Crispy Spiced Cauliflower Steaks

Recipe from Kelsie Kerr and Ella Heckert

Adapted by Samin Nosrat

Published April 13, 2019

  • Bobby Doherty for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Noemi Bonazzi.
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Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(829)
Comments
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This recipe, developed by 19-year-old Ella Heckert and her mother, the chef Kelsie Kerr, yields crisp cauliflower steaks with a golden crust so tender that they shatter upon first bite. Made with brown rice and tapioca flour, the incidentally gluten-free batter is delicate but unfussy. This version is spiked with fresh turmeric and garam masala spices, but consider it a blank slate and feel free to experiment with other spice combinations, too. At Kerr’s Berkeley restaurant, Standard Fare, the batter is used throughout the year to coat all sorts of other ingredients, including winter squash, eggplant and even housemade paneer, which is a perennial favorite. Try the dish with cauliflower, then make it your own — you’ll be surprised how long the crust remains crisp! —Samin Nosrat

Featured in: The Secret to Fried Cauliflower That Is Savory Yet Light

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½ of 1 cinnamon stick, broken up

  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds

  • 2 teaspoons fennel seeds

  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 4 cloves

  • Large pinch of ground cayenne

  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus additional, as needed

  • 1 ⅓ cups brown- or white-rice flour (about 7 ⅓ ounces)

  • ⅔ cup tapioca flour (about 3 ⅔ ounces)

  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 2 limes)

  • ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1 large lemon), plus additional lemon wedges, for serving

  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric (or ½ teaspoon ground turmeric)

  • 2 small heads cauliflower (about 1 pound each), leaves removed, cut from top to core into ½-inch-thick slices

  • 1 ½ to 2 cups coconut oil

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt, for serving (optional)

  • 2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

83 grams carbs; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 1267 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams saturated fat; 100 grams fat; 7 grams fiber; 1179 milligrams sodium; 14 grams protein; 7 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

    Line a baking sheet with a wire rack or paper towels, and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Finely grind cinnamon, coriander, fennel, peppercorns, cumin and cloves in a spice grinder, spice mill or mortar and pestle.Transfer to a bowl, and stir in cayenne and 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    In a large bowl, whisk both flours until combined. Whisk in lime and lemon juices, then gradually whisk in enough water until the mixture is the consistency of thin pancake batter (about 1 ⅓ cups). There is no gluten in either flour, so don’t worry about overmixing.

  4. Step 4

    Stir in turmeric and the spice mixture. Taste, and adjust salt as needed.

  5. Step 5

    Working with 1 or 2 steaks at a time, push the cauliflower steaks into the batter, turn to coat and allow to marinate for at least 3 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high. Add coconut oil to a depth of ⅓-inch, and heat until hot. Carefully drip a few drops of batter into the oil to test that it’s sufficiently hot. The batter should immediately sizzle and expand. Slip the steaks one at a time directly from the batter into the pan. Don’t overcrowd the pan — the steaks should never touch.

  7. Step 7

    Cook until golden brown on the bottom, 8 to 12 minutes, rotating the steaks around the pan after 6 to 8 minutes to ensure even browning. Use a thin metal spatula to carefully flip the steaks. Continue cooking until the second sides are golden-brown and the cores are tender when pierced with a knife, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer steaks to the prepared baking sheet, and allow to drain. Season with salt. Repeat with the remaining steaks and any remaining smaller pieces of cauliflower, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent the steaks from browning too quickly.

  8. Step 8

    Serve hot or reheat in an oven at 400 degrees until hot and crispy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and a shower of chopped cilantro, if desired. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing on top.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
829 user ratings
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Comments

Emily

How do you cut the cauliflower to make a steak?

Martha

I prepared a batter of a beaten egg, added olive oil to the egg and salt. Put the coliflower in the batter and then breaded it in home-made non-glutten bread crumbs. Put in the oven, in broil, and they were crunchy, delicious, with 1/10 of the colories of this recipe.

Till

Is this as delish as it sounds if you sub canola or olive oil for unloved coconut oil? Samin, Ella, cooks, please report if you try with those oils.

Chiara

This recipe is SO salty, I added the amount of salt the recipe calls for and it was almost inedible. I would do 1 tablespoon or less next time. The flavors & texture are good though, I'll make it again just with much less salt.

Ghost

Cauliflower steaks are a weird thing to cut. I usually get two to three "steaks" out of a head of cauliflower, depending on the size of the cauliflower. I just dipped and fried the leftover stuff too. It was super tasty. I prepared it exactly as described in the recipe. My only complaint is that the batter was very sticky when done, like almost peanut brittle sticky. So maybe I messed up a step along the way. I will try this again. Took about 20 minutes total. Prepare for a mess

Jean Harrison

My son cooked this for Christmas dinner this year and it was divine. I will certainly make this dish in the future.

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Credits

Adapted from Kelsie Kerr and Ella Heckert

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