mango jicama salad

I find myself cooking a lot more mexican-inspired dishes in the summertime. Maybe because there are so many options that involve fresh seasonal vegetables, fish, less elaborate cooking (and shorter cooking times), and especially because spicy is the best complement to the southern heat and humidity. And what goes best with spicy mexican food? This crunchy, tangy mango jicama salad. Jicama doesn't have a lot of flavor, but it has the greatest texture (crunchy and light, kind of like a water chestnut, if I had to pick something), and absorbs the flavors of whatever you mix with it. I found this recipe from epicurious (which I made a half-batch of and found plenty for 4+ servings - half batch ingredients listed below), and will definitely make it a lot more this summer...

Grocery list: 3 ears corn, 2-3 mangoes (peeled, pitted, chopped), 1 jicama (about a pound, peeled and chopped), 1/2 chopped red onion, handful chopped fresh cilantro, juice of 1 lime, drizzle of olive oil.



The only thing that requires a little work for this salad is the corn - you have to boil it for 3-5 minutes, then chill in ice water. Slice the kernels off the corn cobs, and chop all the other ingredients.



Toss everything together with the juice of one lime and a drizzle of olive oil, plus salt and pepper to taste, and that's it.