A bright tangy aromatic vegan cauliflower ceviche with an array of colorful plant-powered ingredients. This recipe was inspired by the traditional cuisine of Colima, Mexico where grated carrots and herbal flavors are a central feature of most ceviches.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Cauliflower ceviches, no matter the recipe, will never fool someone into believing that they’re eating fish. You can still feel and taste the cauliflower. But a thoughtfully prepared cauliflower ceviche does deliver a delightfully refreshing ceviche-adjacent experience. After all, every other aspect of the recipe can remain nearly identical to a ceviche made with fish or shrimp. And by adding just a small amount of nori you even get the fishy flavor.
WHY COLIMA-STYLE CEVICHE?
Before going fully plant based I’d spent a lot of time in Mexico where I tried many varieties of Mexican ceviche. My favorite types of ceviche had the fish or shrimp cut into very small pieces, so small that they could be described as minced. Another hallmark of the ceviches I liked was the inclusion of grated carrots. These happen to be two of the features of Colima-style ceviche though you can find this type of ceviche all along the Pacific coast especially in Nayarit and Sinaloa, but also in Baja. This recipe for plant based cauliflower ceviche was inspired by several traditional recipes from the state of Colima. Blanched cauliflower florets are finely chopped to resemble very small pieces of fish. I love the variety of colors and textures. Part of the magic is that the small amount of salt helps the juice from the vegetables seep into the lime juice creating layers of flavors that spread evenly throughout the dish.
CHOP, MINCE, GRATE OR SHRED
The size of the vegetable pieces for this recipe are a matter of personal preference. I prefer to get everything as small as I can chop it by hand. The carrots can be grated as finely or coarsely as you want. It’s all about personal preference.
NORI FLAKES
Nori flakes are dehydrated, crumbled pieces of edible seaweed, the same seaweed used for sushi rolls. Most Asian grocery stores stock nori flakes and you can also order them online. Another option is to make your own nori flakes by crumpling up nori that you buy in sheets. If you start of with nori sheets, you’ll want to get them as crumpled up as possible for this particular recipe.
Despite being a maximalist in most things (hence the name of my blog), the quantity of nori flakes in this recipe is minimalist, making the fishy flavor a subtle aftertaste. That’s usually what I prefer but if you find you’re barely tasting the nori at all or would like a decidedly fishy flavor, feel free to adjust the amount of nori. Adding ½ teaspoon or even a little more is all you need to magnify the oceany flavor.
MARINADE UNCOOKED VEGGIES
I like to begin by combining all of the ingredients except for the cauliflower and avocado. That way while I’m blanching and chopping the cauliflower the vegetable juices have a chance to seep into the lime juice creating a flavorful marinade while the lime juice breaks down the cell membrane of the vegetables making them softer.
CAULIFLOWER PREP
Blanching the cauliflower florets is important because tender cauliflower gives this dish a more ceviche-like texture than what you’d get by using raw cauliflower. I use salted water for blanching because it keeps the cauliflower from getting too soft by creating a higher boiling point. I use one quarter cup of salt for every gallon of water though most sources recommend twice as much. Even after rinsing, salted water does raise the overall sodium content of this recipe and it’s okay to skip the salt or use less. After straining the blanched cauliflower I dip it into a bowl of ice water to instantly stop the cooking process. This step is dramatically called “shocking” the cauliflower. The final chopping happens after the florets have been blanched. The final photo below illustrates the amount of chopping I prefer. Your pieces can be a little larger or smaller.
INCORPORATING THE AVOCADO
Creamy ripe chopped or sliced avocado is the perfect garnish for this dish. I like the visual appeal of having the avocado on top whether the ceviche is served over tostadas, crisped flour tortillas, in small bowls or over a lettuce leaves. For make-ahead meal prep especially, it makes more sense to me not to add avocado until serving in order to keep the pieces from getting mushy. But gently mixing chopped avocado pieces into the ceviche itself is also fine.
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Plant-Based Cauliflower Ceviche Mexican Colima-Style
Equipment
- 2 large bowls (one for the salad, one for shocking the blanched cauliflower)
- Large Cooking Pot (ideally should hold more than a gallon of water)
- colander or mesh strainer
Ingredients
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 1½ tsp nori flakes*
- ½ tsp dried marjoram (or substitute with dried Mexican oregano)
- ¼ to ½ tsp salt (I use ½ tsp but less is ok)
- ¾ cup grated carrot (coarse, fine or medium grate)
- ½ cup onion, finely chopped (red, yellow or white are all fine)
- ¼ to ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes, diced (or ½ to ⅔ cup any fresh diced tomato)
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cucumber
- 3 radishes, medium size, finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeño, finely chopped (optional or sub with 2 to 3 tablespoons of another pepper, Serrano is good)
- 4 cups cauliflower florets, or florets from one cauliflower (about 12 ounces)
- 1 avocado, sliced or chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
Marinade the Raw Veggies
- Combine lime juice, nori flakes, marjoram and salt in a large bowl.
- Fold in grated carrot, onions, cilantro leaves, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes and jalapeño and set aside while you prepare the cauliflower.
Prepare Cauliflower Florets
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot set to high heat.
- Blanche cauliflower florets by dropping them into the boiling salted water and cooking for 2 to 3 minutes.
- While the cauliflower florets cook, prepare a shock bath for the blanched florets by placing 3 to 4 cups of water and 3 to 4 cups of ice in a large bowl.
- Strain cauliflower florets and place them in the bowl with ice water. Let cool and strain again.
- Chop blanched cauliflower into small pieces. Just how small is up to you but you can see how small I get my pieces by referring to the photos in the main recipe text.
Create the Cauliflower Ceviche
- Add the chopped blanched cauliflower to the marinated vegetables, mixing until evenly distributed.
- Allow to marinade at least 15 minutes more.
Garnish and Serve
- Place each serving of ceviche in a bowl, lettuce leaf, over tostadas or crisped flour tortillas and top with chopped or sliced avocado.
- Alternatively, you can also gently fold chopped avocado into the ceviche before serving.
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