This juicy cabbage and carrot slaw is very popular in "plato del día" eateries in the Dominican Rep. Our favorite ensalada de repollo y zanahoria is easy to make at home, and requires only a few ingredients. It's one of my favorite salads to serve with my parrilladas.
Why we ❤️ it
Several readers wrote to us requesting a recipe for this salad, which is surprisingly popular in the Dominican Republic even if it's only the second most popular Dominican cabbage salad. You may know it as coleslaw – or one of many slaws out there. But we don't use that name, we just call it by its descriptive name: cabbage and carrot salad (ensalada de repollo y zanahoria).
Very popular as part of the "plato del dia" fare in popular eateries, it is one of my favorites to serve in parrilladas (barbecues) with grilled meats, either as a side dish or as a filling salad.
Serving suggestions
I love the flavor of this cabbage carrot salad salad with my Pinchos de pollo (chicken kebabs), it goes great as a salad with our lunch of moro de habichuelas and carne guisada (beef, chicken, or pork).
Anyway, make a big batch, chill, and bring it out with the BBQ. There'll be no leftovers.
Cabbage and carrot salad.
Variations
Are you looking for a lighter, vegan, low-cholesterol cabbage and carrot slaw?
Substitute mayo for my choice of a vinaigrette: Whisk together two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (rice vinegar or lime juice or lemon juice), a pinch of black pepper, one tablespoon of olive oil, and one teaspoon of Dijon mustard.
Top tips
- The finer the cabbage is shredded (and the carrots), the better the texture of the salad. If you don't have good knife skills, my favorite way to get very thin cabbage is with a mandoline (Amazon affiliate link).
- Cutting it with a sharp knife is easier if you start with a wedge of cabbage.
- This carrot and cabbage salad is also gluten-free, and if you leave the raisins out it's a keto-friendly salad.
About this recipe
This slaw recipe is quite simple, with very few ingredients, so there are not that many ways to make it.
You could, of course, add extra ingredients and spices, but then it will become something else. So if you make this dish differently, I'd love to hear about it. Hit me in the comments.
Video
Recipe
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Easy Cabbage and Carrot Slaw [Recipe + Video] Cabbage Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ head green cabbage, shred finely
- 1 large carrot, grate finely
- ¼ cup raisins
- 6 cup boiling-hot water
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prep vegetables
Mix cabbage, carrot, and raisins in a colander. Pour in boiling water and let it run out of the colander into the sink. This will wash the vegetables, but also wilt them a bit. Let all the water drain and let the vegetables cool to room temperature.
Season salad
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the salad with the mayo, then season with salt to taste.
Chill and serve
- Chill and keep refrigerated until it's time to serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutrition information.
Origins
I have no idea where and how this salad came to be.
At first, it led me to believe that this was merely an adaptation of coleslaw or other well-known cabbage dishes, although the fact that it contains raisins would suggest it is a Dominican thing (although not universally liked, raisins pop up in several Dominican savory dishes).
And then I find out via Aunt Ilana that adding raisins is also popular in the UK and apparently not unknown in the US, although I hadn't encountered the beraisined version in my travels.
So, who knows how it came here.
FAQs
This cabbage salad with carrot, raisin, and mayonnaise is the best cabbage salad you can find, in my opinion. It retains some of the crispiness of both cabbage and carrot in a savory salad with just a hint of sweetness.
It can be both. I like to serve it as a salad next to larger meals or as a side dish with grilled meats.
Coleslaw has lower carbohydrate, calorie, and fat content than potato salad.
