Jicama & Cherry Salad
This was my first time ever trying Jicama, or Yam Bean, if you prefer.
Funny thing is I had just purchased one, not really knowing what I was gonna do with this unfamiliar root vegetable, when Mellissa, over at I Breathe… I’m Hungry… posted this fabulous looking recipe for a Basil, Cherry and Jicama Salsa.
Conveniently, I’d also just purchased a humongous bag of fresh cherries a couple of days prior, so I happened to have some of that, too (although when I took the bag out to make the salad, I realized that most were already gone! I think there must’ve been a hole in the bag or something…)
Still I was in luck! This beautiful, mouth watering combination of fresh produce was so going to happen in my very own kitchen in a not too distant future.
Although I also happened to have some basil on hand, which the original recipe called for, I chose to use completely different fresh herbs for my version of what was to become a salad.
For some strange reason, I tend to not use my fresh basil. Not that I don’t like it, far from there: I always have a live plant on the window sill; but I tend to just watch it grow and don’t want to destroy it by using too much at once… But then I’ll eventually get to use it all over the course of a couple of days, feel sad that it’s all gone, buy a new one and start the whole process over again.
Perhaps it would be very different if I could buy basil in the non-living form, like I do parsley and mint and sage and rosemary.
It seems like I have a hard time picking leaves off of my live plants…
So anyway, I chose to spare my basil plant that day and used parsley, mint and rosemary, instead.
I must say that the flavor combination worked pretty well!
As for the Jicama, or Yam Bean, although I can’t say that it was love on first sight taste, I liked it more than enough to add it to my “good carbs to be enjoyed once in a while” list.
It reminded me a bit of raw potatoes, only it’s a lot less starchy and a bit more crunchy and sweet, as well as a way more flavorful!
In fact, my first impression was “this tastes exactly like what the distant smell of freshly cut grass smells like.” Only not in a bad way. It’s very, very refreshing.
I might say that I really truly loved the taste. And it paired extremely well with the rest of the ingredients that made up this salad.
The super crunchy chunks of fresh coconut, the sweetness of the cherries and subtle nuttiness of the pistachio, combined with the little tang brought forth by the citrus juices and vinegar made for a very interesting and palate pleasing salad experience.
One that I will be wanting to repeat some time soon… very soon!
While cherries are still in season!
Jicama & Cherry Salad
Ingredients
- 575 g jicama, peeled and diced (that’s about half a medium one)
- 100 g fresh coconut, diced
- 250 g fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
- ½ cup fresh coconut water
- the juice of 1 lime
- the zest and juice of ½ orange
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- ½ tsp Himalayan or unrefined sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ¼ cup shelled raw pistachios, chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the jicama, fresh coconut, cherries, parsley, mint and rosemary. Mix until well distributed.
- In a small food processor, add the coconut water, lime juice, orange zest and juice, white wine vinegar, coconut oil, salt and pepper and process until well incorporated.
- Pour that over the reserved veggies and mix well.
- Toss in pistachios and serve immediately.
- While this salad will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, it is better served immediately as the coconut oil will set when chilled, making it a little bit less palatable. Also, the jicama and coconut will take on a pinkish color because of the cherries. The salad will still taste as good, but it won’t be as pretty...
Notes
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8 Comments on “Jicama & Cherry Salad”
I use jicama a lot in coleslaw type salads… I just grate it up along with the cabbage and carrots.
Brilliant idea! I’ll make sure to keep that in mind for next time I make coleslaw (which should be pretty soon, I tend to make that every other week and I haven’t made one last week…)
Never heard of, or seen, Jimaca before. Does that makes me a provincial hick?
And yet I always thought of myself as someone who stands at the forefront of food trends and culinary innovation.
Well, that’s a wake up call…
Good that I have a very hip and cool foodie-friend like you Sonia, who keeps me up-to-date with the latest trends. 🙂
Just for the record: How big is a Jimaca if just half weighs more than a pound? :s
Definitely, you never fail to crack me up, you! Did I ever tell you you are the best? You’re the best, my friend! TOTALLY AWESOME! 🙂
Jicama is a bit like all the other root vegetables, in the sense that it comes in all sorts of sizes… they range from tiny little munchkin to heavy monster. I would say they are similar to rutabaga in terms of shape and sizes. Don’t go for the really big ones, though, especially not if you’re gonna eat it raw: I hear they are fairly starchy and “woody” in flavor when they get real big.
And much like rutabaga, it’s very dense too, so it weighs a ton.
And there you have it. Now you can go out and buy one like you’re the Jicama Master! 🙂
In fact we really like jicama, I believe it’s one of those non popular vegetables but is quite healthy and tasty. This salad sure looks great,love that you’ve used coconut. Thanks for reminding me to get some Jicama this week, will make this salad for sure.
I tried jicama for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it! I think it would also go great with apple. This sounds really great too! I’ll have to try it soon.
Oh my yum! It has to pair so well with green apples. And walnuts. And raisins. I will have to try that! 🙂
I just added this website to my google reader, excellent stuff. Can not get enough!