Urb’n’Spice Ultimate Recipe Series
I have such fond memories of this particular salad from my days as a chef trainee at a prestigious country club. My first months of employment began in Garde Manger – in the cold foods area of a busy kitchen where sandwiches, salads, fruit trays, salad dressing, desserts and so much more was prepared. Everything was made fresh from scratch on a daily basis. One of my jobs was making coleslaw (hand-cut) for lunch service as well as ensuring a fresh batch was made for the evening service. With any training came the mentorship of the Garde Manger supervisor whose job it was to acknowledge a job well done as well as critiquing work that needed refinement or improvement. It had been a particularly gruelling week, and when I came in the next day, I was met with a sombre greeting from my supervisor. He told me that there was a problem with my coleslaw. I was prepared for the worst and at the same time, devastated that I might not have met expectations in an environment that required precision. He just broke into a smile, “It was too good! We had to make more in the middle of service!” Since that day, I have described this salad as “The Ultimate Classic Coleslaw.”
How to Make the Ultimate Classic Coleslaw
Yield: 1-litre coleslaw
INGREDIENTS:
Coleslaw Salad Ingredients
- ½ head cabbage, shredded sliced (6-7 cups loosely packed)
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated (1/2 cup)
- ¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Coleslaw Dressing Ingredients
Yield: 215 ml dressing (enough for this salad with leftovers)
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise (5 oz./150 ml)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 – 2 drops hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 1 ½ Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
METHOD:
- Place the shredded cabbage, grated carrot, green onion and parsley in a large bowl.
- Combine the coleslaw dressing ingredients together and stir thoroughly with a spatula.
- Pour a small amount of dressing into the salad ingredients and stir to combine and coat the vegetables. Add more dressing as required so that the salad has enough moisture but do not overdress. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary with additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate the coleslaw and any remaining dressing.
The ultimate coleslaw ingredients are really quite simple
The Ultimate Classic Coleslaw
How to Make the Ultimate Classic Coleslaw
Prep
Total
Yield 4 - 6 servings
I have been making this coleslaw since my chef apprenticeship days. It is probably the salad that is most asked for by family and friends. We particularly love it with pulled pork and soft potato buns.
Ingredients
Coleslaw Salad Ingredients
- ½ head cabbage, shredded sliced (6-7 cups loosely packed)
- 1 medium carrot, finely grated (1/2 cup)
- ¼ cup green onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Coleslaw Dressing Ingredients
Yield: 215 ml dressing (enough for this salad with leftovers)
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise (5 oz./150 ml)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 – 2 drops hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon grainy mustard
- 1 ½ Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
- Place the shredded cabbage, grated carrot, green onion and parsley in a large bowl.
- Combine the coleslaw dressing ingredients together and stir thoroughly with a spatula.
- Pour a small amount of dressing into the salad ingredients and stir to combine and coat the vegetables. Add more dressing as required so that the salad has enough moisture but do not overdress. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary with additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate the coleslaw and any remaining dressing.
Notes
For further details, including photographs, please refer to my original post, How To Make the Ultimate Classic Coleslaw.
Courses Salads
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1/2 - 3/4 cup per serving
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
You Might Also Enjoy These Urb’n’Spice Salads:
Summer Salads – including Broccoli Cheddar Salad
Creamy Roasted Salad Dressing
How to Make Cauliflower Tabbouleh
Mango, Avocado and Cucumber Salad with Lime Dressing
Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:
- Basic Tools – The Simple Spatula
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If you try my recipe How to Make The Ultimate Classic Coleslaw, please leave me a comment below with your feedback.
You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!
Denise Paré-Watson
The Urbnspice Chef
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I just love happy endings ♥ Your coleslaw recipe hits all the right notes as far as flavors are concerned…can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing Denise.
Yes, Maria – I was also very pleased with a happy ending that day 🙂 I that hope you get a chance to try the coleslaw recipe and let me know what you think. We love it! I know that you will as well 🙂
What a compliment from your supervisor! I’ve become interested in the inner workings of a professional kitchen since I’ve gained more interest in home cooking. I must try this recipe!
It certainly is different being inside the professional kitchen – and an ultimate learning environment. I felt extremely blessed to learn in one of the best kitchens in Canada after culinary school. You will enjoy this recipe, I believe, Cathy. Let me know what you think when you do. As always, I appreciate your comments.
Love the story! Will definitely be trying this.
Thanks, Diane! I think you will enjoy this coleslaw. We literally make vats and vats of it during bbq season, but really make it all year around due to requests 🙂
Coleslaw is the ultimate summer BBQ side! I bet my family would enjoy this recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for your comments, Leanne! It is a delicious salad and perfect for summer BBQs. If you are looking for more, check out the Summer Salads post 🙂
I would have been scared too if the supervisor was like we need to talk about the coleslaw! that is awesome they loved it, because there is nothing better than a good homemade coleslaw, that coleslaw dressing just sounds so incredible!
Thanks so much for your comments, Albert! I can tell you that I was scared that day – it was a place of high expectations and I am glad that I met them head on that day 🙂 The coleslaw dressing is wonderful – I hope that you get a chance to try it one day for yourself. Thanks for stopping by UrbnSpice.
Such a great outcome for you, but I knew from the beginning of the story, that it would be a good one, because you have such a talent. I’m glad it was appreciated then, and it’s definitely appreciated now. This is a perfect, classic, cole slaw recipe that I am going to be making for our many picnics this summer. Thanks, Denise!
Aw! Thanks so much for your kind words, Colleen! It is a great coleslaw recipe and one that I know you will enjoy very much 🙂
I love your story also. What fun (and I’m sure a bit of stress – the good kind) it must have been to learn in such an exciting environment. Your coleslaw looks amazing. I will definitely be trying it this summer, too. The worcestershire sauce looks like an interesting addition that will add some good flavour. I am excited for summer barbecue season!
Thanks so much for your kind words, Margaret! It was indeed a great learning environment and a great place to work. It was a very traditional brigade following all the classical training that I had learned in culinary school together with superb mentorship. Yes, the Worcestershire adds depth to the sauce – that little ‘something-something.’
Such a compliment that they ran out! It was a verified hit. I love coleslaw and especially when the summer heat calls for barbecue time. Great recipe!
Thanks, Melissa! It was a compliment, for sure! Although I remember feeling quite concerned at the time until he told me that! It is a great recipe – I hope you love it as much as we do. It is amazing how often that salad is made around here 🙂