Quick Curtido (Salvadoran Cabbage Slaw)
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This Quick Curtido (Salvadoran Cabbage Slaw) is made with cabbage, carrots, onion, oregano, vinegar and salt. Refreshing, crunchy and completely addicting, this slaw gets even better with time.
Servings: 1 Quart
Ingredients
- 1 small green cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds (approx 8 cups) finely shredded
- 2 medium carrots, grated
- 1 small white or red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano preferably Mexican oregano
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt (see notes)
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of water until very hot, but not boiling. Place the shredded cabbage in a strainer and pour the hot water over it. Drain well.
- Transfer cabbage to a large bowl and add carrots, onion, jalapeño, oregano and salt. Toss to combine. Pour in the vinegar and 1/4 cup water over the vegetables, tossing well to coat everything.
- Stuff the curtido into one or two wide-mouth jars, pressing down hard with a wooden spoon until the vegetables are mostly submerged in liquid.
- Cover the jar(s) and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight; the longer the slaw sits, the more flavourful and juicy it will be.
- Curtido will keep for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Notes
- The brand, and type, of salt matters. I use Diamond Crystal kosher salt for just about all my cooking. If using a different brand of kosher salt, or any other salt, start with less than what the recipe calls for since they can vary in their saltiness.
- Use fresh vegetables. For the best texture and flavour, it is essential to make your curtido with the freshest, crispiest vegetables you can find. For example, cabbage is often sold in halves but I find these have lost much of their freshness. Ditto for bagged cabbage. Buy a whole cabbage and slice it yourself.
- Slice the vegetables thinly. The vegetables will soften and pickle more quickly if they are sliced thinly. I like to use a mandoline which makes the job easy and quick.
- Give it time to marinate. Though this is a quick curtido, we still need to give it time to marinate so it develops the best flavour. Let the curtido marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but overnight is even better.
- Adjust seasoning to taste. Taste the curtido before serving and adjust the seasoning if needed. I usually add a pinch more salt and sometimes a splash more vinegar.