This vegan hearts of palm ceviche will transport you to the Mexican Caribbean with the combination of habanero, chopped hearts of palm, onion, olive oil, tomato, and cilantro marinated in lime juice. You can serve it on tostadas, eat with tortilla chips, or even serve it as a salad.
What Makes This Recipe Great
Hearts of palm is a great fish substitute for making vegan ceviche, it has a flaky texture but a firm bite, and it absorbs perfectly the flavors of the marinade.
Traditional ceviche is usually made with raw fish marinated in citrus juices, but this is a healthy and easy plant-based recipe that will become one of your favorites. It is also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free.
About the Recipe
This recipe is part of a project turned ebook between a group of vegan Mexican cooks called Our Vegan Mexico. It is a contribution by Alessandro Scetta, an Italian vegan chef who has lived in Cancun for more than 15 years and is representing Quintana Roo.
Quintana Roo is a southern Mexican state bordered by the Caribbean Ocean, full of amazing beaches, ruins, and a seafood-dominated cuisine. Alessandro has transformed the classic Quintana Roo conch ceviche into this vegan version that is delicious and refreshing. You can follow Alessandro on Facebook: @CocinaUrbanaVegana and Instagram: @alessandro_scetta
Ingredients
Hearts of Palm: Hearts of palm are a type of vegetable harvested from the inner core of certain palm trees found in tropical regions, such as peach palms. They have a cylindrical shape and a tender delicate texture. Typically sold canned or jarred at your local grocery store, they are ivory to creamy white in color, and taste like a combination of artichokes and white asparagus. For this recipe, you will need whole hearts of palm, not sliced.
Tomatoes: Roma or plum tomatoes are the best for this recipe, because of their firm flesh and low moisture content.
Small Red Onion: Red or white onion can be used to make the ceviche, but I prefer to use red to add color to the dish.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The oil adds a little bit of fat to the recipe, but it is not essential. If you are oil-free simply omit the oil.
Fresh Lime Juice: It is key that you use fresh lime juice for this recipe, it will give it a fresh citrusy flavor that lime juice from concentrate does not have.
Habanero Pepper: Habanero pepper is a small orange or green chile used in Yucatecan cuisine, it is very hot so be careful when chopping it, I recommend you use gloves. If you want to make this more mild you can use jalapeño pepper or serrano pepper.
How to Make Hearts of Palm Ceviche
1. Cut the hearts of palm in half-moon pieces.
2. In a large bowl combine ingredients and mix well.
3. Let marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Additional Ingredients
Some of the ingredients that would be a good addition to this hearts of palm ceviche would be red or yellow bell pepper, avocado, or fresh mango. If you are looking for an alternative to hearts of palm, you could make this Mushroom Aguachile or this Cauliflower Ceviche.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- You might have to try several brands of hearts of palm and see which one you like best. Some are more tender than others.
- The recipe calls for 1 whole habanero, but if you don't eat a lot of spicy food I would only use 1/2 or even a 1/3 of a pepper.
- Oil is optional.
Serving
Serve with corn chips, or on tostadas with avocado and hot sauce, on top of greens to make a salad, or even with plantain chips.
Storage
Store in the fridge in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
What is vegan ceviche made of?
Vegan ceviche can be made with hearts of palm, cauliflower, chickpeas, or even textured soy (TVP). The one that resembles fish the most is hearts of palm with its flaky texture.
Ceviche does not have to have fish. Hearts of palm ceviche is very common in the state of Chiapas in Mexico where hearts of palm are harvested.
More Easy Recipes for Vegan Appetizers
Habanero Hearts of Palm Ceviche
Ingredients
- 2 cans (14 oz.) Hearts of palm, drained
- 3 Plum tomatoes, pulp removed, diced
- ½ Red onion, finely diced
- 1 Habanero pepper, finely diced
- 2 tbsp. Lime juice, fresh
- 3 tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp. Chopped cilantro or to taste
Instructions
- Cut the hearts of palm in slices or half-moon pieces.
- In a large bowl, combine the hearts of palm, tomato, onion, and habanero pepper.
- Add the lime juice, olive oil, and cilantro. Mix well. (Hold off on seasoning it.)
- Let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 min.
- Season with salt and mix to combine.
- Serve with chips or tostadas.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Although dorastable.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates.
I made this for my husband and I and we both enjoyed it. We are currently on vacation in Tulum and we follow a plant based diet (although my husband will eat some meat). I didn't have any tomatoes but I had some Pico de gallo I had just made so I used it instead. Very refreshing
Hello Dora! Thank you for the recipe! Do you think I can use some jalapeños instead of habanero pepper?
Hi Sabrina, yes you can use jalapeño pepper.
Hi Sabrina, yes you can use jalapeño pepper without a problem
Yes, you can use jalapeño peppers without a problem.
Made this for a party and it was a hit. Many people asked for the recipe. Didn’t have habaneros (and also afraid of chopping those peppers!) but did have a habanero hot sauce. I put a few dashes of that in there and it was perfect!
That's a good idea! I don't think habaneros are available everywhere. So glad you liked it.