolve. Place the pan over high heat and bring the brine to a boil.
Pour the brine over the jicama slices, making sure some liquid gets between all the slices. Set aside to come to room temperature.
Make the crab salad: Place the crab meat, diced mango, rice vinegar, thinly sliced green onion, thinly sliced mint, and ½ teaspoon pico de gallo powder in a medium bowl. Gently fold the mixture together until well incorporated, taking care to keep the lump crab meat from breaking up too much.
Make the tacos: Drain the pickled jicama slices and gently pat them dry with paper towels. Lay the slices onto a serving platter and divide the crab salad equally between each of the slices. Garnish the taco with a sprinkle of pico de gallo powder and a mint leaf. Serve with lime wedges on the side.
