Quality citrus is abundant right now, so time for another delightful citrus salad. In previous years I have brought you a Sweet and Spicy Citrus Salad and a Citrus Salad with Toasted Seeds and Maple Dressing. This year I’m serving up this Cabbage and Orange Slaw, a easy little salad that can be thrown together in about 15 minutes and served as a side to just about any entree’. It’s especially good with spicy dishes. We’ve been eating it as a side to Red Chile Chicken Tamales and Red Chile Enchiladas. The oranges serve as a sweet, cooling mechanism for the spicy chile. It works much better than the standard New Mexico side of lettuce and tomatoes.
Like my other citrus salads, this slaw is very easy to make and works with a variety of salad dressings. I prefer a simple dressing of just oil and flavored vinegar with a touch of honey or maple syrup. However, you could always use a creamy dressing as well, one that is a more traditional dressing for a cabbage slaw. As far as the citrus goes, you can use any type of a sweet tangerine or orange. See Kitchen Notes for additional ideas.
Orange and Cabbage Slaw
*See Kitchen Notes for substitutions and further information.
- 3 to 4 cups savoy cabbage (about 1/4 of a cabbage head), thinly shredded
- 2 large oranges or 4 tangerines, peeled, seeds removed and wedges cut in half
- ¼ cup sweet onion, minced
- Sichuan Pepper Sea Salt*
- 1 tsp. honey or maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. Rice vinegar or Peppered Cucumber Vinegar*
- 3 Tbsp. canola oil or lightly flavored olive oil
- In a salad bowl, combine the cabbage, oranges, and onion.
- In a small bowl, whisk the salad dressing ingredients into an emulsion.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Transfer servings to salad plates and sprinkle each serving with Sichuan pepper sea salt.
Cabbage – Savoy cabbage is our preferred cabbage for this salad because it’s more delicate in texture and less bitter in taste than green or purple cabbage. Napa cabbage has a totally different flavor and therefore, is not recommended.
Citrus – This salad can be made with a variety of citrus; however, a sweet orange or tangerine works best because it’s a nice balance with the slight bitterness of raw cabbage. Our favorites are Clementines (i.e. Cuties, tangerines) and Cara Cara Oranges. If you choose to use grapefruit, then you might want to make the salad dressing a little sweeter. A mix of oranges, tangerines and grapefruit would also be nice.
Sichuan Pepper Sea Salt – This is a great sea salt. The sichuan adds a spicy tingle on the tongue with each bite due to the Sichuan pepper. However, if you don’t have this seasoned sea salt, cracked black pepper and unseasoned sea salt work just fine.
Other citrus salads that you will enjoy:
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Oranges and cabbage are the perfect combination this time of year. It’s such a refreshing and healthy salad!
This looks so light and refreshing! Love!
Cabbage is eaten raw and finely shredded in the famous cabbage coleslaw with a simple vinaigrette dressing, as an accompaniment to grilled meats or as preserved leaves (sauerkraut), for making cabbage rolls and hearty soups.
I’ve been eating cara cara oranges like they’re going out of style. This salad look fresh and vibrant. Pinned.
Jennie – I’ve been doing the same! Every time I finish off a bag I head to Costco and buy another bag. 🙂 Thanks for pinning!!
I had a blood orange salad with arugula today…love yours with cabbage too, MJ.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Angie
Blood orange and arugula – that sounds delicious! Thanks Angie and hope you are having a wonderful weekend as well.
I love eating citrus this time of year – it’s so flavorful and delicious! This slaw is a great idea and pairing of flavors.
Love the citrusy twist on this slaw!
I haven’t tried savory cabbage, in slaw. I am going to buy next time, sure make this addition of orange, it is really colorful MJ. My hubby is slaw fan.
Thanks Swathi! Well you see, I’m not a big raw cabbage fan except for savoy. It’s tender and less bitter. It makes a great slaw! 🙂
You remind me I’m not very adventures with fruit and vegetable salad combinations. I used to prepare an orange and onion salad many years ago, it was always a big hit whenever served and that’s the only fruit-vegetable combination I ever did. I must be more creative or simply steal your ideas 😉 Your salad looks wonderful and the orange is somehow much more orange than anything I have ever bought here!
Thanks so much Sissi! It’s those cara cara oranges that are so brilliant in color. The color matches their flavor! If you like oranges and onion, then all you need to do is add the cabbage. 🙂
I’ve never had orange mixed with slaw before, but this sounds very refreshing. And it’s perfect for this time of year too when citrus and cabbage are both in season…
Thanks Mark! Definitely one of the few things you can make in the winter with fresh produce.
Your healthy version of slaw sounds perfect on its own and also great as an accompaniment.
It is quite healthy isn’t it?:) thanks!
I love citrus in salads! This one is the perfect side dish for any meat!
Thanks Katrina!
Creative creative creative slaw!! What’s not to love in a combo of cabbage and ornages and sea salt!! And look at those fiery pictures! Mindblowing!!
Happy New yr MJ!
Thanks so much Minnie!
Such a great idea AND I am going to try this slaw. Great idea to use orange in slaw (which I’ve never done it before). The dressing sounds lovely and great idea to use the Sichuan Pepper Sea Salt from SwS!
What a beautiful, light and refreshing slaw. I adore the dressing. Hope you have had a wonderful New Year 2014 so far!! Wishing you all the best. 🙂
Thanks Ramona! Same to you and yours!
I love citrus salads, so I love this one 🙂
Maybe tonight I’ll make it … I already have all I need!
Thanks my friend! Hope you enjoy!
Oh this slaw is way more interesting than the usual kind. Savoy cabbage is a great choice and citrus brings in a breath of summer I think for cold winter days. Very nice recipe.
Thanks Evelyne! When I first made it I was just going for a salad, but then I saw that anything with raw cabbage is considered a slaw. Salad, slaw, it’s all good!
I would love this orange cabbage slaw as a side with a beef steak and mash potato. I think it would all work fine together, no? =)
Coleslaw kind of reminds me of my childhood, it’s such a popular winter vegetable and a delicious one as well. Thank you for sharing MJ!
Absolutely it would work! This salad goes with just about anything. I grew up eating a lot of coleslaw myself. Thank!
Looks wonderful and everything I like…will be making this…thanks
Thanks Laurie! Hope you enjoy! Happy new year!
I bought the ingredients for slaw today and now I see this. I believe this is a sign I must make this slaw. It looks very good!
Sounds like a sign to me.:) thanks!
A few ingredients, no-mess and no fuss in kitchen…yes, this is what I would love to keep munching the whole day. Thanks for this wonderful combo of cabbage and citrus, MJ!
You nailed it Sanjeeta! 🙂 definitely a no fuss salad and easily eaten all day. Thanks!
Oh m’gosh… major photo envy going on right now… look at that cover shot! Your oranges are simply on fire MJ. So inviting and colourful. Well, you know what a fan I am of cabbage and now I’m finally in location where citrus is bountiful — yay. You’ve got me rather intrigued about the Sichuan pepper sea salt… can you detect a taste that is different from classic sea salt? wonder where I might find that; I have enough of a challenge finding szechuan peppercorns :). Beautiful salad MJ. Happy New Year to You!! xo
Thanks Kelly! Oh I bet you are loaded down with citrus! So very envious! Yes, you can definitely taste the sichuan pepper in the sea salt and because it’s a blend, it’s not near as “salty”. Just click on the link in the recipe and it will take you to Season with Spice, my most favorite spice shop. You can get the Sichuan pepper sea salt or just the peppercorns. I have both. And a very Happy New Year to you!
Awesome! Thank you MJ — I will definitely investigate season with spice on all fronts :).
This looks like a really nice cabbage, MJ. Loving the color contrast of those oranges!
Thanks so much Viviane!
I’ve not used orange and cabbage together, xx
You should try it. It’s actually quite good. Thanks for the comment!
Love Savoy cabbage. This looks like a great salad to bring some sunshine to a winter’s meal.
Definitely! Winter meals are normally so heavy so a salad like this is really nice. Thanks!
I’ve had loads of citrus salads before, but never one with cabbage. Love the idea! And definitely something I’ll be trying. This is really creative, and I love the finish of the Sichuan pepper sea salt! I don’t have that on hand, but do have some Sichuan peppers – I could probably grind some of those and just toss them in with regular sea salt. Super nice recipe – thanks.
Thanks John! The cabbage was an accident. Normally I do use lettuce, but all I had was a savoy cabbage. I ended up making this salad 4 times in one week from the same head of cabbage. It’s so good! The Sichuan pepper really makes it! Your peppercorns and sea salt are going to work just fine. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
That’s such a innovative yummy slaw..Loved the addition of orange
Thanks so much Gloria! Thanks for stopping by!
Oh, I love the simplicity of this. For some reason eating cabbage slaw always reminds me of grandma, she would serve it all the time at winter. Nice touch with orange!
Thanks Gintare! I’m always happy when my recipes bring back memories. 🙂
Ripe and juicy citrus is one of the things I love most about winter. What a simple and delicious way to use it, you are right, it would go with just about any dish. 🙂
Totally agree Judy! I can’t get enough citrus this time of year.
What a wonderfully different slaw! Great idea to add citrus. I’m definitely going to try this! Have a great day MJ!
Thanks Tessa! I hope you do get to try it. It’s really good!