Raw tacos with corn and tomato salsa and spicy nut meat

Here, whole cabbage leaves take the place of tortillas: sturdy enough to hold a scoop of salsa and nut meat without tearing or going soggy the way a soft lettuce wrap might. The salsa is built from fresh corn cut straight off the cob and diced heirloom tomatoes, with basil and a good squeeze of lime keeping it tasting bright rather than heavy, closer to a summer corn salad than a typical taco topping. The nut meat swaps in pecans and sunflower seeds for ground meat, seasoned with turmeric, cumin, chilli powder and a splash of tamari until the mixture turns a deep golden colour and takes on a savoury edge that comes from the tamari alone. Because both components are pulsed or chopped rather than cooked, the whole meal comes together in the time it takes to prep the vegetables, with no simmering or marinating. It is a good option for a quick weeknight dinner or a casual taco night with guests, especially since the nut meat, salsa and cabbage shells can all be swapped for whatever is on hand: lettuce for cabbage, another nut for pecans, coconut aminos for tamari.

Ingredients

For the shells

• 1 small savoy cabbage

For the salsa

• 4 heirloom tomatoes
• 2 ears of corn
• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 2 limes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the nut meat

• 1/3 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon chilli powder, or more to taste
• 1 teaspoon tamari

Preparation

1. Carefully peel whole leaves away from the cabbage: these become your taco shells.
2. Cut the tomatoes into chunks, fine or rough as you prefer, and cut the kernels from the corn cobs.
3. Finely chop the basil and squeeze the juice from both limes.
4. Combine the tomatoes, the corn, the basil, the lime juice and the black pepper in a bowl and stir until it tastes bright and balanced.
5. Pulse or finely chop the pecans and the sunflower seeds until crumbly, then stir in the tamari, the turmeric, the cumin and the chilli powder until evenly coated.
6. Spoon the salsa and the nut meat into the cabbage leaves and serve right away.

Swaps: lettuce leaves work in place of cabbage; any nut or seed can replace the pecans and sunflower seeds; coconut aminos can stand in for tamari; other vegetables can replace the tomato and corn.

Tip

Warm, pliable cabbage leaves are easier to fill without cracking: run the whole head under warm water for a minute before peeling, or briefly soak the stiffest leaves. Leftover salsa and nut meat both keep well refrigerated for a couple of days, so it is worth doubling the batch.

FAQ: your questions about raw cabbage tacos