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In most American families there are two coleslaws, and which one you grew up with depends on where your people came from. The creamy one, mayonnaise with a little sugar and vinegar and celery seed, belongs to the South and the Midwest, and it sits beside fried chicken. The vinegar one, oil and cider vinegar and sugar and mustard with no mayonnaise at all, belongs to the Carolinas and points north. It is sharp enough to make you sit up, and it goes on the sandwich, not beside it. At a family reunion or a potluck the two bowls are set well apart.
Whichever side you take, the mistake is the same one. Watery slaw. Half an hour after it is dressed, there is a puddle in the bowl and the cabbage has gone limp. The fix is a step that has fallen out of most recipes: the shredded cabbage is salted and left in a colander for one hour. The salt pulls the water out before the dressing has the chance to. Then a rinse, a hard squeeze in a clean kitchen towel, and the cabbage stays crisp under either dressing for two days.
The other rule is to shred it fine, with a sharp knife. The big chunks from the bag are for people who do not care.
Why this coleslaw works
- Salting the cabbage for an hour. Salt draws out a surprising amount of water. Dressed afterward, the cabbage cannot weep into the bowl and stays crisp for days.
- Rinsed and squeezed dry. Rinsing takes away the extra salt. Squeezing in a towel takes away the last of the water, so the dressing clings instead of sliding off.
- Shredded fine. Thin shreds take the dressing evenly and soften just enough. Chunks stay raw in the middle and swim in dressing.
- Two honest dressings. The creamy slaw is balanced with sugar and vinegar so it is not just mayonnaise. The vinegar slaw is warmed so the sugar dissolves and the cabbage drinks it.
Ingredients
One head of cabbage makes about 8 servings. Each dressing is enough for the whole head, so choose one, or halve the cabbage and make both. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the cabbage (both slaws)
- 1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds, 900g)
- 1 tablespoon fine salt, for salting the cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, grated (about 1 cup, 110g)
For the creamy mayonnaise slaw
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise (170g)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (25g)
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar (30ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, optional, to thin
For the Carolina vinegar slaw
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar (120ml)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (60ml)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- A pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
A firm, heavy head of green cabbage shreds finest. Grate the carrots on the large holes of a box grater; they go in after the squeeze.
How to make coleslaw
Salting the cabbage, for either slaw
- Cut the cabbage into quarters and cut out the hard core. Lay each quarter on its side and slice it as thin as you can with a sharp knife, about 1/8 inch. The slicing side of a box grater also works. You want fine shreds, not chunks.
- Put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl, sprinkle the tablespoon of salt over it and toss with your hands until every shred has some. Tip it into a colander, set the colander over the bowl or in the sink, and leave it for 1 hour. A surprising amount of water will collect underneath.
- Rinse the cabbage well under cold running water to wash off the salt. Then squeeze it dry a handful at a time in a clean kitchen towel, wringing hard. Put the dry cabbage in a clean bowl and toss in the grated carrot. It is now ready for either dressing.
The creamy mayonnaise slaw
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, the 2 tablespoons of sugar, the 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, the celery seed, the salt and the pepper until smooth. If it is very thick, thin it with a little milk.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage and carrot and toss until every shred is lightly coated. It should look dressed, not drowned. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, then taste and add a pinch more salt or sugar if it wants it.
The Carolina vinegar slaw
- In a small saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, the oil, the 1/4 cup of sugar, the mustard, the celery seed, the salt, the pepper and the red pepper flakes if using. Warm over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not boil.
- Pour the warm dressing over the cabbage and carrot and toss well. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, tossing once. Sharp on the first day, better on the second.
Tips that make the difference
- One full hour of salting. Thirty minutes leaves water in the cabbage and you will find it in the bowl later.
- Squeeze harder than feels polite. The drier the cabbage, the crisper the slaw and the better the dressing sticks.
- Start with less dressing than you think, toss, and add. Salted cabbage takes less because it is not diluting the dressing with its own water.
- Grate the carrot after the salting, not before. Salted carrot goes limp and bleeds orange into the bowl.
Variations
- With onion. Add 1/4 cup very finely chopped sweet onion (40g) to either slaw, or 3 sliced green onions to the vinegar one.
- Red cabbage. Use half red and half green cabbage for color. Salt and squeeze them together.
- Sweeter creamy slaw. Some families use 1/4 cup sugar (50g) in the mayonnaise dressing. Add it a tablespoon at a time and taste.
- Apple slaw. Toss a grated tart apple into the creamy slaw with the carrot, a fall version for roast chicken.
Storage and make-ahead
Because the cabbage was salted and squeezed, both slaws keep crisp in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2 days. The vinegar slaw improves overnight and keeps for 4 days; toss it before serving.
You can salt, rinse and squeeze the cabbage a day ahead and keep it dry in a covered bowl in the refrigerator. Dress it the day you serve it.
Frequently asked questions
Why salt the cabbage first?
Raw cabbage is mostly water. Left alone, the dressing draws that water out and the slaw weeps into a puddle within the hour. Salting for one hour pulls the water out first, and once the cabbage is rinsed and squeezed there is nothing left to weep.
Will the slaw taste too salty?
Not if you rinse it well. The rinse washes away the surface salt and the squeeze takes the rest. Taste before adding the salt in the dressing.
Which slaw goes with what?
Creamy slaw belongs beside fried chicken, fried fish and anything from the grill. Carolina vinegar slaw belongs on a sandwich, piled over the meat, or beside anything rich.
Can I use a bag of pre-shredded cabbage?
You can, and you should still salt and squeeze it. The shreds are coarser, and a bag holds less than a head, so cut the dressing back by a third.
Shred it fine, salt it for an hour, rinse it and wring it dry. Then dress it creamy or dress it sharp, and set the two bowls at opposite ends of the table where they belong.
Coleslaw Two Ways (Creamy Mayonnaise Slaw and Carolina Vinegar Slaw, Salted First)
Two old-fashioned coleslaws from one head of cabbage: the creamy mayonnaise slaw with a little sugar, cider vinegar and celery seed, and the sharp Carolina vinegar slaw with oil, sugar, mustard and no mayonnaise. Both start with cabbage shredded fine, salted an hour in a colander and squeezed dry, so the slaw never weeps.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head green cabbage
- 1 tablespoon fine salt, for salting the cabbage
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, optional, to thin
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- A pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- Cut the cabbage into quarters and cut out the hard core. Lay each quarter on its side and slice it as thin as you can with a sharp knife, about 1/8 inch. The slicing side of a box grater also works. You want fine shreds, not chunks.
- Put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl, sprinkle the tablespoon of salt over it and toss with your hands until every shred has some. Tip it into a colander, set the colander over the bowl or in the sink, and leave it for 1 hour. A surprising amount of water will collect underneath.
- Rinse the cabbage well under cold running water to wash off the salt. Then squeeze it dry a handful at a time in a clean kitchen towel, wringing hard. Put the dry cabbage in a clean bowl and toss in the grated carrot. It is now ready for either dressing.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, the 2 tablespoons of sugar, the 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, the celery seed, the salt and the pepper until smooth. If it is very thick, thin it with a little milk.
- Pour the dressing over the cabbage and carrot and toss until every shred is lightly coated. It should look dressed, not drowned. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, then taste and add a pinch more salt or sugar if it wants it.
- In a small saucepan, combine the 1/2 cup of cider vinegar, the oil, the 1/4 cup of sugar, the mustard, the celery seed, the salt, the pepper and the red pepper flakes if using. Warm over medium heat, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not boil.
- Pour the warm dressing over the cabbage and carrot and toss well. Let it cool, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, tossing once. Sharp on the first day, better on the second.
