Lemon-Garlic Kale Salad
Updated December 15, 2024
Craig Lee for The New York Times
- Total Time
- About 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 cups sliced almonds
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 to 4 lemons)
Kosher salt
1 ½ cups extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat side of a knife, peeled and left whole
10 to 12 ounces washed and dried kale leaves, thick stems removed (weight after trimming)
1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 12 servings)
7 grams carbs; 15 milligrams cholesterol; 495 calories; 31 grams monosaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 48 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 281 milligrams sodium; 13 grams protein; 1 gram 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
- Step 1
In a toaster oven or skillet, toast almonds until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Step 2
In a bowl, combine lemon juice and 1 heaping teaspoon salt. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Add garlic cloves and set aside to steep.
- Step 3
Working in batches, cut the kale into thin ribbons: gather a large handful of leaves, bunch together tightly, and use the other hand to slice into ¼-inch-thick pieces. This need not be done very precisely or neatly; the idea is to end up with a kind of slaw. (Recipe can be made up to this point 1 day ahead. Keep kale and dressing refrigerated separately.)
- Step 4
Place chopped kale in a very large bowl. Sprinkle surface with almonds and then with cheese, if using. Remove and discard garlic cloves from dressing. Pour half the dressing over the salad and toss. Taste for dressing and salt and add more as needed, tossing to coat thoroughly. Serve within 1 hour.
Private Notes
Comments
After the thick stems are removed and the kale is washed, the easiest way to end up with a slaw is to: stack the leaves, then roll tightly and hold with one hand, and slice thinly with the other hand. My mother taught me how to do this with collard greens and it is also an effective method with Kale or any leafed green you want to slice.
Wow, that's a lot of oil. I make a salad very similar to this, but use equal parts oil and lemon, plus a small amount of honey or sugar, and a dash of salt. Since kale is in the cabbage family, it's best to add the dressing several hours before to let the kale soften and absorb the lemon. Dried cranberries, avacado or blue cheese also make good additions.
This is an amazing dish. It's a jolt to my tastebuds and is the best light dinner dish. I slightly modified this. I didn't have almonds so I chopped up the stems and sautéed them in olive oil with the garlic that had steeped in the lemon salt mixture. I cut the garlic up finely and after it slightly browned and the stems got a little softer, I tossed them into the salad. Let me know how that works for you.
This salad is a banger, this much oil is wild! Halve it, or even do it with 1/3 of what it calls for.
Great salad - I make it several times per week for both lunch and dinner - goes well with everything. I only use a small amount of the dressing - that recipe lasts me for several salads.
Any recommendations to add a sweet element to this recipe? I added dried cranberries and it was good but I think there’s probably something better I could add!