Crab and Jicama Salad

So, Super Bowl Sunday is almost here.  And I know everyone wants their wings and potato skins and deep fried bacon ranch balls, buuut… maybe we should add some color and brightness to the spread?  Just a thought. This right here is so simple and light and lovely.  It can be eaten as a salad or as a dip… kinda like a ceviche.  It can be ready in minutes, and can (and should) be made ahead of time.  So it’s the perfect thing to make and take to a party!

I served it with the Tom Kha Gai soup the other day for dinner and then we nibbled on the leftovers for snacks and lunch.  The recipe started out as a nod to one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes- the summer roll.  Gosh, I love those things.  They’re these light and fresh rice paper wrapped rolls filled with cucumbers and carrots and avocado and fresh herbs and a lot of times-crab.  SO delicious. And I had all of those filling ingredients on hand, along with some jicama and mango… and that led us to here!

By the way- do you guys know the deets on jicama?

That unassuming beige bulb is quite impressive! First of all, it’s also referred to as a Mexican turnip. It’s composed of about 90% water, so it’s naturally low in calories, sugars and starch… It’s a good source of vitamin C….  And the fiber in jicama is what’s called prebiotic fiber, which means once it reaches the intestines, it helps probiotics (the good bacteria in there) do their job better.  That prebiotic carbohydrate within the fiber is called inulin and since it’s indigestible and literally ferments in the gut, it’s considered to have zero calories, yet it benefits the organs in the digestive system (and therefore the entire body, because so many things in the body can be positively and negatively affected by gut health!)  AND it’s been said that inulin has anti-cancer properties.

Whew.

But also, it’s just plain yummy!

Flavor-wise, it definitely has that slight horseradishy-turnip flavor to it, but also a mild sweetness… almost like a slightly watered down green apple.  And the texture is similar to a raw apple as well, maybe crossed between a raw potato?  It’s incredibly cheap at most grocery stores, and is often forgotten about.  It’s a great ingredient to use in salads like this, or even sliced into rounds or sticks to be used as a dip grabber!

But the really surprising part about jicama to me is its fiber count.

One medium jicama has… wait for it… wait for it….

32 grams of fiber.

WHAT.

That’s astonishing to me.

You go, jicama.

So, not only is this recipe almost superhero-like (thanks to the jicama), it’ll add some color to help brighten up these cold winter days… AND that Super Bowl spread 😉

Enjoy!

CRAB AND JICAMA SALAD

In a large bowl add the following…

• 1/2 – 3/4 lb cooked crab meat, flaked or chopped into bite-sized pieces (your preference on what type of crab meat)
• 1/2 a small-medium jicama, peeled and diced
• 1 mango, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 a standard cucumber, seeded and diced
• 1 medium carrot, shaved using vegetable peeler
• 2 limes, zested and juiced
• 1 small orange, half of it zested and all of it juiced
• handful each of fresh basil, cilantro and mint, chopped
• large pinch kosher salt to taste
• optional- a couple pinches crushed red pepper flakes, dashes of hot sauce, or chopped chilis

Gently toss everything (being sure not to mush the avocado) until mixed well.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Eat by fork, or by chip.

Or by jicama?

…

Thanks for reading, y’all.  Have a great weekend!  Have fun / Be safe xo