Shaved Vegetable Side Salad

shaved vegetable side salad

Shaved vegetable salads are a life saver when you’re out of salad leaves. These days I pretty much always have 1/2 or 1/4 cabbage floating around in the fridge in case I need a side salad. They also make great main course salads.

per person:
150g / 5oz vegetables
1/2 – 1 tablespoon acid
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
small handful garnish / highlight, optional

1. Combine acid and extra virgin olive oil in medium bowl. Season.

2. Using a vegetable peeler or a mandoline or a sharp knife and a steady hand, shave the vegetables into very fine ribbons.

3. Toss veg in the dressing. Either toss in the garnish / colour highlight or sprinkle it on top..

variations

vegetables – fennel, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, beets, asparagus, broccoli (grate rather than ‘shave), cauliflower (grate rather than ‘shave’), mushrooms, tomatoes (just finely slice with a knife), snow peas, sugarsnap peas, celery, red capsicum (bell peppers), parsnip. Leafy veg such as spinach, kale or collard greens can be finely sliced into ribbons with a knife.

acid – lemon juice is my favourite. Sherry vinegar, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, red/white wine vinegar, champargne vinegar. Vinegar tends to be stronger than citrus juice so you may need to decrease the acid or add more oil.

dressing additions – try adding a teaspoon of soy sauce, miso paste, ketchup, a pinch of finely chopped garlic, spices such as carraway seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds or mustard.

garnish – herbs – try fresh coriander (cilantro), basil, mint, parsley, oregano, chives, green onions or even thyme.

crunchy garnish / higlight – nuts especially cashews or almonds, super finely sliced red onion, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, fried noodles.

other garnish / higlight – pesto, chilli, spices, goats cheese, shaved or grated parmesan, feta, fresh mozzarella, blue cheese .

higher protein / more substantial – Toss in some cooked shredded meat such as BBQ chicken, pulled pork, roast lamb, canned tuna, sardines, canned beans, cooked lentils, chickpeas, chunks of crusty sourdough bread, cooked noodles, cooked brown rice, or cooked quinoa.

creamy – replace the olive oil with mayonnaise or yoghurt.

leftover potential?

Much better than a leafy salad. But nicer when super fresh. Not something you should freeze.

problem solving guide

difficult to eat – next time slice the veg finer or chop them into smaller ribbons. Also, make sure you’re not pushing down too hard on the veg if you’re using a mandoline. It took me a while to discover that the less pressure you apply the finer your shaved veg.

too much dressing – for now just transfer the whole salad to a clean bowl, leaving behind as much dressing as you can. Toss again to rub off dressing. Next time mix the dressing up in a small jar and gradually add to the salad.

too dry – either mix up some more dressing and drizzle over OR just drizzle over some more oil and acid separately as the italians do.

too bland – season with a little more salt & pepper.

don’t have a mandoline? – They are pretty inexpensive from most kitchen wear shops – well worth the investment – even in a super minimalist kitchen. I have my eye on a new microplane one.

serving suggestions

Best served asap after dressing. Although no need to stress about it, as the veg are less likely to wilt than salad leaves.

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