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About this recipe

✨

Recipe highlight

Why you’ll love it

Crisp cauliflower, cool cucumber, creamy avocado, red onion, fresh cilantro, and an electric green serrano-lime aguachile sauce create a vibrant Mexican dish with bold heat and citrus in every bite. 🌶️

Ingredients

• Cauliflower base 🥦
• 🥦 700 g cauliflower, cut into small bite-size florets (1.54 lb)
• 🥒 300 g cucumber, thinly sliced (2 cups / 10.6 oz)
• 🧅 120 g red onion, very thinly sliced (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🥑 2 ripe avocados, approximately 300 g flesh, sliced (10.6 oz)
• 🌿 20 g fresh cilantro leaves (½ cup / 0.7 oz)
• 🧂 ½ tsp fine sea salt
• Green aguachile sauce 🌶️
• 🍋 180 ml fresh lime juice (¾ cup / 6 fl oz)
• 🥒 150 g cucumber, roughly chopped (1 cup / 5.3 oz)
• 🌶️ 2–3 serrano peppers, stems removed
• 🌿 30 g fresh cilantro (¾ cup / 1.1 oz)
• 🧄 1 small garlic clove
• 🫒 30 ml olive oil (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🧂 ¾ tsp fine sea salt
• ⚫ ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 💧 30–60 ml cold water, as needed (2–4 tbsp / 1–2 fl oz)
• Quick-pickled onion 🍋
• 🧅 80 g red onion, very thinly sliced (⅔ cup / 2.8 oz)
• 🍋 30 ml fresh lime juice (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🍎 15 ml apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp / 0.5 fl oz)
• 🧂 ¼ tsp fine sea salt
• 🍬 ½ tsp sugar
• To finish 🍽️
• 🌱 40 g toasted pumpkin seeds (⅓ cup / 1.4 oz)
• 🌿 Fresh cilantro
• 🌶️ Thinly sliced serrano pepper
• 🥑 Extra avocado
• 🍋 Lime wedges
• 🌶️ Tajín or crushed chile de árbol, optional
• 🌽 Crisp corn tostadas, optional

Preparation

• 1 Prepare the quick-pickled onion 🧅 Combine the sliced red onion with lime juice, apple cider vinegar, salt, and sugar. Toss thoroughly and leave it to soften for at least 15 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients.
• 2 Prepare the cauliflower 🥦 Cut the cauliflower into small, even florets. Keep the pieces bite-size so they absorb the aguachile sauce evenly and remain easy to eat.
• 3 Blanch briefly 💧 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the cauliflower and cook for only 2 minutes until slightly tender but still crisp.
• 4 Chill immediately ❄️ Drain the cauliflower and transfer it directly into a bowl of ice water. Leave it for 2–3 minutes, then drain extremely well and pat dry.
• 5 Prepare the serrano-lime sauce 🌶️ Place the lime juice, chopped cucumber, serrano peppers, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and 30 ml cold water in a blender.
• 6 Blend until bright green ✨ Blend until completely smooth and vivid green. Add a little additional cold water only when necessary to create a light pourable sauce.
• 7 Marinate the cauliflower 🍋 Place the drained cauliflower in a large shallow bowl and pour approximately two-thirds of the green aguachile sauce over it. Toss gently until every floret is coated.
• 8 Add the cucumber and onion 🥒 Add the sliced cucumber and half of the drained quick-pickled onion. Fold gently and leave the mixture to marinate in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
• 9 Add the avocado 🥑 Arrange the avocado slices over the marinated cauliflower and cucumber. Spoon some of the remaining green aguachile sauce around and over the avocado without completely covering it.
• 10 Add fresh toppings 🌿 Finish with the remaining pickled onion, cilantro leaves, toasted pumpkin seeds, sliced serrano, and optional Tajín or crushed chile de árbol.
• 11 Serve cold 🍽️ Serve immediately with fresh lime wedges and crisp corn tostadas when using. Keep the dish cold so the cucumber stays crunchy, the avocado stays fresh, and the aguachile remains bright and sharp.

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