By Melissa Clark
- Total Time
- 10 minutes, plus marinating
- Rating
- 5(4,712)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This salad is made from uncooked broccoli tossed with an assertive garlic, sesame, chile and cumin-seed vinaigrette slicked with good extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. The acid “cooks” the florets a little as ceviche does fish. After an hour, the broccoli softens as if blanched, turning bright emerald, and soaking up all the intense flavors of the dressing. You’ll be making this one again.
Featured in: Garlicky Sesame-Cured Broccoli Salad
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 1½teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 2heads broccoli, 1 pound each, cut into bite-size florets
- ¾cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4fat garlic cloves, minced
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds
- 2teaspoons roasted (Asian) sesame oil
- Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
232 calories; 22 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 274 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Step
1
In a large bowl, stir together the vinegar and salt. Add broccoli and toss to combine.
Step
See AlsoRed Bean Salad With Walnuts and Fresh Herbs RecipeQuinoa With Corn and Zucchini RecipeBreakfast Fried Rice Recipe on Food52The Food Lab's Ultra-Gooey Stovetop Mac and Cheese Recipe2
In a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sesame oil and pepper flakes. Pour mixture over broccoli and toss well. Let sit for at least 1 hour at room temperature, and up to 48 (chill it if you want to keep it for more than 2 hours). Adjust seasonings (it may need more salt) and serve.
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Cooking Notes
NP
I've made this over and over. I use 1/4 c olive oil. I have no idea why the recipe calls for 3/4 c, which leaves you with broccoli swimming in oil.
Scott
Followed Figaro's advice and used grape seed oil but used 1/3 cup and 2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar. We love garlic and used 6 cloves. Also, a used a full tbs of cumin seeds. First I toasted them lightly then cracked them (few whacks with a pestle). With the cumin, I added whole a half tsp of whole peppercorns, lightly toasted and cracked.
Another idea I want to try is to use the mortar and pestle to grind the red pepper flakes a bit. Makes less of an impact for those not into them.
viki
I've made this twice, the first time I didn't have cumin seeds and used a tsp of cumin powder. I liked that much better. I also used less olive oil, but put in an extra TBSP of sesame oil...and I added a finely diced shallot. VERY popular both times :)
Pat L.
I've thrown in fresh tomatoes, left over raw zucchini, cucumber, and had it over leftover quinoa, brown rice and even roasted roots veges...this recipe is a magical in it's ability to make leftovers, tasty.
Figaro
Well, my husband sniffed this salad at its early stages and said he wouldn't eat it! Not a raw broccoli fan. His loss. However, by afternoon it had 'cured' and became delectable. I had some last night and today, my little parrot, Noodle, and I are snacking on it. Very yummy.
Have to add that I used far less oil than called for which makes for very low calorie snacking. I also used only 1 garlic clove because of the garlic 'hater'. Next time I'll increase it. And it does taste better next day.
Beth
I accidentally used ground cumin instead of whole cumin as the recipes calls for and it worked just as well.
BLE
I made this using half broccoli & half cauliflower instead of all broccoli. Also added some multi-colored baby carrots cut in half.
I started out with 1/3 cup of olive oil as other commenters suggested, but ended up adding the full amount the recipe calls for.
Also sprinkled some sesame seeds on at the end.
It was very good. I liked the colors the extra veggies added.
Bella
Ok, so I answered my own question. If you substitute "hours" for "days" in the parenthetical phrase, it all makes sense. I made the dish. It was wonderful. The longer you let it sit out at room temperature the less raw taste it will have. I bought florets and weighed them out to 2 lbs. This was fine with 3/4 cup oil but I did increase the vinegar to 1 1/2 TABLEspoons. If you buy two 1 lb. heads of broccoli and trim the stalks, you will need less oil.
Mona Lyn Reese
You should buy an inexpensive kitchen scale. They are so much easier to use in cooking and baking than cups. Most recipes are now using weight instead of volume anyway.
Figaro
My version: nix the olive oil - used grape seed; rice vinegar instead of red wine; 1 tsp cumin seeds; 1 clove garlic; 1 tsp garlic chili sauce; kept the sesame oil.
Basically, I wanted it to be more Asian, since I'm serving it with Miso glazed salmon. I'll have to let you know how it comes out. It's sitting and marinating now.
chris
1/4 cup olive oil
Tbsp of vinegar
juice of a lemon
doubled cumin seeds, garlic, pepper flakes
Delicious.
A. Cleary
I don't mind the slightly raw flavor, but the rest of the family was put off by it, so a brief steam was helpful. Also, if your stalks are thick, peeling them helps the dressing penetrate so the acids cook away the raw taste. My daughter-in-law takes slices it all up on a mandoline or in food processor before adding dressing. The increased surface area gives the dressing more places to sink into, and that also helps to "cook" it a bit.
Tat
I made this hot dish. Instead of pouring the dressing over, I added broccoli to the skillet and cooked for one minute or even less. I also added cooked wild rice and it turned out great for a cold night dinner.
LC
for the folks who found that the amount of olive oil was too much: you may not be using enough broccoli. i bought just over 3lbs broccoli with the full stems attached. once i chopped most of the stems off (to get the “heads” noted in the recipe) i had about 2lbs broccoli heads. the amount of olive oil was just right. imo the weight given should include full stems because that’s how broccoli is usually sold.
Judith Boroson
It would be helpful to me to have a cup measurement for the broccoli since heads vary in size.
Jacalyn
I followed this as written. My husband and I both found the taste quite bitter. I know garlic can sometimes turn bitter if cooked in high heat so perhaps that is what happened. That flavour overpowered everything, including the red chilies and cumin. Maybe we will try it again as it's such a simple recipe that everyone else here is raving about.
V
I shave the stalk parts attached to the crowns with a peeler, and peel/chop the stems into bite size pieces, which makes them more tender. I always shave the stems for broccolini and broccoli regardless of recipe as it cooks more evenly and quickly.We can tolerate a small amount of chilies if it’s infused, avoiding the skin and seeds. So for this one, I use strained Thai sweet chili sauce, as the sugar helps cut the sharp acidity, and we get a gentle hint of chili flavour. Great every time!
Stephanie
Use 1/2 c oil, double vinegar, cut back on cumin by half.
Katherine
I made this for picky eaters with just lemon juice, oil and garlic. Marinated overnight. It was wonderful.
Suzannah
It was a little cumin-heavy for my taste, so for the half-size recipe I made, I added very thin slices of red onion, the zest of half a lemon, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. MUCH better! I also toasted two tablespoons of sesame seeds in the pan (and removed them, of course) before I started the oil, garlic, and cumin. Just an extra touch because I had sesame seeds on hand, so why not?
Suzannah
It was a little cumin-heavy for my taste, so for the half-size recipe I made, I added very thin slices of red onion, the zest of half a lemon, and a teaspoon of lemon juice. MUCH better!
Cher Wright
The flavors were indeed very assertive and the broccoli ended up too raw for us. Great concept but didn't work for us. We normally really enjoy Melissa Clarks recipes
Donnushka
Saw that someone here recommended using a kitchen scale to measure. That works for small items but with the 2 lbs. of broccoli florets a better way is to use a handled plastic bag and a scale you'd use to weight your suitcase!
Hv
Used ground cumin instead of seeds, and added sesame seeds and some hoisin sauce
Ariel
I was not into this. Even after hours of it sitting you get slightly oily raw broccoli. I could not taste the sesame oil although the cumin and almost raw garlic stench was really strong. I made it as written.
Anne S.
A squeeze of fresh lemon makes this sublime
Patricia R
Bland. Way too much oil. Revved it up with 1Tablespoon cumin powder, not seeds. 6 cloves garlic, 4 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup sunflower seeds. 4 Tbsp sesame oil. Still bland. Maybe because I par-boiled it first and the oil didn’t allow spices to penetrate broccoli. Will make again with 1/3 cup oil, cumin seeds, no parboiling. Can’t believe it’s getting rave reviews.
Laurie
Used way less oil, and pre shredded broccoli slaw! Delicious. Also added shredded chicken breast!
next time
1/4 c olive oilAdd
carameLIZation
Used 1/4 cup of oil and it was plenty. I’d dial back the salt next time, but was delicious! I used stalks and florets (like my other favorite - Ali Slagle’s Italian broccolis salad - also amazing) it was terrific. Perfect for a bbq side.
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