Vietnamese Charred Cabbage and Herb Salad with Fried Shallots and Lime

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 small head green cabbage (about 2 lb), cut into 6 thick wedges
• 3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
• 4 medium shallots, sliced paper-thin
• 2 medium carrots, julienned
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves, torn
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
• 1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, torn
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red chili, seeded and sliced thin
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large cast-iron skillet or grill pan over high heat until it shimmers and just begins to smoke.
2. Lay the cabbage wedges cut-side down and press them flat with a spatula. Cook undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes per cut side until deeply browned and blistered in places — you want real char, not gentle color, because that bitterness is what balances the dressing.
3. Transfer the wedges to a board and let them cool for 10 minutes, then cut away the core and tear or slice the leaves into wide, irregular ribbons.
4. Wipe the skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, and fry the sliced shallots over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until evenly golden. Lift them onto paper towels the moment they turn amber — they darken fast off the heat.
5. Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, garlic and chili in a small bowl until the sugar fully dissolves. Taste and adjust: it should be sharp, salty and just sweet enough to round the edges.
6. In a large bowl, toss the charred cabbage with the julienned carrots and about two-thirds of the dressing. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the leaves soften and drink it up.
7. Add the mint, cilantro and Thai basil and toss gently with your hands, keeping the herbs whole rather than bruising them.
8. Pile onto a wide platter, spoon over the remaining dressing, and finish with the fried shallots and chopped peanuts. Serve at room temperature within the hour, while the shallots are still crisp.
9. This salad borrows the architecture of Vietnamese goi — a bracing nuoc cham dressing, a mountain of soft herbs, a crunchy topping — and applies it to cabbage, which most cooks treat as a winter vegetable and shred raw. Charring it first is the trick that makes it a peak-summer dish: high heat concentrates the sugars and drives off the sulfurous edge, leaving something smoky and almost sweet. It is also a market cook's dish in the truest sense, since the herb ratio is entirely negotiable depending on what looked best that morning.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 295 kcal
• Protein: 9g
• Fat: 18g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Fiber: 7g
• Sugar: 15g
• Sodium: 1080mg