Cucumber-Cabbage Salad With Sesame

By David Tanis

Published March 12, 2025

Cucumber-Cabbage Salad With Sesame
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
35 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(357)
Comments
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Taking cues from Vietnamese flavors, this colorful salad can be served on its own or be a fine accompaniment to roast chicken, grilled meat or fish. The dressing, a zippy mixture of garlic, ginger, sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice and jalapeño, makes sure the vegetables shine. Ordinary cabbage will work fine, but if you can find napa cabbage, so much the better.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

    For the Dressing

    • ¼cup lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
    • 2tablespoons brown sugar
    • 1tablespoon fish sauce
    • 1teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    • 1teaspoon finely chopped jalapeño or serrano chile
    • 1teaspoon grated fresh ginger
    • ½teaspoon grated garlic

    For the Salad

    • 2cups thinly sliced hothouse cucumber (lightly peeled)
    • 2cups chopped cabbage or napa cabbage
    • 2carrots, peeled and cut in julienne (1 cup)
    • Salt
    • ½cup tender cilantro sprigs
    • 2tablespoons roughly chopped mint
    • 2tablespoons roughly chopped dill
    • 2teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

46 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 268 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dressing: In a salad bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust seasoning.

  2. Step 2

    To the bowl, add cucumber, cabbage and carrot. Sprinkle lightly with salt, and toss everything together. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Just before serving, add cilantro, mint, dill and sesame seeds, and toss lightly.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
357 user ratings
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Comments

Peaches

Christa, “lightly peeled” means, simply, that you don’t dig into the flesh of the cucumber when peeling. Just skim — “lightly” — the cuke with your peeler, leaving some strips of peel on the fruit. A hothouse cucumber has a tender skin that is usually eaten, while a field grown cucumber has something more akin to a soft rind, which is usually removed. In the photo, you can see that the cuke slices in the salad retain some rind. It adds to the bright color of the dish.

Susan

There are vegan fish sauces made with liquid aminos or seaweed or you could consider soy sauce.

Christa

What in the world does "lightly peeled* mean? Are you kidding me?

JS

this was excellent. wouldn't change a thing. I added shrimp on the side. *chef's kiss so good!

Sookie

For either kind of cabbage always rinse in colander then sprinkle with salt and let sit for an hour or so on a towel or paper towels. Rinse. It will be crispy and stay crispy longer that way.

Sook

I dislike this intensely. A lot of prep and to end up with this soggy mess with an unpleasant taste just depressed me.

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