Jicama with Lime and Tajin (Mexican Snack Recipe)

If you’re looking for a delicious snack with a crunchy texture but not a lot of calories, then you must try this Mexican jicama with lime and chile powder! If jicama is new to you this is a perfect way to introduce your tastebuds to this delicious Mexican food. 

Jicama

Jicama is a root vegetable native to Mexico but also used throughout Central and South America, China and some Southeast Asian countries.

Other common names used for jicama are: Mexican yam, Mexican turnip, Mexican potato, Mexican water chestnut, Mexican yam bean, ahipa, saa got, Chinese turnip, lo bok and Chinese potato.

It grows on vines on the ground – but did you know that the leaves, steams, seeds and skin are poisonous? Yes, only the peeled flesh is safe to eat!

Jicamas have a very tough and fibrous outer brown skin that MUST be peeled completely off. (Never eat the skin or plant parts because they are toxic.) Once the hard outer skin is removed a crisp, white, watery, and starchy vegetable is revealed.

The scent and taste of jicama is very mild. Some describe the taste having a little bit of a sweet flavor but it really depends on where the jicama was grown. It also has very high in dietary fiber, about 86-90% water content, contains Vitamins C, vitamin A, and calcium and phosphorus. 

Also, because of it’s high water content this makes jicama an ideal summertime or hot weather food to help you keep hydrated.

Where Can You Find Jicama

Jicama is available all year round and can be found in just about any grocery store or farmer’s market. If not you can always look in your local Hispanic or Asian food store.

How do Mexicans Eat Jicama

In Mexico jicama is eaten raw and cooked. Mostly you’ll find Mexicans eating jicama as a fun and healthy snack, it’s commonly sold by street vendor or made at home.

The crunchy tuber is peeled and then sliced into round pieces, or cut into thick stick shapes or even into small bite-sized pieces. Then it’s seasoned with fresh lime juice, salt, and chile powder.

The chile powder can be just regular ground up red chili powder, but often times Tajin seasoning is used.

If you don’t already know, Tajin is a very popular condiment used for sprinkling over fresh fruit snacks and drinks like michelada beer cocktails.

This fruit seasoning is made with three simple ingredients: ground chile peppers, salt and lime — a ubiquitous trinity of Mexican cooking.

Other ways its eaten in Mexico is as jicama tortillas. My mom once got shrimp tacos served on very thinly sliced jicama and she quite enjoyed it. Those following a low-carb or keto diet may want to give this a try some time.

I’ve also seen jicama salsa made with cucumber and mango and served with corn chips as a light appetizer. I once also saw jicama soup but I’ve never tried it before. You could also add it to ceviche for a fun twist.

What other Mexican dishes have you seen jicama in?

Other Ways Jicama is Eaten

Jicama is one of those Mexican ingredients that you can get really creative with and also easily incorporate into fusion jicama recipes with world flavors. Below are other ways jicama can be prepared.

• Jicama Fries: Made just like regular french fries and sweet potato fries, and fried until golden brown. These would be fun to serve with guacamole too.
• Jicama Salad: Add the perfect crunch to a green salad or mix with other crunchy vegetables and crunchy salad ingredients. 
• Jicama Slaw: The crunchy texture and taste of julienned jicama blends perfectly with the other coleslaw ingredients.

How to Make Jicama with Lime and Tajin

For me, juicy pieces of jicama drenched in fresh lime juice and sprinkled with tajin seasoning is among the very best snacks one could have. 

The calories are low, the flavor is high and all that juiciness really helps to keep you hydrated and cool during the hotter months of the year.

Let me show you how I make this yummy and fun snack.

Step 1
Thoroughly​ rinse the jicama to remove any dirt. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. 

Step 2
Place the jicama on a study cutting board and use a sharp chef’s knife then very carefully slice off both ends so that it can lay flat.

Step 3
Working from the top and down the sides, slice off the skin all around the jicama. Make sure to remove all the tough fibrous skin too.

Step 4
Slice thick even-sized slices then cut into large, thick sticks. You can leave the jicama as sticks or chop into smaller pieces.

Step 5
Place the jicama pieces in a bowl then drizzle with freshly squeezed lime juice and sprinkle with as much Tajin as you’d like. If you’re using ground chile then you’ll also want sprinkle with salt to taste.

Step 6
Serve and enjoy your delicious jicama snack! 

How to Store Jicama

Once peeled the jicama will dry out and go bad rather quickly. So the best thing to do is peel and eat the same day or next day. 

If you’re eating the next day you can store the jicama in an airtight container and pour in some cool water to keep it from drying out and spoiling.

More Mexican Snacks to Try