When I go out to eat, I often judge a restaurant by the quality of cole slaw it serves – especially a seafood restaurant or BBQ joint. Cole slaw is the ideal complement to fried or broiled fish, and pork as well. It offers the palette a change of pace and enhances the entrée. Cole slaw is also a powerful side dish with a bucket of chicken. I have been searching and swapping cole slaw recipes with friends and I believe I’ve found one that checks all the boxes. It’s Buttermilk Cole Slaw.
Buttermilk in cole slaw? You betcha. Buttermilk adds the same pop to cole slaw as it does to homemade biscuits and pancakes. Don’t know why, but buttermilk literally makes this cole slaw recipe.
Start with a small head of fresh cabbage. Never, ever use prepackaged cole slaw. It is as dry and tasteless as an old dog bone. If you don’t have time to shred or slice your own cabbage, don’t make coleslaw. If you can’t find a small head of cabbage, use about ¾ of an ordinary head. Also, finely shred 1 fresh carrot stick.
I sliced my cabbage razor thin with a filet knife, but you can also put it in a food processor and shred it finely. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 C buttermilk, ½ C mayo (I like Hellman’s in this recipe – it’s smoother than the others and blends well), ¼ C sugar, 2 T fresh lemon juice, 2 T white vinegar (not cider) and about 1 t of salt and pepper to taste. Toss the cabbage and shredded carrot in a bowl and drizzle with the sauce, then stir and toss to coat. Cover the slaw with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least an hour before serving – it’s as good if not better the next day. An excellent complement to fish or pork.
Buttermilk Cole Slaw
1 small head cabbage
1 fresh carrot
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ tablespoon ground black pepper
