I am a sucker for a great red cabbage slaw. Be it as a side salad or as a topping for pulled pork sliders (recipe here). I prefer coleslaw with a nice crunchy texture and not overly soggy and wet. But not too crunchy and almost raw. I like that sweet spot in between: a little softened but still crunchy.
The recipe below gives exactly this kind. My trick to get it there is to knead the cabbage for a minute – not longer. This helps to get rid of the raw taste but keeps its crunchiness.
Actually, below you will find two recipes for red cabbage slaw with different dressings: one is a basic vinegar-oil based dressing, the other one is a creamy mayo dressing. If you don’t like mayonnaise, you can substitute sour cream for mayonnaise which tastes great too.
Left: red cabbage slaw with the creamy dressing. Right: slaw with a white wine vinaigrette.
Both dressings make great red cabbage slaws for a side salad and are simply perfect to top sandwiches like pulled pork sliders.
Enjoy!
I prefer coleslaw with a nice crunchy texture and not overly soggy and wet. But not too crunchy and almost raw. I like that sweet spot in between: a little softened but still crunchy. The recipe below gives exactly this kind. My trick to get it there is to knead the cabbage for a minute - not longer. This helps to get rid of the raw taste but keeps its crunchiness.
Ingredients
- 1/2 small head red cabbage, finely sliced or shredded (350 g/12.5 oz)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned or grated (85 g/3 oz)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 100 g/3.5 oz (= a scant 1/2 cup) mayonnaise; you can substitute sour cream
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the red cabbage and carrots and toss them together in a large bowl. I usually use a sharp knife or a mandolin cutter to slice the cabbage, and a box grater or julienne peeler for the carrots.
- Toss the cabbage mixture with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and knead lightly for 30 seconds to 1 minute - just until the cabbage softens a bit. Do not knead for too long - the longer you knead, the less crunchy the slaw will be.
- Put all dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid and shake until well combined (or whisk in a bowl).
- Pour the dressing over cabbage and carrots and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning, add more salt or sugar if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour (see note for making the salad ahead). Before serving, toss again.
- In a bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, vinegar, mustard, black pepper, sugar, and salt.
- Pour the dressing over cabbage and carrots and toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning, add more salt or sugar if desired.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least half an hour (see note for making the salad ahead). Before serving, toss again.
Notes
Making the slaw ahead: The longer the salad sits, the more liquid is released from the shredded cabbage, which can make the salad overly soggy. When making the slaw ahead for more than 4 hours, I store the dressing and the prepared vegetables in separate containers. One hour before serving, I knead the cabbage and carrots with salt and sugar (see step 2) and then mix with the dressing. Storing the finished slaw for up to 4 hours is fine. After this time, I personally find the slaw a tad too soft, especially when made for a pulled pork sandwich. Other people like it softer.
Did you follow this recipe? You could share your result here. All you need to do is take a picture with your smartphone and send it to enjoy@lilvienna.com
Oh I love the color!
Thanks for sharing.
Love
Thanks for your comment manu! I love the color too, it’s so vibrant ;-)
Dear Lili, I live in Montréal, somewhat northwest of Boston, La Nouvelle France rather than New England. Winters even a bit colder, but a very interesting and certainly a very foodie town.
I loved this recipe; am trying it out. Too many are over-complicated. I do like a bit of mild red onion (not too much) in a slaw.
Hi, Great! I hope you’ll try it. Simply adjust the recipe to your liking. I love to cook easy recipes too :-)
We made this today with the creamy dressing to go with ribs and honey cornbread. It is so colorful and delicious!!
Hi Anne,
Thanks so much for your comment, happy that you like it :) I bet it’s perfect with ribs and cornbread. Yum!