A Slew of Slaws for Your Cookout
by Lindsay Damast
While a classic, creamy coleslaw fits in at any summer gathering — topping picnic sandwiches and sidling up next to smoky, barbecued meats — sometimes you want to serve a slaw that really stands on its own. The classic bagged cabbage-and-carrot mix often wilts over time, succumbing to the flavor of the mayo-vinegar sauce and languishing in a pool of it. But if you add in other ingredients — including, say, firm, crunchy jicama — and make the dressing a little more interesting, your slaw can more easily mingle with Asian-inspired grilled chicken or street-style Mexican corn.
Asian Slaw (pictured above)
In Alton Brown’s recipe, thinly sliced cabbage finds company with red and yellow bell peppers, grated carrots, bias-cut onions and chiffonade-sliced cilantro and mint, forming a rainbow-hued slaw with a medley of interesting textures. The classic Asian dressing imbues salty, nutty flavor, and serrano chiles add a healthy amount of heat.
Red, White and Blueberry Coleslaw
Why save the patriotic winks for the dessert spread at your 4th of July feast? This clever tri-colored slaw is speckled with “red” bacon and blue blueberries for a sweet, salty complement to your best ribs.
Ingredients
1 small or ½ large head green cabbage, cut into ¼-inch wide strips (about 6 cups)
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
6 strips bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
½ cup dried blueberries (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
½ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup toasted chopped pecans (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Toss the cabbage, onion, bacon, blueberries, mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar in a large bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 4 hours.
Stir in the pecans and season with salt and pepper just before serving. Sprinkle with reserved the bacon, berries and nuts.
From Food Network Kitchens
Lime juice, ancho powder and honey add tangy, spicy, sweet flavors to a very crunchy jicama base in this simple, refreshing and entirely unique slaw. It’d be perfect with shrimp skewers or another sweet or spicy kebab.
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Inspired by the same-named salad, this slaw contains sliced apples and celery stalks, chewy golden raisins and cubes of bacon, tossed together with the classic Dijon-vinegar-mayo dressing. Serve alongside grilled chicken to carry out the theme.
Ditch the cabbage altogether, and instead slice snow peas and celery ribs into thin slivers to form the base of this slaw. Toasted walnuts and avocado slices make this recipe so protein-packed and flavorful it could double as a main dish.
Cabbage isn’t all that bad, especially when the firmer, red variety is left to stand on its own. Bobby Flay’s recipe possesses bright, fresh flavor, thanks to orange and lime juices plus basil and cilantro leaves.
Mild, slightly spicy kohlrabi has had a real moment in the spotlight this past year, and this sweet, tangy buttermilk-and-blue cheese-dressed slaw with apples and pecans brings it into the summer months. Ditch the iceberg salad and pair your steak with this instead.
Wide noodles of carrots form the base of this very unusual slaw that, with raisins and curry powder, is like a cross between a holiday-season side dish and an Indian-inspired accompaniment. It would nicely complement barbecued meats coated in similar spices.
Related: Top-Rated Cookout Desserts
Slaw takes a turn for the fruitier with julienned mango and papaya. Scallions and cilantro leaves add earthy flavor, taking this dish out of the dessert zone, and the fish sauce-spiked vinaigrette gives it a distinct Southeast Asian flavor profile.
Beets make a surprise summer appearance in this slaw, alongside cucumber and jicama. Marcela Valladolid dresses the trio in a lime, soy sauce, sesame and chile dressing to give it authentic Mexican flavor and heat.
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