I bet not many home chefs filet a head of cabbage, but I am now doing just that. Let me explain.
One of our favorite places to eat out is Bubba’s Restaurant in Virginia Beach. The ambience, overlooking the Lynnnhaven Inlet, is unrivaled and the seafood is beyond delicious. But something else has always been special at this eatery – the coleslaw. It comes finely shredded with a little slaw dressing on top. It’s simple, refreshing and a perfect compliment to seafood. The secret, I believe, is the fine shredding.
I had tried to duplicate this with little success.
I have bought packages of finely shredded slaw at Kroger’s, but it is always dry and tasteless. There is nothing like a fresh head of cabbage and I was missing that freshness.
When we were at Bubba’s a few weeks back, I asked the waitress what the cooks used to get the slaw so fine, thinking they had some special slicer. It turns out that the special slicer was a thin, sharp knife. They hand slice the cabbage to a wafer thinness.
Hmmm.
At the first opportunity, I headed to the store and bought a fresh head of cabbage. On a cutting board, I quartered it. Then, with my filet knife, I slowly sliced the cabbage extra thin against the grain, separated it in a bowl and it looked exactly like Bubba’s. The restaurant uses a bit of finely sliced red cabbage on top, for color, but I didn’t take it to that extreme. It’s hard enough for Nancy and I to eat one head of cabbage, much less two.
The coleslaw dressing used by Bubba’s is Ken’s Coleslaw Dressing, but I have been unable to find in any local stores, so I use Marie’s, found in the produce section.
It only takes a few minutes to slice the cabbage, so this is a quick, easy and delicious way to enjoy coleslaw with seafood, barbeque or whatever.
Try it. You’ll like it.
Filet of Cabbage (Finely Sliced Coleslaw)
1 head of cabbage quartered
1 filet knife, extra sharp.
Marie’s Coleslaw Dressing to taste