Coleslaw

Name: Coleslaw
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 700 g (1½ lb) green cabbage, about ½ medium head, cored and very finely shredded; 200 g (7 oz) red cabbage, very finely shredded; 9 g (1½ tsp) fine sea salt; 1 tsp sugar; 2 carrots, coarsely grated; 2 scallions, thinly sliced; 100 g (scant ½ cup) mayonnaise, Mayonnaise or store-bought; 60 ml (¼ cup) buttermilk, or plain yogurt thinned with a little milk; 2 tbsp cider vinegar; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp sugar or honey; ½ tsp celery seed, optional; black pepper

Crunchy salted cabbage in a light, tangy buttermilk-mayo dressing

Serves: 6
Hands-on: 15 min
Total: 1 h 15 min
Level: Easy

Most coleslaw drowns limp cabbage in sweet mayonnaise. Salting the cabbage first pulls out its water so the slaw stays crisp and the dressing doesn't thin out, and a mix of mayonnaise, buttermilk and cider vinegar keeps it light and sharp — exactly what grilled and fried food needs beside it.

Ingredients

Slaw

700 ggreen cabbage (1½ lb)about ½ medium head, cored and very finely shredded
200 gred cabbage (7 oz)very finely shredded
9 gfine sea salt (1½ tsp)
1 tspsugar
2carrotscoarsely grated
2scallionsthinly sliced

Dressing

100 gmayonnaise (scant ½ cup)Mayonnaise or store-bought
60 mlbuttermilk (¼ cup)or plain yogurt thinned with a little milk
2 tbspcider vinegar
1 tspDijon mustard
1 tspsugar or honey
½ tspcelery seedoptional
black pepper

Diet: Vegetarian, Gluten-free
Allergens: egg, milk, mustard, celery, sulphites
Origin: United States

Method

Toss both cabbages with the salt and 1 tsp sugar in a colander set over a bowl. Leave 1 hour; it will wilt slightly and release a surprising amount of liquid. 1 h
Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients with plenty of pepper.
Rinse the cabbage briefly under cold water, then squeeze it hard in a clean towel or spin it in a salad spinner until as dry as possible.
In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, carrot and scallions with the dressing. Taste and adjust with salt, vinegar or pepper.
Serve right away, or chill up to a day.

Why it works

Salt pulls water out of cabbage cells by osmosis; removing that water now means it can't seep out later and turn the dressing into a watery pool. The cabbage loses its raw, sulfurous harshness but keeps its crunch. Buttermilk adds tang and thins the mayonnaise without losing body.

Common mistakes

Skipping the salting step: the slaw weeps and goes soupy within an hour.
Shredding too thick: fine shreds absorb dressing; thick ones stay raw and woody.
Not drying after rinsing: wet cabbage dilutes the dressing.

Variations

Vinegar slaw: Skip the mayo dressing; toss with 60 ml cider vinegar, 60 ml oil, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp mustard seeds, Carolina-style.
Asian-style: Dress with 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp neutral oil, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp soy and lots of cilantro.

Make ahead and storage

The dressed slaw keeps 1 day in the fridge and stays crunchy thanks to the salting.

Notes

Celery only if you add the celery seed.