OK, so you are on a low carb or keto diet. Do you miss the crunch of the taco shell? I know I do. That is why I started experimenting with different ingredients. This is where I stand right now.

The crunch comes from the crispy Romaine lettuce leaves and wafers of Parmesan cheese.

Parmesan Wafers

You will need about 200 grams of Parmesan cheese; not grated, but cut from a piece of Parmesan using some slicer.

On an oven tray, put a piece of greaseproof paper and sprinkle the cheese, making sure easy bit of cheese is touching at least another bit.

Stick into the oven at about 130 degrees Celsius (270 degrees Fahrenheit) and let the cheese melt and get lightly golden. This may take about 15 minutes. Keep your eyes on the cheese!

When golden, take out and let cool completely.

The Taco Filling

The filling could really be anything you might have in your refrigerator. My preference is to get some edge with sliced or chopped raw onion and some thinly sliced Spanish pepper. 

On my vegetarian days, I sometimes use vegetarian ground beef (such as Beyond Meat Crumbles or Garden Gourmet by Nestlé) and fry it with some oil and garlic. Season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

I prefer to have some bell pepper sticks in for additional crunch, and maybe some lukewarm asparagus. But work with what you have in stock!

The Shells

For the shells, I use mini Romaine lettuce. By putting the individual leaves in cold - or ice - water, they crispen up nicely.

The Salsa

No taco is complete without a salsa. There are many good salsas available in supermarkets, but don't hesitate to make your own, according to your taste. 

• Some fresh, firm tomatoes, such as Roma or San Marzano.
• Fresh coriander leaves (cilantro), finely chopped.
• An onion (white or red, but preferably sweet).
• Some spring onion, finely sliced.
• Jalapeno pepper, as much as you and your guests can handle (think Scoville scale here).
• Lime juice.
• Some cloves of garlic, squeezed in a garlic press.
• Chili powder and smoked paprika.
• Natural sweetener, such as Stevia (we are on a keto diet, remember?)
• Salt, coarsely ground black pepper.

Start of with the base ingredients of tomato, onion and garlic. I prefer to finely chop the ingredients, but you can use a food processor. Mix together with the lime juice, stir everything through and set aside for 15 minutes. The flavors will start to blend together and harmonize. Now add the other ingredients one at the time while tasting after each addition. Finish off by adding sweetener, pepper and salt to taste.

Making a salsa a day ahead and storing in the refrigerator would be a good idea - the flavors will blend together even more.

The Assembly

Put everything out in the middle of the table on a big wooden board and let everyone assemble their own tacos. Enjoy!