Zelma’s Jicama, Sweet Corn & Tomato Salad

This jicama, corn & tomato salad is the side you need when looking for something refreshing and colorful to serve with your favorite Mexican traditional dishes, says Anjie Villalobos, one of our favorite cocineras.

”If I was making, say, shrimp tacos,” says Anjie, “And I wanted to have something light with it, like a cole slaw or some kind of interesting side: I’d make and serve this jicama salad.” Bonus: everyone loves it, she adds.

”It’s healthy, it’s light and it goes well with a lot of things,” says Anjie, who lives in southern California near her daughters and grandchildren. This dish is especially good during the verano when you can add garden-fresh tomatoes, sweet corn and extra juicy limes to make its flavors pop. Its defining ingredient, the vegetable jicama, is big on the crunch factor, adding welcome texture and a tart, bright sabor to every bite. It’s also practically a superfood, it’s that good for us.

But for her mother, Zelma, the dish is no side—it’s the main meal she will eat for días at a time during certain times of year. Turns out, this jicama salad is her dieta go-to on when she wants to shed a few pounds. ”When my mom is on a weight-loss kick, she makes this jicama salad in bulk and she will eat it every day,” says Anjie. For the record, both Anjie and her mom are willowy and lean, so this salad must really work.

”I love it. It’s nice. It’s refreshing” says Anjie. But she would never consider it a meal. “For me, it’s definitely just a side dish. Because it’s not, for me, hearty enough,”

For more filling Mexican mains that pair beautifully with this salad, check out Anjie’s hot-off-the-grill carne asado tacos, family-famous refried beans or frijoles de olla, double-delish tacos de papa and rajas, and green chile chicken pozole, a favorite comfort dish here at Familia Kitchen.

We’ll make this jicama salad the next time we need a crunchy side salad to make our comida shine. And next spring, when it’s time to get swimsuit ready, we’ll channel Anjie’s mom and make this jícama salad in bulk for a refreshing, filling main meal we’ll eat for a few days to fill us up while trimming us down.

Ready to Make Jicama, Sweet Corn & Tomato Salad?

Zelma’s Jicama, Sweet Corn & Tomato Salad

Recipe by Anjie Villalobos

5.0 from 1 vote

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 jicama, thin or chunky small pieces, about 6 cups

• 2 cups tomatoes, diced

• 2 bunches cilantro, roughly chopped

• 2 serrano chile, finely minced (seed for less heat)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 2 limes, juiced

• 1 ear fresh sweet corn, kernels sliced off

• 1 avocado, diced, optional

• 1 mango, sliced, optional

Directions

• Peel the jicama. Cut it into small pieces, either julienned 2-inch-long thin slices or about 1-inch-long wider chunks, as you wish.
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, chill and serve. Garnish with a lime wedge. Add extra sprinkle of salt, to taste—and serve.

Notes

• If you can’t find fresh sweet corn or it is not in season, Anjie recommends buying frozen bag of sweet corn. It’s the next best thing, she says.