Hibiscus Tacos

Since I started my blog in 2018, I have shared a post related to tacos every October 4, marked as National Taco Day in the US and Canada.  Click on the highlighted year numbers to visit my Taco Day posts  from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.

In my previous post, dedicated to edible hibiscus (flor de Jamaica), I described how hibiscus is used to prepare a refreshing beverage, and mentioned that in Mexico, the leftover cooked solids are often discarded, but that in recent decades, they have become a popular ingredient in savoury dishes, particularly for vegetarian preparations, such as stews, fried snacks, and tacos.  So, to celebrate National Taco Day 2024, I have used the batch of cooked hibiscus leftover from my previous post, to prepare a unique taco filling.

Hibiscus Tacos – Tacos de Jamaica

Printable recipe: Hibiscus Tacos – Tacos de Jamaica

Ingredients (for 6-8 tacos)

1 cup dry flor de Jamaica (hibiscus)
½ white onion; peeled, and chopped
1 clove garlic; peeled and chopped finely
1 tbsp oil
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Water, as needed
6-8 corn tortillas
Cilantro; washed, and chopped
Mexican sauce (for example, click on highlighted text for my red spicy,  or charred green tomatillo)
Optional: bottled sauce, such as Maggi™, Worcestershire sauce, Cholula™, etc.

It is a requirement to thoroughly rinse hibiscus in a large bowl with cold water to remove grit and dirt.  Drain and discard water, then transfer washed hibiscus to a pot; add four cups of clean water, and bring to boil over high heat (photo below, left).  Continue boiling for five minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool down to room temperature. Pour liquid into a large pitcher, through a colander (photo below, right):

Reserve liquid to prepare refreshing beverage (click here for directions).

Warm up oil in a large pan over medium heat; add half the onions (reserve the rest as a topping), and sauté until translucent (photo below, left).  Add drained cooked hibiscus (photo below, right):

Mix to incorporate, and continue cooking for five minutes; mix in garlic, and season with salt and pepper, to taste (photo below, left).  Taste a piece of hibiscus to test texture, and continue cooking and tasting every two minutes, until the hibiscus becomes a tender, pleasant bite.  My batch took a total of ten minutes.  Adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper, and (optional) add a splash of bottled sauce for extra flavour; Maggi™ or Cholula™ keep the dish vegetarian, but in this case, I used Worcestershire* (photo below, right):

* Worcestershire sauce, in its original form, contains anchovies, but note that nowadays, there are options pursuant to vegan/ vegetarian diets (click here for my recipe).

Warm up corn tortillas, and divide the filling amongst them. Top with the rest of the chopped onion, cilantro, and Mexican sauce, to taste. At the top of this post, and below, I used my red spicy sauce:

Serve and eat immediately! The colours on these tacos are amazingly inviting; the texture and flavour of the hibiscus are unique, and somewhat hard to describe, but very satisfying and hearty:

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I am sharing my recipe at  Full Plate Thursday #714 with Miz Helen @ Miz Helen’s Country Cottage.

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I am bringing my recipe to Thursday Favourite Things #680 with Katherine @ Katherine’s Corner, Bev @ Eclectic Red Barn, Pam @ An Artful Mom,  Amber @ Follow the Yellow Brick Home, and Linda @ Crafts a la Mode.

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I am joining Fiesta Friday #557 with Angie @ Fiesta Friday.