Russian Cabbage Salad

A chopped cabbage salad with red pepper, dill, and peppercorns.

This Russian Cabbage Salad is made with fresh, inexpensive ingredients. It lasts FOREVER in the fridge and tastes even better the next day!

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine European, Russian

Prep Time 20

Marinating Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 233

Author Dorothy Bigelow

Ingredients

1 head cabbage (medium) chopped into 2” pieces* (green or red)
2 red bell peppers seeded and cut into 1” pieces
2 jalapeno peppers** seeded and chopped
1 large sweet onion chopped (white, Spanish, or Vidalia)
¾ cup chopped fresh parsley about ½ bunch
⅓ cup chopped fresh dill

Dressing:

3 cups water
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup extra virgin olive oil or sunflower oil
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons fine salt
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables. Wash and chop the cabbage, bell pepper, jalapeno, and sweet onion. Add them to an extra-large bowl, along with the chopped fresh parsley and fresh dill. Stir well to combine.
Heat the brine. Add the water, white vinegar, olive oil, sugar, salt, and peppercorns to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often to help dissolve the sugar. Once a boil is reached, remove it from the heat.
Pour the brine over the vegetables. Add the hot brine over the chopped cabbage and other vegetables, stirring the mixture well. The hot liquid will shrink the cabbage down as it marinates.
Allow to marinate. Cover the bowl with foil (or a lid) and allow to marinate at room temperature for about 1 hour, stirring once or twice if serving on the same day.
Serve and enjoy (or transfer to the refrigerator until needed).
If making ahead: This recipe is SO good for making ahead of time and stores very well in the refrigerator (in fact, you might say the flavor is BETTER). The only consideration is that the olive oil will harden in the fridge; to help with this, stir the salad and allow it to warm at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes. This will help the oil melt before serving.

Notes

*Chopping cabbage: Cabbage will keep its crisp texture when larger pieces are used (compared to shreds, which are used in coleslaw recipes). We recommend slicing the cabbage into 2” chunks. You can even include some parts of the core (we use the top part, but compost the bottom “true” core).

**Jalapeno peppers: As long as you omit the seeds and the pith (white parts) of the peppers, your salad should not be very spicy. If you are TERRIFIED of even a little bit of heat (think: black pepper level), you can use a green bell pepper (or the color of your choice).

Storage: Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Stir well before serving. The olive oil will harden, but softens after a while at room temperature.

Make ahead: Prepare 24 hours in advance and refrigerate. Stir the salad before serving, and allow it to rest at room temperature (or heat it in the microwave for 20 seconds). This melts the olive oil, allowing for the best texture and presentation.

Green or red cabbage: We tested this recipe with both green and red cabbage, and loved the flavor with both (but red cabbage was just a bit better). That being said, the olive oil hardens into a light green color and looks off-putting on the red cabbage. Red cabbage also bleeds into the dressing, staining it a dark purple, but it’s actually quite pretty. If serving right away, go with red cabbage, otherwise, green cabbage is the way to go.

Nutrition