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Mexican Jicama Tomatillo Slaw with Breaded Fish Filets

Mexican Jicama Tomatillo Slaw with Breaded Fish Filets
Home » Diets » Low carb Mexican recipes » Mexican Jicama Tomatillo Slaw with Breaded Fish Filets

This crisp, tart Jicama tomatillo slaw is a great side dish for many Mexican or Caribbean dishes. It’s basically a fresh, “chopped salad” made with sweet crunchy jicama, tart tomatillos and granny smith apples. This recipe is for the jicama slaw dressed with a creamy jerk aioli and served with breaded fish fillets.

Jimama tomatillo salad
Jimama tomatillo salad/slaw

Jump to: RECIPE | What is Jicama? | What is Aioli? | All About Jicama

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What is Jicama?

Jicama is a root vegetable that looks similar to a turnip or rutabga but is sweeter and is most often served raw. The flavor is sometimes likened to a cross between a water chestnut and an apple.

It is pronounced (HEE-kah-ma), and is native to Mexico. In Central America, jicama is often sold by street vendors as a raw snack seasoned with a chile lime powder.

Jicama root, one that is whole and one that is cut in half showing the inside.
Fresh jicama

What is Aioli?

In Mediterranean cultures, a traditional aioli refers to an emulsified sauce made from olive oil and mashed garlic and salt.

This traditional aioli sauce made by hand has, over time, morphed into a spread or a dip with mayonnaise as the base. Often it will still include mashed garlic, but it can now be found with any number of creative seasoning mixes.

Aioli sauce with mayonnaise and crushed garlic in a glass dish on a woven mat.
Aioli sauce

You can spice it up with hot chile peppers, warm ginger, umami fish sauce, etc.

In the recipe below I have added a jerk seasoning blend which turned out really nice. I also tried it with a homemade chile-lime salt (Tajin), which was a brighter taste but equally delightful.

Aioli is used to enhance all kinds of food, but is commonly used as a spread for breads, a dip for fries, or a drizzle over vegetables. In this case I used it as a dressing for the jicama slaw and as a spread on a fish sandwich. Talk about versatile!

Fish sandwich with jicama slaw
Fish sandwich with jicama slaw with aioli dressing

Best Recipes for Jicama

Jicama is pretty versatile due to its mild flavor and satisfying crunch. It lends itself to a wide array of snacks, side dishes and toppings. Here are a few of my favorite recipes:

The recipe below is a simple slaw made with jicama, dressed with aioli an served with breaded fish. It’s easy and the combination of these flavors works remarkably well.

Ingredients for jicama tomatillo slaw
Ingredients for Jicama slaw: Jicama, mayonnaise, spices, limes, salt and cilantro
Breaded tilapia with a side of jicama tomatillo slaw
Breaded tilapia with a side of jicama tomatillo slaw

How to Prepare Jicama

Although quite popular in Mexican and Caribbean cuisine, in the United States jicama is less common and may intimidate home cooks who’ve never tried it. 

To prep, remove the tough brown skin using a sharp paring knife or a vegetable peeler. The skin is pretty fibrous and can get matted up in the vegetable peeler, so I cut off both ends of the jicama off, as that is the most fibrous part.

Then cut the white flesh into cubes or strips (often referred to as matchsticks) with a sharp knife. Unlike many vegetables, jicama does not brown or become soggy after cutting.

Jars with pineapple, mango and jicama sprinkled with chile lime salt for Mexican street food.
Mexican fruit cups sprinkled with chile lime salt

While it is popular to serve this crisp vegetable raw with a dip or in a salad, you can also use quick-cooking methods that allow jicama to keep its crispness (like indoor grilling or stir-frying).

Where can you Grow Jicama?

Jicama is commercially grown in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Mexico and in some warmer areas of the southwest United States. It is sensitive to frost and does best in warm climates with a medium amount of rain.

I’m giving it a go here in Minnesota and started it from seed in mid-March. If we have a long summer I might be able to pull it off. Here’s what the jicama seedlings look like:

Jicama seedlings growing in a seed tray in preparation for planting outside.
Jicama seedlings

The vines of the plant can grow up to 20 feet in length, but the leaves and seeds are actually toxic. The root is the only edible portion of the entire plant.

All of the jicama found in US markets is produced in Mexico. There has been some interest in producing it in California, but hasn’t been very successful. Many of the efforts in California resulted in luxurious vine growth with prolific flowering, but with low quality fibrous taproots.

A long, warm growing season under relatively short day length is required to initiate good quality fleshy root development. Past efforts in California were successful under unusually warm October and November conditions.

How to Store Jicama

You can usually find jicama in the produce section of most supermarkets and in Latin American markets. Select firm, dry jicama roots. The skin should not appear shriveled, bruised, or blemished.

Jicama should stay fresh for about two weeks when stored in the refrigerator. Cover any exposed areas with plastic wrap to minimize air exposure.

Is Jicama Low Carb or Healthy?

With respect to health, jicama is rich with a prebiotic called inulin, which is a benefit to gut health. It is also rich in Vitamin C and Vitamin A, and is often referred to as one of the “superfoods”.

Some of the popular superfoods, including almonds, chia, tuna, oats, strawberries  and blueberries
Some of the popular superfoods

Most root vegetables are starchy and are not “low carb” if you are counting the overall amount of carbs. The amount of fiber in root vegetables (and in jicama) however, mitigates the impact of the carbs in relation to glycemic response.

The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA for 1 cup (120g) of raw jicama slices.

  • Calories:46
  • Fat:0.1g
  • Sodium: 5.2mg
  • Carbohydrates:11g
  • Fiber:5.9g
  • Sugars:2.2g
  • Protein: 0.9g

Because of the high fiber content in jicama, it is considered a low glycemic food. The glycemic load of this vegetable is approximately 10. A glycemic load of less than 10 is thought to have little effect on blood glucose response.

Naturally low in calories at 25 calories per ½ cup serving, jicama is also fat free, low in sodium, and a superb source of fiber.

Similar Recipes that are Popular

For other recipes using a jerk seasoning mix, check out this chicken sheet pan dinner or this creole jambalaya.

And another great way to use fresh jicama is this Mexican Street Food recipe with Tajin

Fruit planks in glass jars sprinkled with chile lime seasoning as Mexican street food
Mexican Street Food -fruit cups with chile lime salt

Jicama Tomatillo Slaw on Fish Sandwich

Jimama tomatillo salad
This crisp, tart salad is a perfect side dish to most Mexican dishes, and is a great topping for a fish sandwich or as a stand-alone summer lunch
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 70

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp jerk seasoning mix see notes for homemade blend
  • 1 small jicama peeled and thinly chopped or julienned
  • 5 tomatillos peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup granny smith apples peeled & sliced into thin matchsticks
  • 1 lime juiced
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped or minced
  • ½ tsp salt or to taste

For breaded fish filets

  • 2 Tbsp refined olive oil
  • 2 eggs lightly beaten with wire whip
  • 1 ½ cup panko crumbs
  • 4 4-oz Tilapia filets Can use other white fish

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and the jerk seasoning (see notes below for homemade jerk seasoning).
    1 cup mayonnaise, 2 tsp jerk seasoning mix
  • Combine the next 6 ingredients plus 2 Tbsp of the jerk mayo mix in a large bowl (make sure everything is chopped to be bite size). Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use.
    1 small jicama, 5 tomatillos, 1 cup granny smith apples, 1 lime, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/2 tsp salt

For breaded fish filets

  • Dry the fish filets thoroughly with paper towels. Heat oil to quite hot in large skillet. Dip the filets first in the beaten eggs and then in the panko crumbs and place in hot skillet.
    2 Tbsp refined olive oil, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cup panko crumbs, 4 4-oz Tilapia filets
  • Lightly fry breaded fish for about 2-3 minutes and then turn and fry on the other side. Transfer the fish to a plate and serve with a side of jicama salad/slaw and the extra jerk aioli.
    To use in a fish sandwich, spread the aioli on heated buns, add the breaded fish on top of the bun and top the fish with the jicama slaw.

Video

Notes

Homemade Jerk Seasoning Blend

For making your own jerk seasoning spice blend, whisk together the following ingredients:
  • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed chile pepper
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
 

Nutrition

Calories: 70kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 203mgPotassium: 292mgFiber: 7gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 167IUVitamin C: 31mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 1mg
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  1. Gloria Raheja says:

    This looks great, I’m definitely going to make it! I’m off on a short research trip tomorrow so it will be a while but I certainly want to try this before the heirloom tomato season is over.

  2. Arthur Karatzou says:

    5 stars
    Dorothy, for the better part of 62 years, I have rarely missed any single opportunity to satiate one of the fundamental aspects of my existence – an inner need to constantly diversify, experiment and broaden my experiences regarding my interaction with the culinary realm. In other words, I will try anything, especially foods from other cultures. I was a ‘foodie’ before it became cool. As long as I can remember, this is an inherent personality-shaping quality in me. Simultaneously, I harbor a strong drive to learn everything I can about peoples of the world with all of its vast diversity. Born white, male, middle class, and reared in Oklahoma, I was able at a young age to see many manifestations of racial inequality. And I also could hear the narrow-minded opinions of some adults in my immediate circle, which apparently motivated my desire to grow into a man that meets and greets each person as an equal, simply because we are both persons. In today’s pandemic environment, I sense conditions are currently aligning themselves, so that soon one or more huge strides in the advancement of the civilization of mankind may be possible. My point here is: I was a non-racist before that was cool, too. After all, I wanted to try soul food, too! So, enough of my introduction. I was a virgin until I met you in your blog. I mean, when it comes to Jicama, I was. I was so excited to finally know a way to eat Jicama, I made your Jicama-Tomatillo slaw within 36 hours of watching your video. I suppose it would be an exaggeration to say it filled a void in my life. Besides, saying that raises the valid question of why I never just Googled it before. I did take a liberty with the recipe by using two apples. Your recipe resulted in a wonderful salad with a superb balance of tart vs sweet, and of crunchy vs mushy. I enjoyed it very much. I rarely post a comment, and even rarer do I award 5 stars, but since the only other comment on this recipe is dated from 2012, I figured what the hell and did it anyway. It’s funny, I made the salad knowing I would like it. I knew there was no reason I would not like it: I am predisposed to have a strongly-favorable opinion on any offering from woman whose requisite farm tour toolkit is a large, full wine goblet! From the southern end of the great plains to the northern, thank you for the recipe. Your friend, Art Karatzou

    • Wow, that is quite a review, and I thank you for the kind words and taking the time to write your thoughts. I am going to change the recipe based on your recommendation to add two apples. I thought the same thing while I was making it this time, so you just confirmed it! Thanks for watching the videos also. Much appreciated……take care.

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