Grilled cabbage salad

🔥 Grill for flavor, not to cook

This is the most important nuance of this recipe. We DON’T want to cook the cabbage. We just want to give it a smoky flavor. 10 minutes at medium heat on the BBQ, turning regularly to mark each side well. The cabbage should stay crispy at heart with just the edges slightly softened and beautiful golden grill marks. Overcooked, it becomes soft and loses all its signature texture.

🌡️ Maximum preheat then medium heat

Preheat your BBQ to maximum power first (to have a burning hot grill that marks well), then reduce to medium power before placing the vegetables. This technique allows you to get perfect grill marks without cooking the cabbage deeply.

🥬 Small green cabbage, never curly

For this recipe, use a classic small green cabbage (Savoy or curly cabbage is too tender and falls apart on the BBQ). Regular green cabbage holds up better to grilling and keeps its structure during the final knife chopping.

⏱️ 2-hour refrigeration mandatory

Don’t skip this step. The 2-hour refrigeration allows the dressing flavors (mayo, sour cream, lemon, vinegar, celery salt) to penetrate the chopped cabbage and give it its perfectly marinated texture. Without this resting time, your salad just tastes mixed. With it, it tastes melded and harmonious.

🔪 Knife chopping, not food processor

After grilling, finely chop the cooled cabbage wedges with a knife. The food processor crushes the fibers and gives too soft a texture. With a knife, you keep uniform pieces that stay crispy and absorb the dressing better.

🧂 Celery salt, the signature touch

Celery salt is the little ingredient that elevates this salad above ordinary coleslaws. It brings a vegetable aromatic layer that echoes the cabbage and carrot. You can find it in the spice section of all major grocery stores.

🍇 Funky variations

If you’re feeling funky, you can add a handful of raisins for sweetness, diced green apple for fruity crunch, or thinly sliced fennel to push the anise profile. Each transforms the recipe into something different.

🥪 The pulled pork sandwich idea

This salad is completely crazy good on a pulled pork sandwich. The pork-mayo-smoky-acidic combo creates an ultimate BBQ sandwich that beats any diner. Try it once and you’ll understand.

❄️ Storage

Salad mixed with dressing: 1 to 2 days maximum in the fridge in an airtight container (after that it gets too soft). Dressing prepared separately without the cabbage: 3 to 4 days in the fridge. You can grill the cabbage the day before and assemble with the dressing the same day to plan ahead.

✅ What to serve with my grilled cabbage salad?

This salad is the ultimate summer BBQ side. Serve it with my bbq ribs for an unbeatable classic BBQ combo, with my Beer-roasted chicken on the BBQ for a Saturday night with friends, with my brochettes de poulet à la sauce bang bang sur le BBQ for a spicy BBQ meal, or use it in a pulled pork sandwich for something completely legendary.