Baked Cauliflower Tacos with Pickled Onions

Last week we made and posted our Unfried fried chicken and this week we made Baked Cauliflower Tacos with pickled onions that is the best dupe ever for a fried fish taco. It’s a vegetarian taco that’s completely BAKED. The combination of flavors and crunchy textures from the baked cauliflower, the pickled onions and and crunchy slaw all topped with a spicy sauce and a dash of lime is completely and utterly mouthwatering! It checks all the boxes for a great meal. The recipe includes how to make quick pickled onions and cabbage which are instantly ready to eat and make a great hostess gift on their own! Budget friendly, tasty, skin nourishing and versatile because you can make it vegetarian or vegan (by removing the mayo and sour cream). It is also great for either lunch or dinner and a great staple for a summer meals with friends. You can easily prep everything in advance and make your life as a host easy as pie. You might want to enjoy these while sipping on our Margarita which you can find the recipe for here.

Ingredients

Baked Cauliflower

• 1 medium cauliflower (sliced into long thin pieces that can be rolled into a taco)

• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk

• Juice and Zest of 1 lime

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

• 1/2 cup cornmeal

• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (we’ve also made this with sweetened coconut and it was delicious)

• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

Pickled Onions

• 1 medium red onion

• 1/2 cup ACV

• 1 cup of water

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• Tbsp sugar

• Whole peppercorns 

Pickled Cabbage

• ½ head red cabbage chopped into smaller pieces

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 cup water

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

• 1 tablespoon white sugar

• 1 lime sliced

• handful of peppercorns

Spicy Mayo Sauce

• 1/3 cup mayo (vegan mayo if you like)

• Juice and Zest of 1 lime

• 1/2 tsp salt

• Dash of sriracha

Extras

• Tortillas (use corn tortillas if gluten free)

• Extra Lime Wedges

• Sour cream

• Avocado slices

• Optional: Coriander and jalapeno slices

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Make pickle onions and pickled cabbage first so they have time to cool and sit in the fridge.

For the pickled onions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl for 20 seconds. Boil some water and thinly slice an onion. Pour boiling water onto the onions and let them sit for 1 minute. Strain water and place the onions into a mason jar. You can cram them in and then pour the brine over them - filling the jar to the top. 

2. Seal it and allow to cool completely in the fridge. They should last about 3 weeks in the fridge and they are best after a few days of sitting but you can use them right away.

For the pickled cabbage:

• Bring all your brine ingredients to a boil for 1 minute. Then add your cabbage and allow to boil for two minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 1 minute before pouring in all into a mason jar. Make sure it’s covered with liquid.

• Then add your lime slices, seal it, and put it in the fridge.

For the baked cauliflower:

1. Whisk together the coconut milk, zest and juice of 1 lime and 1/2 tsp salt in a wide shallow bowl, set aside. This will be station 1.

2. Whisk together the panko, cornmeal, shredded coconut, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, turmeric, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper in another wide shallow bowl, set aside. This will be station 2.

3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (station 3) and line up your breading stations in this order: wet batter, dry breading, baking sheet.

4. Take a slice of the cauliflower and place it in the coconut milk batter, flipping it over to make sure all sides are covered. Next, place that piece of cauliflower in the dry breading mix, pressing it down, flipping it over, and rolling it carefully to make sure it's coated evenly on both sides. Use your hands to toss more crumbs on it as needed.

5. The breading should stick easily and not fall off. Transfer your breaded piece of cauliflower to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining slices of cauliflower.

6. Bake the breaded cauliflower for 25-30 minutes, flipping each piece over after 15 minutes, until both sides are golden brown and look fried.

For the spicy mayo sauce

1. While the cauliflower is baking, make your spicy mayo sauce and put all your garnishes into small bowls ready to use (avocado, cabbage, pickled cabbage, pickled onions, sour cream and limes). If you are garnishing with coriander and jalapeños - you can get those ready as well. You can actually prepare everything for this meal in advance making it a great meal for guests!

Assemble!

There are no rules - get creative and assemble all your toppings into a tortilla. Make sure all your toppings are nicely laid out for easy access (we love putting them in little bowls). Half the fun is putting it all into once delicious masterpiece - and WOW is it ever delicious. We hope you love this one and share it with friends and family to try because it’s one in a million.