MacGyver this Cauliflower!

May 24, 2016 4:15 PM

Hey folks! I have pretty much a full recipe of Thug Kitchen's Landlocked Ceviche in the fridge right now, minus the cilantro and avocado. Basically, a salad of cauliflower, tomato, red onion and jalepeno doused in lime juice and salt. It's...just ok. Can I shoehorn it into tonight's dinner?

I don't really know what I was expecting - maybe something more pickled? It just tastes like a side salad from the Whole Foods salad bar that's been sitting there for a while. The texture of the cauliflower has broken down nicely, but still just tastes like raw cauliflower. It's not particularly limey. It seems like a waste of food not to eat it, but it's not tasty enough on its own to dip as instructed. So what should I do with it?

Other things in fridge: avocado, tofu, pickled ginger, salad ingredients, LOTS of tomatoes, yellow squash, black beans, garlic, chihuahuan smoked salt

Would going out and buying the recommended cilantro make all the difference?

Restrictions: vegetarian

posted by theweasel to Food & Drink (14 answers total)

I'd add cubed lightly fried tofu and tomatoes. Make it a main! (Also, I have that same cookbook. Thanks for the heads up.)
posted by Kitteh at 4:28 PM on May 24, 2016

I'd say the missing cilantro is key. That stuff has presence.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 4:34 PM on May 24, 2016

I don't know why you left out the avocado and cilantro; those seem pretty key. But I'd probably just let it marinate overnight, and then add little cubes of grilled halloumi or tiny balls of bocconcini and use it to stuff pitas with, probably with some lettuce. And slices of cheddar if I didn't have halloumi or bocconcini. I might add beans. It just seems to want more protein, as well as flavour and textural interest.
posted by kmennie at 4:41 PM on May 24, 2016

Edit - Just to clarify, it's already been in the fridge overnight. Instructions say to only add the green stuff right before serving so as not to discolor, but after tasting I was afraid of throwing in good after bad. Keep those ideas coming, thanks y'all!
posted by theweasel at 5:22 PM on May 24, 2016

The recipe called for the cilantro to be added before letting it sit, which would have boosted the flavor. Avocado was the holdout.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 5:34 PM on May 24, 2016

Fry corn tortillas in shallow oil until golden and crisp tostadas.

Puree a cleaned-and-destemmed bunch of cilantro with 8 oz sour cream, 1 lime worth of lime juice, and queso fresco or panela in a blender. It's a bright green, fresh, tangy sauce.

Top tostada with your racist vegan ceviche.

Top with fanned, sliced avocado.

Drizzle over sauce.

Sprinkle with cilantro, cotija or more queso fresco, and toasted pepitas.
posted by Juliet Banana at 5:40 PM on May 24, 2016

I kind of called for a million ingredients you don't have, but maybe you could make a sort of ranchera sauce with all your tomatoes cooked down with chipotle or chile power, onions, whatever else you have that makes sense? Then you can make chilaquiles or huevos rancheros for breakfast, too.
posted by Juliet Banana at 5:42 PM on May 24, 2016

Id say yes cilantro is key. And some salt. Definitely some salt. Fish for ceviche has a natural saltiness you are missing.
posted by chasles at 5:45 PM on May 24, 2016

Yup, you're missing cilantro. Throw that in and taste.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:30 PM on May 24, 2016

Salt, a teaspoon of sugar or agave nectar (or a squeeze of orange) if your limes were bland or tomatoes unsweet, cilantro (I don't love cilantro but I put it in my ceviche because it's not good without any). If it's not oniony enough you can put in more red but I actually like sweet yellow onion, or shallots in a pinch.

If your limes were really bland, stir in a tiny dose of vinegar (I like something very mild like champagne vinegar for this, or just white vinegar) or give it a few good shakes of vinegar-based hot sauce like Tapatio, Cholula, Crystal, Louisiana, or Tabasco.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:01 PM on May 24, 2016

Worst case, though, make tacos with pan-fried tofu and/or seared/grilled squash planks with some dry-fried mushrooms and a dab of sour cream, and use this as salsa. It might get better after 2-3 days in the fridge too, especially post-cilantro.
posted by Lyn Never at 7:05 PM on May 24, 2016

It needs a touch of sweetener and some chopped green olives. Add a little of the olive juice, too.
posted by MexicanYenta at 9:45 PM on May 24, 2016

Needs more fat, salt, a protein and something funky tasting. Grill some tofu, add more salt, add the cilantro, add the avocado. Or roast the squash with some spice and garlic, add the black beans, add a gulp of oil, add the cilantro. Eat on a tostada, piece of toast, as some kind of vegan nachos, or simply on a tortilla.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:02 AM on May 25, 2016

I would finish according to the recipe, add more salt, then dump it over brown rice and go to town. Maybe add some black beans too. In fact, I think I'm going to make that this weekend.
posted by slogger at 10:38 AM on May 25, 2016