Kalter Krautsalat mit Kümmel

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large mixing bowl
• •Sharp chef's knife or mandoline
• •Small whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Quarter and core the cabbage

   Pull off any bruised or tired outer leaves. Cut the cabbage in half through the core, then into quarters. Slice out the hard white core from each quarter. You don't want those thick ribs in your salad. They won't soften no matter how long you salt them and they'll throw off the texture of every bite.

2. 2

   Shred the cabbage fine

   Shred each quarter as finely as you can manage. You're aiming for strips about two millimeters wide, thin enough to see light through. A sharp knife and a steady hand will do this. A mandoline does it faster if you have one, but watch your fingers. The fineness of the shred matters more than anything else in this recipe. Coarsely cut cabbage stays tough and watery. Finely shredded cabbage transforms.

   If your knife isn't sharp enough to glide through the cabbage without pushing, stop and sharpen it. Dull knives crush the cells instead of cutting them, and crushed cabbage oxidizes faster and tastes bitter.
3. 3

   Salt and work the cabbage

   Put the shredded cabbage in your largest mixing bowl. Sprinkle the tablespoon of salt over it and start working it with both hands, squeezing and kneading the cabbage as if you were working bread dough. This is the step most people skip, and it's the reason most homemade Krautsalat is disappointing. The salt draws water out of the cells and breaks down the rigid structure. After five to eight minutes of steady kneading, the cabbage will have collapsed to about half its volume and there will be a pool of liquid at the bottom of the bowl. That liquid is bitter. Pour it off.

   Your hands will smell like cabbage for a while. It's worth it. No utensil works as well as your hands for this. You need to feel the cabbage soften under your fingers so you know when it's ready.
4. 4

   Squeeze out the excess liquid

   Take handfuls of the salted cabbage and squeeze them firmly over the sink. You want to press out as much liquid as possible. The drier the cabbage is at this stage, the better it will absorb the Marinade. If you leave it waterlogged, the dressing slides right off and pools at the bottom of the bowl instead of coating every strand.

5. 5

   Mix the Marinade

   In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the oil and whisk again. The Marinade should be vinegar-forward, noticeably sharp. Austrian salad dressings are not the balanced vinaigrettes you find in French cooking. They lean into the acid. The oil is there for body, not to round off the tang. If you taste it and think it's too sharp, it's right.

   Hesperidenessig is a Viennese citrus vinegar with a bright, almost floral acidity that's beautiful here if you can find it. Good Apfelessig, apple cider vinegar, is the standard and works perfectly. Don't use white wine vinegar. It's too neutral for this salad.
6. 6

   Dress and season

   Pour the Marinade over the squeezed cabbage. Add the whole caraway seeds and a good grinding of black pepper. Toss everything together with your hands or tongs until every strand is coated. Taste it. Adjust with more salt, more vinegar, or a pinch more sugar if it needs it. The balance should be sharp first, slightly sweet underneath, with the caraway blooming in the background.

7. 7

   Let it marinate

   Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. The salad needs time. During that hour, the caraway seeds release their oils into the Marinade, the vinegar penetrates deeper into the cabbage, and the flavors settle into each other. Krautsalat that has sat for an hour tastes completely different from one you just dressed. Two hours is even better. Overnight is best of all.

   Give the salad a good toss after it's been sitting. The cabbage releases more liquid as it marinates and the Marinade sinks to the bottom. Toss it, taste it, and add a splash more vinegar if the sharpness has mellowed too much.
8. 8

   Serve cold

   Serve the Krautsalat cold, straight from the fridge, in a small bowl as part of a Gemischter Salat or alongside a Schnitzel, Schweinsbraten, or Bratwurst. It should be cool and crisp and bracingly sharp. This is the salad that wakes your palate up between bites of something rich. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •Choose a cabbage that feels heavy for its size with tightly packed leaves. A light, loose head means the cabbage is old and the leaves will be dry and cottony instead of crisp and juicy. In my restaurant I go through the Grünmarkt early and pick the densest heads I can find.
• •Don't grind the caraway seeds. Whole seeds give you bursts of flavor as you eat. Ground caraway turns the whole salad dusty and one-note. You want those little surprises of anise and warmth when your teeth crack a seed.
• •This salad is better on the second day than the first. The Marinade has had time to do its work and the caraway has fully infused. Make it the night before if you can.
• •If the salad seems too salty after marinating, don't add water. Add a splash more vinegar and a tiny pinch of sugar. The acid corrects the salt balance without diluting the flavor.

Advance Preparation

• •Krautsalat can and should be made ahead. It keeps in the fridge for up to four days, improving in flavor for the first two. Toss it well before serving each time, as the Marinade settles.
• •If making for a gathering, prepare the full recipe the night before. The flavors will be at their peak by the next afternoon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 190g)