The taco from Pico Taqueria called The Deep Hole, as attempted by me! With caper pico de gallo, garlic aioli, Parmesan cheese, and crispy shallots, it’s a phenomenal cauliflower taco.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 8 tacos |
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower, chopped into small florets
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 2 medium plum tomatoes, diced
- ½ medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- ½ medium lime, juiced
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 cup oil for frying, or as needed
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Toss cauliflower with olive oil, both chili powders, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until cauliflower is tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, onion, capers, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper for pico in one bowl. Combine mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper for aioli in another bowl. Place both bowls in the fridge to let flavors blend until everything else is ready.
- Heat about 1 inch oil in a small pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Pat shallots dry with a paper towel, then lower into the oil; fry until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
- Remove oil from the pan and wipe dry. Toast tortillas if desired by heating in the pan over medium heat for 30 seconds per side.
- Spoon aioli onto tortillas. Add cauliflower, pico, and shallots. Top with Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 398 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 20 g |
| Cholesterol | 3 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Sodium | 269 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 35 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I just cooked it in a cast-iron pan on the stove.
I made the following changes/additions/recommendations: *Do steps 4 & 5 first *Step 1 – toss cauliflower with oil in bowl then add spices and continue to toss then place on parchment lined baking pan *Step 6 – place raw tortillas directly on a stove burner and turn every few seconds till charged to your liking. Caper Pico *remove pulp and seeds from tomatoes *dice to onions same size as tomatoes Garlic Aioli *used 3/4 cup oil for frying shallots
OMG! These are absolutely wonderful. These are not your usual tacos. I lined my baking sheet with foil and preheated it in the oven so the cauliflower cooked even crispier. The capers in the pico just jump out and those shallots, well, those are just pure genius. I ended up making three (very large) shallots knowing one wouldn’t be enough. I used vegan mayo and left out the cheese.
Even though I wanted to murder the shallots after burning them the first time, I’m happy I didn’t give in and remade them. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly besides not having the two different Chile powders ( I just used regular Chile powder for both measurements). And probably added an extra clove of garlic for the garlic mayo because I love garlic. My boyfriend added hot sauce to his tacos in the end. We both enjoyed this and I’d probably make it again. It’s a nice veggie alternative to regular tacos!