Friday

March 29th, 2024

The Kosher Gourmet

You say potato (salad), I say cauliflower! The perfect low-carb side to accompany any grilled food you might be serving this season

Cathy Pollak

By Cathy Pollak Oneforthetable.com

Published May 11, 2016

You say potato (salad), I say cauliflower! The perfect   low-carb side to accompany any grilled food you might be serving this season

Grilling season will soon commence. That said, Old Bay seasoning is one of our favorites around here. Originally used to flavor crab and shrimp, it is now widely used and popular in many dishes. The seasoning mix includes mustard, paprika, celery salt, bay leaf, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, mace, cloves, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom and ginger. In the U.S., it is found in every grocery store but I'm not sure what its availability is in other countries.

This year, I decided to make a cauliflower salad, similar to a potato salad. Sans potatoes, this is low-carb side perfectly accompanies any grilled food you might be serving this season.

Cauliflower is low in fat and carbohydrates but high in dietary fiber, folate, water and vitamin C. Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals, common in the cabbage family that may be beneficial to human health. It has great nutritional density and is something I love to serve in many ways: roasted, a substitute for shrimp, in soup and even on my pizza.

OLD BAY CAULIFLOWER SALAD

SERVES: 10 to 12


  • 2 heads cauliflower .

  • 4 large celery stalks, finely diced

  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed

  • 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced

  • 2 cups mayonnaise

  • 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

  • Salt to taste


Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While you wait, cut heads of cauliflower into 3-inch pieces.

Have a large bowl of ice water ready as well as a paper-towel lined (many layers) baking sheet.

Working in batches, blanch the cauliflower in the hot water, each batch for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove and immediately place in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Let sit in ice water for a few minutes and remove to the paper-towel lined baking sheet (you will need to continue to add ice to keep water cold for the other batches). Repeat process with the rest of the cauliflower.

When all cauliflower is done, break into smaller pieces with your hands (stems too) and give a rough chop with a knife.

Here is the most important part, you will want your cauliflower to be really, really dry before you mix it with the mayo. Let it sit for a while in a single layer on a dry tray. Not doing this will result in a runny and diluted salad.

Mix together mayonnaise, Old Bay, red pepper flakes and black pepper in a medium-sized bowl (you can do this up to a day ahead of time).

In a large bowl add blanched cauliflower, celery, peas and red onion. Mix with the mayo-Old Bay mixture and salt to taste. Refrigerate for at least four hours before serving or overnight.

Comment by clicking here.

(Cathy Pollak runs her own vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She lives with her husband and two sons. She shares her love of food and wine at noblepig.com. One for the Table is Amy Ephron's online magazine that specializes in food, politics, and love. http://www.oneforthetable.com)

Columnists

Toons