By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus 1 hour's purging of cabbage
- Rating
- 4(292)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Coleslaw meets guacamole here in this utterly simple mix of shredded cabbage, salt, lemon, and puréed avocado. The chef Iliana de la Vega, who was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, served it at a delicious Latin-themed lunch she prepared at the “Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives” conference this year at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. I couldn’t get enough of it. I sat with Iliana at the lunch and asked her about the salad. “Just salt the cabbage, let it sit for a while, then add lots of lemon juice and the mashed avocado,” she said. That really is all there is to it. Shred the cabbage thin and for best results let it sit, after salting generously, for an hour or more, to tenderize it and draw out strong-tasting juices.
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Ingredients
Yield:Serves 4
- ½large cabbage, cored and finely shredded (about 1 pound cabbage, which produces 5 cups shredded cabbage)
- Salt to taste
- 4 to 5tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more to taste)
- 1large or 1½ medium-size ripe avocados
- Freshly ground pepper (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
86 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 1 gram protein; 167 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Place shredded cabbage in a large bowl or colander and salt generously. Tossand rub the salt into cabbage with your hands. Let sit for 1 hour or longer (refrigerate if longer than 1 hour). If cabbage tastes too salty, rinse, then squeeze out excess moisture and transfer to a dry bowl.
Step
2
Toss cabbage with half the lemon juice.
Step
3
Mash avocados in a mortar and pestle, or in a bowl using a fork, potato masher or a whisk. Add salt to taste and remaining lemon juice and mix until smooth. Scrape into the bowl with cabbage and stir together until shredded cabbage is thoroughly coated with mashed avocado. Taste and adjust salt. Add pepper if desired. If mixture isn’t creamy, add more avocado.
Tip
- Advance preparation: Surprisingly, this keeps well for a day or two in the refrigerator. Because of the lemon juice, the avocado won’t discolor.
Ratings
4
out of 5
292
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Cooking Notes
grace
Good idea but a little boring for my taste. I added cilantro and jalapeno to boost.
Gerry
Oh my. Made this twice now and doesn't taste like the boiled cabbage of my boarding school days! First time made it with a chunky hot guacamole from TJ's , fabulous. Second time added a finally diced fresh jalapeno to mashed avocado. Equally as good. Used it as a base for grilled chicken strips in a tortilla wrap (raves from a 20 year old grandson) , a topping on a cheese omelette and, as a side to go with salmon burger. We're addicted.
Lauren
I've made this many times and use guacamole instead of plain avocado....after all I live in New Mexico and we need our chiles.
kfig
The traditional way of making this is to use extremely thinly shredded cabbage, plus lemon, salt and oil. Then you add chunks of palta (avocado) and cilantro or parsley (but cilantro is much better). Use plenty of lemon and salt!
Kate C
Agree it's a little bland. I added about 2 Tbsp Trader Joe's Yuzu hot sauce and it really gave it a kick.
Lauren
I jazzed this up by using guacamole instead of just avocado and lemon juice...great and it keeps!
Matthew Burchell
I made this with cilantro, swapping in lime instead of lemon, and adding the grated lime zest to the dressing. I’d definitely recommend those variations!
Angie
It was nice and lemony. I only had about 10 minutes for the cabbage & salt to work their magic together but it was still simple, delicious & fresh tasting. Will definitely make again.
Helen
This is delicious and leftovers keep in fridge. I added a small diced jalapeño and some cilantro. It would be great on tacos.
Liz
Thank you! I'm thrilled to have another use for a perfectly ripe avocado, espeically one that doesn't involve bread. And since it's called "Chilean" slaw, I'll sprinkle a little merquén on top, as I'm sure any self-respecting Chilean would. (Merquén is a smoked pepper condiment traditional in the Mapuche culture and ubiquitous in Chile.)
J
Amazing how such a simple combination of ingredients can be so delightful. Perfect. Would not add anything else
Pretzel
Nice way to have a creamy dressing on your cabbage without using a lot of fat or mayonnaise. I would call the flavors clean and delicate rather than bland. I do think I might like it better with just a touch of garlic, but that's probably not authentic. The salting process tenderizes the cabbage beautifully, but I wonder if it also extracts all the vitamin C. Use that brine for refrigerator pickles!
mary
I think it wants a little something else, maybe toasted sesame seeds, or peanuts?
Linda
Made as directed with the addition of more lemon juice, and a carrot. Don’t be shy with the salt. I did not add cilantro or hot pepper, because it didn’t seem authentic to Chilean cuisine which this is supposed to be. It was very clean, refreshing, and went well with the other heavily seasoned Items on my dinner menu.
Michele Fisher
This is a brilliant, simple, tasty recipe. Adding cilantro gives it a different dimension, but even without, it's a winner. Everyone commented how much they loved it. I especially liked using fiber-packed avocado vs mayonnaise.
J
Amazing how such a simple combination of ingredients can be so delightful. Perfect. Would not add anything else
Jim
Good concept, but really bland. I think next time I would make essentially guacamole and then mix in cabbage.
Weslie
Very very good. I think it helped that I used wonderful black avocados. (I live in the Dominican Republic and there is a great variety of avocados presently). No hot sauce but that could add another dimension to it. Will do again
Archana
Ok. Fine as it is but added grilled corn and some chopped Thai chilis and it’s just amazing!
Liz
Thank you! I'm thrilled to have another use for a perfectly ripe avocado, espeically one that doesn't involve bread. And since it's called "Chilean" slaw, I'll sprinkle a little merquén on top, as I'm sure any self-respecting Chilean would. (Merquén is a smoked pepper condiment traditional in the Mapuche culture and ubiquitous in Chile.)
Angie
It was nice and lemony. I only had about 10 minutes for the cabbage & salt to work their magic together but it was still simple, delicious & fresh tasting. Will definitely make again.
Elizabeth W
I added some Cholula Chipotle hot sauce and ate it with tortilla chips
Stacey
This definitely needs the help of other ingredients. Next time, I’ll add lime, cilantro, possibly red onion, etc. maybe a squirt of Sriracha.
DGT
Made this tonight and I loved it, although I did spice things up a bit with some “Texas Champagne” and some cilantro in the guacamole. Loved the crunch and distinct acidity.
Joyce Solomon
I followed this recipe exactly, and used freshly harvested green cabbage. I found it to be very bland, as did my guests. Most was left in the bowl.
Matthew Burchell
I made this with cilantro, swapping in lime instead of lemon, and adding the grated lime zest to the dressing. I’d definitely recommend those variations!
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