Iceberg Lettuce Slaw

This salad is based on a handful of basic ingredients that you might already have on hand in the kitchen. It's super easy to mix together and doesn't require any cooking or resting time.

One might get the impression that iceberg lettuce is the undisputed star in my salad department, so often do I post recipes with it as the main ingredient. But it's not that bad. I do eat other types of lettuce as well. Ruccola for instance, but preferably as pesto or chopped up in warm dishes. I also like to eat winter purslane, but usually only get around to it when it's in season in my garden. Once it's available at the farmer's market, you might get the impression that it's worth its weight in gold, that's how expensive it is there. The situation is similar with lamb's lettuce. I like to eat lollo rosso or oak leaf salad, but for some unknown reason I don't buy it for my kitchen.

Well, come to think of it, iceberg lettuce is my favorite salad ingredient at the moment. First of all, it's its consistency that appeals to me. It has nothing leathery, hard or chewy about it, but is simply always fresh and has a crisp consistency. Because the lettuce has tightly closed leaves, similar to a head of cabbage, it keeps longer than other types of lettuce. It stays fresh in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and, thanks to the firmer structure of its leaves, retains its crunch over the entire period. On the other hand, it is its bland, mild and relatively neutral taste, which at best brings with it slightly fresh-green and nutty aroma nuances. This makes it a blank canvas for all manner of dressing and spicier ingredients to shine on.

The iceberg lettuce brings a special twist to this recipe as it is prepared like the cabbage in traditional coleslaw recipes. In contrast to white cabbage, it has no bitter, sulphurous, or cabbage-like flavors. This makes this salad a particularly harmonious, mild and fresh experience. And where cabbage leaves are often so hard and firm that they have to be cut as small as possible, marinated and kneaded by hand, iceberg lettuce is naturally tender and delicate.

The red onions bring a nice purple hue to the slaw. They not only brighten it up visually, but also provide a spicy thrill with their slightly tangy mustard oil-based taste. The carrots, in turn, bring an earthy and sweet note.

A lot of slaw recipes don't use apples, but I always find it appealing to combine the spicier vegetable ingredients with a fruit that brings some sweetness and juiciness into play.

These fresh and crunchy salad ingredients are combined with a simple and traditional coleslaw dressing that impresses with its simplicity. A bit of spiciness from the mustard and a touch of sweetness from the maple syrup round off the dressing perfectly. And don't forget the black cumin, which rounds things off here. For me, this spice is the epitome of coleslaw spice with its spicy, slightly ethereal note. I actually always use it with classic coleslaw and also with this variation of it. With its peppery spiciness, it perfectly complements the freshly ground black pepper.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It is quick and easy to make - this recipe requires no cooking or resting time. All you have to do is mix together the ingredients for the dressing and chop up the salad ingredients
• It's fresh and sumptious - because the lettuce is chopped up as small as the cabbage in a classic coleslaw, it's a lot more enjoyable and comfortable to eat
• It's versatile - this salad is particularly suitable as a side salad with a wide variety of hearty dishes - from everything that comes from the grill or from the pan to baked potatoes or sandwiches
• It's mild and lightly sweet - the iceberg lettuce simply has a fine, fresh taste of its own, the carrots and apples bring a light, fruity sweetness and the onions provide a tangy crunch
• It's extra family friendly – ​​Regular coleslaw is delicious, yes, but its distinctive cabbage flavor makes it more for the grown-up palate
• It is particularly well tolerated and low FODMAP - because it does not contain cabbage, it is also suitable for people who are sensitive to cabbage because of the FODMAPS (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols) it contains. In order to make the slaw even more digestible, or to reduce the FODMAPS even further, you ought also avoid the onions.

Ingredients – what you'll need to make the Iceberg Lettuce Slaw

Iceberg Lettuce - this is the undisputed main component of the dish. Choose a tightly closed, fresh head of lettuce that doesn't yet have any dried out or brown spots.

Red onions - the red variety is perfect for salads - not only because of their attractive colour, which brings visual variety, but also because of their balanced tangyness and sweetness. If you don't have red onions on hand, you can use white, which are a little more tangy, or the milder, juicier, sweeter onions. Or how about fresh green spring onions that have been sliced ​​into rings for a change?

Carrots - the fresher they are, the juicier and sweeter. I used regular, slightly larger storage carrots here as they're easier to grate, but you can use fresh carrots that were sold with the green leaves if they're available

Apples - you can grate them peeled or unpeeled. I recommend a crunchy, tart variety like Granny Smith, Braeburn, Pink Lady or Elstar.

Mayonnaise – I tend to use a full-fat type of mayonnaise, diluted enough by the juice from the chopped salad greens. To be sure of the quality of the ingredients in the mayonnaise, you can also prepare it fresh yourself.

Lemon Juice - Lemon juice brings a fruitier, milder acidity to the dressing than vinegar or apple cider vinegar would.

Maple syrup – a little bit of sweetness completes the dressing perfectly. Instead of maple syrup you can also use honey or any granulated sweetener

Mustard – you can use Dijon mustard here or another medium-hot variety

Black pepper – I find freshly ground, coarse black pepper goes best with this slaw

Black Caraway - The perfect spice for every coleslaw with its notes reminiscent of aniseed or cumin!

Iceberg Lettuce Slaw Recipe Tips and Variations

This lettuce is naturally suitable for almost any diet. It is low carb, the few carbohydrates from the apples and carrots are hardly significant in the overall picture. It is also suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets - in the latter case, you just have to make sure that the mayonnaise you use is vegan. There are already many store-brought vegan alternatives here - or you can simply make your own mayonnaise.

The suitability for Paleo and Whole 30 diet also stands and falls with the quality of the mayonnaise. Unfortunately, most store bought mayonnaises are made with omega 6-rich fats from seeds like canola or sunflower seeds. Again, making the mayonnaise yourself is probably the easiest option. It's easier than you might think!

Best ways to enjoy the Iceberg Lettuce Slaw

The Iceberg Lettuce Slaw is the perfect accompaniment to any BBQ. But you can also take it to a summer cookout or a picnic!

As a light, fresh side dish, it offers an attractive contrast to particularly spicy, hearty meat dishes such as pulled pork, spare ribs or roast chicken.

It is also excellent with grilled vegetables, corn on the cob or fluffy baked potatoes. But talking about plant-based accompaniments, it will also be a hit with veggie burgers, portabello burgers or grilled jackfruit!

But why not try it out in a soft sandwich, as a fresh addition to a grilled cheese or BLT sandwich, or on top of a hot dog or burger.It will finish them off nicely!

How to store the Iceberg Lettuce Slaw

This slaw is best enjoyed fresh, so its crispiness and crunchiness comes into effect. Don't wait too long lest he get soggy and sloppy. Freshly prepared and on the table, that's how it tastes best. There is definitely a difference to classic coleslaw with white cabbage, which sometimes tastes even better the next day than on the day it was prepared, because the flavors have had time to combine better and because the hard, robust white cabbage leaves are due to the acid in the dressing have been marinated and become tender.
The Iceberg Lettuce Slaw still tastes good the next day, as I can report from my own experience, and it is certainly not yet inedible, but it loses some of its crispness.
Therefore, I would recommend that you prepare the Iceberg Lettuce Slaw fresh. If you do have some leftovers, it is best to store the rest in an airtight container in the fridge.