Jicama

Jicama is a starchy root vegetable native to Mexico and Central America, widely used in Mexican, Southeast Asian and Caribbean cooking. Its white flesh has a mild sweetness and a crisp, watery crunch similar to water chestnut, and holds up well in raw salsas and slaws without going soggy even in acidic dressings. The fibrous outer skin must be peeled away before eating; the interior stays pale and firm. In this episode it formed the base of a fresh salsa alongside mandarin orange, pairing its crunch against the richness of smoked swordfish. Available at Latin grocery stores and increasingly in mainstream supermarkets, jicama stores well for several weeks refrigerated once cut.