Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Hello, welcome! Yesterday I told you to stay tuned for how to use some of that leftover preserved lemon paste from our Preserved Lemon Chicken. Well, you don’t have to wait long. Today’s Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette incorporates some of that leftover preserved lemon paste into a savory, sweet vinaigrette that will gently wilt shredded Brussels sprouts, coating toasted pecans and dried cranberries. Toss in fresh mint and parsley, top with fluffy grated Parmesan and we have a wonderful salad for your Thanksgiving table. Let’s get to it!

Toast Your Nuts!

First, let’s toast some chopped pecans. Roughly chop a handful of pecans and toast them in a hot, dry skillet over medium heat for a minute or two – just until they are fragrant and begin to toast. Transfer the toasted nuts to a small dish and set aside. We are looking for around 1/4 cup of chopped nuts.

Prep the Brussels Sprouts

Rather than a mandoline slicer, I am going to use my food processor with the shredding blade to thinly slice these sprouts. But first, use a paring knife to slice off the stem ends of the sprouts. I have a one-pound bag of sprouts. Once shredded, transfer the shreds to a large mixing bowl. Then use your hands to fluff and separate the shreds.

The Lemon Vinaigrette

Let’s move on to the lemon vinaigrette. We have one shallot, minced. Two cloves of garlic, minced or pressed. One teaspoon honey; two tablespoons preserved lemon paste; 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, fresh cracked black pepper.

Add everything but the olive oil and black pepper to a saucepan or skillet. Over medium heat, whisk the ingredients together. When the mixture begins to boil, whisk in the olive oil and the black pepper. Vigorously whisk over the heat to emulsify the oil.

When you have a slightly thickened, emulsified mixture, pour the hot dressing over the shredded Brussels sprouts and mix well to coat all the shreds with dressing. Add 1/3 cup dried cranberries and the toasted nuts, mix to combine.

Roughly chop a few sprigs of parsley leaves and mint leaves. You want about 2 tablespoons of each fresh herb. Add the chopped herbs to the salad and mix once more to incorporate the herbs.

Plate it up!

With kitchen tongs, place a serving of the Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette on a plate.

Grate Parmesan cheese over the top of each serving to create a lovely mound of fluffy Parmesan.

Don’t be afraid to go overboard with an Everest-sized mound of Parm. It makes a lovely presentation!

The hot dressing wilts the Brussels sprouts just enough to take the raw edge off, but the shreds stay satisfyingly crunchy. The toasted nuts have their toasty flavor and crunch. Dried cranberries bring a sweet tart bite that gives this salad zing both in texture and flavor. Overall the salad has the subtle, savory brightness of the preserved lemon.

I really love this salad all Fall and Winter long, but it really makes a nice side to a holiday meal because it’s so simple to prepare and can be served at room temperature. I hope you give this Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette a try, it’s a definite winner! As we start to inch closer to Thanksgiving, stay tuned for great sides and sweets – give me a follow on Pinterest to pin all the Holiday recipes to your boards. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Brussels Sprout Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

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Side Dish, Salad, Holiday Side, Warm Salad – American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 4-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes – Cooking Time: 5 Minutes – Total Time: 20 Minutes

Savory preserved lemon is the backbone for the lemony dressing that coats shredded Brussels sprouts, toasted nuts and dried cranberries.

Ingredients

• For the Dressing
• 2 tbsp. Preserved Lemon Paste (preserved lemon puréed with fresh lemon juice)
• 1 Shallot, minced
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced or pressed
• 1 tsp. Honey
• 1/4 cup White Balsamic Vinegar
• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• Brussels Sprout Salad
• 1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, stems cut
• 1/4 cup Chopped Toasted Pecans
• 1/3 cup Dried Cranberries
• 2 tbsp. Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
• 2 tbsp. Chopped Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
• Fresh Grated Parmesan

Instructions

1

Shred the Brussels sprouts with the shred blade in a food processor, or use a mandoline slicer.

2

Transfer the shredded sprouts to a large mixing bowl and use your hands to fluff and separate the shreds. Set aside.

3

In a saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, whisk to combine the shallot, garlic, honey, preserved lemon paste and vinegar. When mixture begins to boil, whisk in the olive oil and black pepper. Whisk vigorously to emulsify the oil.

4

When the dressing is fully emulsified and hot, pour it over the shredded Brussels sprouts and mix with kitchen tongs to coat the shredded sprouts in dressing.

5

Add the toasted pecans and dried cranberries to the salad and mix to combine.

6

Then add the shopped fresh herbs, mix once more to combine.

7

Plate individual servings and top the servings with a generous mound of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.