Costa Rican Coleslaw

By Sam Sifton

Published July 6, 2013

  • Grant Cornett for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: JoJo Li.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
10 minutes, plus 2 hours' refrigeration
Rating
4(148)
Comments
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Here is a version of a recipe I learned from Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby, in their indispensable guide to beachfront cooking, ‘‘Let the Flames Begin.’’ It has been central in my summer cooking repertory for more than a decade. Opinions may vary on the idea of hearts of palm and avocado in a coleslaw, but only until this dish is eaten.

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh orange juice

  • 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin

  • 1 small head of green cabbage, cored and sliced thin

  • 1 small head of red cabbage, cored and sliced thin

  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into thin strips

  • 1 jar or can hearts of palm, 12-14 ounces, drained and sliced into thin strips

  • 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced thin

  • 1 medium tomato, seeded and cut into a fine dice

  • 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

23 grams carbs; 214 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 734 milligrams sodium; 4 grams protein; 12 grams sugar

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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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small pot set over medium heat, combine the orange juice and cumin and reduce to ½ cup. Let cool.

  2. Step 2

    Combine the cabbages, carrots, hearts of palm and avocado in a large, nonreactive bowl, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.

  3. Step 3

    Put the diced tomatoes into a small, nonreactive bowl and add to them the reduced orange juice, the vinegar and olive oil and whisk to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix to combine. Serve immediately, or cover again and place in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours before serving.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
148 user ratings
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Comments

Betsy Karpenkopf

This was great. As promised, it was very easy. I sliced everything in the food processor (aside from the avocado). The reason behind making this recipe was my daughter's asking me what hearts of palm were, and she said we should make something with them. So, as usual, "Cooking" to the rescue! Voila: a colorful, crunchy,
easy salad for lunch.

Karen

Crunchy, fresh. Good mix of textures and flavors. May add jicama the next time.

Mary

Really good. The flavors worked very well. We just put the avocado on the top after it was served so that the avocado didn't get mushed up as the dressing was tossed in.

Tante Stacey

I was intrigued by the orange juice/cumin mixture, but wasn't terribly impressed with the dish. Could be because I used pre cut cabbage in the bag. Not sure, but I don't think I'll try it again.

AAS

The OJ and cumin base was new to me, and really good. All agreed the taste was nice, but more “chewy” than pleasantly crunchy. Next time I’ll try to soften the texture by slicing the cabbage and carrots much thinner than shown in the photo, and perhaps mixing and applying the dressing to them while still hot.

Maureen

I made without hearts of palm because didn’t have any. Used some red bell pepper and chopped up some scallions. I mixed the avocado in to make creamy. Was really delicious.

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