I’ve been slacking on Taco Tuesdays, and it’s been far too long since I shared a taco recipe with you. Time to remedy that with these fantastic Pulled BBQ Jackfruit Tacos! I posted the recipe for my Fiery Mango BBQ Sauce the other day, and it’s an essential component of these tacos. The savory, smoky, slightly fruity heat of the sauce is a terrific alternative to the traditional KC-Style BBQ sauce you’d typically use for something like this. Topping the tacos with a refreshing cabbage slaw, cool crema, and tangy pickled onion ensures that you’ll get the optimal balance of flavors and textures in every bite.
I’m pretty selective with my convenience products in the kitchen – I like to make most things from scratch. Honestly though, fresh jackfruit can be difficult to track down and it’s large and unwieldy to work with, so I’m totally on board with using canned and that’s what I call for in this recipe. I usually buy it at Trader Joe’s, but theirs is packed in brine so I rinse it really well to make sure it’s not too salty. If you can find canned jackfruit packed in water instead, even better. Regardless, make sure you drain it really well and pat it dry so you can get it a little browned in the pan.
Here’s what the canned jackfruit looks like when you first take it out of the can. I rinse it here, then shred, rinse again, and pat dry.
Here’s my shredded jackfruit. Cool, huh? You’re going to see some large, soft seeds – leave them in. Not only are they edible, they contain protein and micronutrients.
The slaw is a no-brainer, just some cabbage and carrot tossed with a little oil, lime, cilantro and salt. I like to massage it all together with my hands to soften the cabbage and make sure everything is mixed well.
This type of taco filling is usually served on a flour tortilla, so that’s what I recommend. You can totally use store-bought tortillas, but if you feel like making your own it’s easier than you think (grab my recipe here). If you’re watching your carbs, or you don’t do grains and would rather not spend a small fortune on grain-free tortillas, you can actually use slices of jicama instead. Cool, right? Apparently this is all the rage with the keto kids right now. Peel the root, trim it down so it fits on your mandoline, and cut it into really thin slices.
I like to char my tortillas pretty deeply.
I don’t know about you, but I personally think the toppings can make or break a taco; I take mine seriously. In addition to the slaw I add sliced avocado, pickled red onion, crema, thinly sliced chilies, and chopped cilantro. You can pick and choose your own as you like, but I recommend following my lead and going with the works here because I designed this recipe to give you a perfectly balanced taco. (I’d say the extra chilies are the one totally optional item; I’m a freak for spicy food and your tacos will be just as delicious without that extra heat.)
Pile it on and dig in. Enjoy!
- Filling:
- 2 [20-oz] cans young green jackfruit in water or brine (I use Trader Joe’s)
- Generous pinch kosher salt
- 30ml (2 Tbsp) neutral oil
- 1 ½ - 2 cups Fiery Mango Lime BBQ Sauce
- Slaw:
- 8 oz red cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
- 4 oz carrots (1 large or 2 small), grated
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 10ml (2 tsp) neutral oil
- 8ml (1 ½ tsp) fresh lime juice
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- Assembly:
- 6 GF flour tortillas, store-bought or homemade
- Garnishes:
- Sliced avocado
- Pickled red onion
- Dairy-free yogurt or cashew crema
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced chilies
- Cook jackfruit: Drain jackfruit in a fine mesh sieve and rinse with cool water. Drain again and pat dry. Break up jackfruit into smaller pieces and shreds. Add oil to a saucepan or large skillet set over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add jackfruit and salt and sauté, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-low, add 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce, and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until thoroughly combined and heated through. If sauce starts to dry out, drizzle in a little water. You may also add more BBQ sauce if you like a saucier filling.
- Make slaw: Add cabbage, carrot, cilantro, oil, lime juice, ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt, and several grinds pepper to a large bowl. Toss and massage with fingers to combine ingredients and soften cabbage. Taste and adjust seasoning, and set aside.
- Char tortillas: Set tortillas on low flame of gas burner or bottom of very hot cast iron skillet, and cook until both sides are charred as desired.
- Assemble and serve: Lay 1-2 avocado slices on each tortilla. Add jackfruit filling and slaw, and top with pickled onion, a dollop of yogurt or crema, a sprinkle of cilantro, and sliced jalapeño as desired.
[…] Check Out This recipe […]