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Vegan ceviche is a who’s who of vitamin C with hearts of palm, red onion, avocados, cilantro, and lime juice. This cool and satisfying appetizer is great for weekend gatherings or to enjoy with a Mexican beer on a warm spring day. Vegan & gluten free.
The first and only time I had non-vegan ceviche was on Catalina Island.
I was there for my job working as an actress in a touring children’s theatre group. We performed plays for kids on the island on an outdoor stage with the ocean as our backdrop.
Our evenings were spent telling stories and singing songs by the campfire at a Catalina campground. And during the day, we rehearsed, broken up only by trips to the cabana for snacks.
One of the items on the cabana menu was ceviche. Since I’d grown up in a landlocked state, ceviche was new to me.
Non-vegan ceviche is made with raw fish, cured in lime or lemon juice. It’s then tossed with onions, salt, and cilantro.
The idea of consuming raw fish that was “cooked” only by citrus juices while we sat in the sun seemed to defy reason. But I tried it anyway. (This was before I was vegan, of course.)
The flavors that stood out were bold notes of lime, salty chips for scooping, and of course, a Mexican beer to wash it down.
Vegan ceviche
Not long after I’d gone vegan, I was popping open a jar of hearts of palm, and the texture and briny flavor took me back to those sunny Catalina days.
It was clear that hearts of palm would make the perfect vegan ceviche without the food poisoning concerns of the traditional version. And of course, no fish were harmed in the process.
My vegan ceviche is a who’s who of vitamin C with hearts of palm, onion, avocado, cilantro, and lime juice.
It’s finished with a pinch of cayenne pepper for spice and diced jalapeño peppers to taste. The brininess of the dip works particularly well with a bit of heat for balance.
This cool and satisfying appetizer is great for weekend gatherings by the pool, a vegan potluck, or to enjoy with a margarita on a warm spring day.
New to hearts of palm?
Hearts of palm is harvested from the inner core of certain palm trees. It’s similar in taste and texture to artichoke hearts.
The shape is long and cylindrical. It’s delicious in salads.
Hearts of palm is available fresh, canned, jarred, or packaged in sealed bags. Canned is my least favorite option, because the delicate flavor of the palm can pick up a metallic taste in cans. But it works in a pinch!
Vegan ceviche with hearts of palm
Ingredients
- 14 ounces hearts of palm drained from can or jar & sliced
- 12 cherry tomatoes sliced into halves or quarters
- 1 avocado cubed
- ¼ cup onion chopped small
- 2 heaping Tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped + additional for garnish
- Juice of 1 lime
- Diced fresh or jarred jalapeño peppers to taste
- Pinch cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine hearts of palm, tomatoes, avocado, onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Add fresh or jarred diced jalapeño pepper, to taste. Garnish with additional cilantro and a pinch of cayenne pepper, if using.
- Serve with tortilla chips or slices of jicama for dipping.
Mark Cdary says
Hi Cadry,
My name is Mark Cadry. Just wanted to give you and update about the surname Cadry as this seems o be most of your blog I have been following for a while by chance while looking for other Cadrys in the world.
My Grandfather actually change our family name to Cadry back in the 1940’s. We always thought we were the only Cadry’s in the world, till the internet came around and we discovered that one of his estranged brothers had also changed his name, and since had a large family of his own based in LA. My part of the family all live in Sydney Australia.
I have also found a group of cadrys’s that are not our family and are based in Detroit. their name was originally choudhoury, but Americanised it to Cadry.
So there you go. Hope this is of interest to you
Best regards
Mark Cadry
cadryskitchen says
That’s really fascinating, Mark. Thank you for letting me know!
BurbankVegan says
I laughed when I read, “or as some call it, swamp cabbage.” I never heard it called that before!!
On the name note, when I was growing up, Leah wasn’t a very common name. Every time I went into a store that had personalized items, I always looked for my name, even though it was never there. One day I was in an amusement park gift shop, and there it was! LEAH on a mini license plate! So I bought it. I didn’t know those were for bikes, so I hung mine on my cork board. 🙂
cadryskitchen says
Yes, doesn’t “swamp cabbage” make it sound appetizing? It’s called that in Florida, because the heart of palm eaten there comes from the cabbage palm tree.
Congratulations on finding your name on a mini license plate. Red letter day! 😀
MJ says
I grew up here in sunny Florida. It is now illegal to go out and cut down the palmettos that the real “swamp” cabbage came from, and it got the name because those palms are really only found in the swampy areas. And swampy areas are disappearing way to rapidly. Hearts of palm that you buy in the store are commercially cultivated from a different type of palm but the same family. Oh how wonderful that swamp cabbage was that my “Cracker” (which lovingly means his family has been here forever.) brother-in-law use to go cut down for us.
Sarah says
Cadry,
This recipe was so yummy. I added some of Mezzetta’s jarred “California Hot Mix” because I am too wimpy for raw jalapenos. BTW, my husband Joaquin had similar experiences to you with his name as a kid. The nice thing is none of the cold callers can pronounce his name. I did not like my name growing up because it was so common. There were 2 of us in my elementary class of 24 kids. I like it now though. Cadry is nice also. Too many female names end in the sound “aah” so yours is more unique.
cadryskitchen says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It is fortuitous when telemarketers trip over a name like Joaquin or Cadry. Plus, you can honestly tell them that strangely-pronounced person doesn’t live there. 😉
Rande says
Ohhh this is SO up my alley, I’ll definitely be adding it to the list of must-try-sometime-in-the-next-year recipes 😉
Tammy says
I made this for a small party I was invited to where more than half of the guests are vegans or vegetarians. Everyone went crazy over this. Everyone! I’m making it again for Easter. It was delicious and quick.
Cadry says
I’m so glad to hear that, Tammy! Thank you for letting me know!