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.
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 :-)