Life is about balance. We balance work with rest, healthy diet with occasional cheat meals, budgeting with occasional splurges, etc… Those are all important things to balance in our day-to-day lives.
The same concept applies to food. We add salt to caramel to balance out the sweetness. We add honey to mustard to balance out the sharpness, etc… Some things eaten on their own are not remarkable, but combined with something else, really stand out while at the same time enhancing the food it is being paired with.
That being said, slaw is usually meant to be eaten on its own. (not that I haven’t totally eaten a bowl of slaw out of my fridge before.) There hundreds of different varieties of slaw and they are usually paired with some other, usually a rich or spicy meat, to balance it out with a pop of freshness, crunch and acidity. I made this crunchy, refreshing Mexican slaw to go with my Salsa Verde Pork Roast. The rich, juicy and meaty roast was delicious but needed this slaw to balance it out!
Here’s what you need:
Once you have all of your ingredients prepped, assembly is a cinch! Slice the cabbage and red onion as thinly as possible and use a grater to shred the carrot. I like to ‘leaf’ the cilantro leaves whole, (sorry, dad joke, you can blame my husband for his influence,) but chop them if you prefer.
For the jalapeño: I like some heat in my slaw but use however much you feel comfortable with. If you think you want it but aren’t sure about the level of heat, add a few slices then add more to taste. A little goes a long way here and even a few slices, once mixed in will flavor the entire bowl. If jalapeños aren’t for you, just omit the whole thing.
Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and black pepper in a separate bowl. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and give it a good toss.
Give it a little time for the flavors to marry.
Pop the slaw in the fridge for a bit. The salt and acid in the dressing will start to break down veggies, making them tender.
Serve your fresh and crunchy slaw with tacos, over braised meats, or rice bowls with avocado. This slaw travels well so it makes a great addition to a barbecue!
Other recipes to try:
Crunchy Fresh Mexican Slaw
Ingredients
- 4 cups green cabbage very thinly sliced
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup red onion very thinly sliced
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
- to taste Jalapeño very thinly sliced
Dressing
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 4 tbsp lime juice `
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 clove garlic grated
Instructions
- Toss all the sliced vegetables with the dressing. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.