The season of green grass and grilling time is upon us, sending me on the hunt for a light, crispy salad to balance out whatever I’m throwing on the coals. Lately, I’ve been making this one — all green and inspired by a wave of trendy summer cabbage salads in my social media feeds — over and over. I declare it The Official Salad of Summer.
This salad goes with anything. It has a little bit of the vibe of a deconstructed spring roll, using cabbage, young celery and green apples for crunch and sweetness, peanuts for salt and, if you are me, double the serrano peppers for a kind of heat that hurts so good you want more. You can use a jalapeno or skip the spice, too, if that’s not your thing. I usually double the recipe because it keeps well for a day or so in the fridge. Pairs perfectly with salmon or a simple marinated and grilled chicken thigh.
The hardest part of this salad is the shopping and chopping. I make chopping a little easier by using a $15 mandoline — and care not to slice off any fingertips — for the cabbage and the celery. Sometimes I have trouble finding mint or cilantro. I have tried mint alone and mint and Italian parsley. It was good, but it’s best with mint and cilantro. The salad is so flavorful that it only needs a little time in the fridge with lemon, oil and salt to make it pop.
Crispy cabbage-apple-celery salad
Serves 4 as a side
Ingredients:
4 cups green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced or shredded thin on a mandoline
4 small scallions, white and green parts, very thinly chopped
4 interior celery ribs, sliced very thin or cut with a mandolin, leafy tops included
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped into thin, bite-size sticks
1/3 cup mint leaves, finely chopped plus more for garnish
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped plus more for garnish
1 fresh jalapeno or serrano pepper, depending on heat preference — serranos are hotter — finely chopped plus additional jalapeno or serrano sliced in rounds to garnish
1/2 cup finely chopped roasted, salted peanuts plus more for garnish
Juice of two lemons, about 4-5 tablespoons
1/3 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Method: Toss cabbage, scallions, celery, apples, mint, cilantro, pepper, peanuts with lemon and olive oil. Adjust salt to taste. Chill for 20 minutes in the fridge and toss again. Garnish with additional herbs, peanuts and pepper rounds.