Raw broccoli is not something that I would eat for fun, that is until I fell in love with this raw broccoli salad. I've made it three days in a row and am showing no signs of tiring of it -- true love, non?
I tried a raw broccoli salad at RAWvolution during a recent trip to LA which opened my eyes to the exciting possibilities of raw food.
Some vegetables are spiteful in the way they convey their goodness by making me suffer for every last vitamin and mineral, like those vicious little wheat grass shots, which might be good for me in the long run, but certainly do nothing for me in the short-term.
The raw broccoli salad was different for a number of reasons. Firstly, I finely chopped the broccoli florets and then soaked them for an hour in a mixture of lemon juice, finely minced coriander, minced garlic, cumin seeds, good quality extra-virgin olive oil and flor de Sal, a Portuguese salt. I bought the salt after reading an enticing review from Marc over at No Recipes in his 5 salts from around the world post. Marc succinctly described the salt as "Strong salinity, mineraly, briny, full of umami".
The combination of the salt, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil, softens the broccoli. It still however, retains its tender crunch and soaks up the intense flavour of the dressing. The addition of cumin seeds add a sweet complexity to the salad, like a fragrant perfume. They can be substituted with caraway or fennel seeds.
The extra-virgin olive oil I'm using at the moment is produced by Badia a Coltibuono, a 1000-year old estate in Chianti, Tuscany. The oil is intensely fruity with a peppery, slightly bitter aftertaste. I've found that when I mix it with various ingredients such as the garlic and lemon juice and then let it sit in the open for a while, the bitterness evaporates. What is left, is a delicious, intense and rich oil. I use it in dressings and top soups and pastas.
A note on chopping the broccoli. While it is rather laborious, it's well worth it at the end. Just make sure you sharpen your knife. The manual chopping is much better than using a processor. I know this from experience. Today we tried to take a short-cut by using the processor which resulted in the broccoli being cut too finely, thus becoming mushy. So...no cheating!
I'm submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging being hosted by Pam from Sidewalk Shoes.
Raw Broccoli Salad Recipe
(Serves 2)
3 cups of chopped broccoli
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
2 tbs of finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1/4 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp of sea salt, or if you have it, flor de sal
Method:
- Wash and finely chop the broccoli, several florets at a time. Include 1 garlic clove in the chopping. Chop for another minute and then add the second clove. Keep chopping until the broccoli is a similar size to that in the picture -- 1/2cm to 1cm pieces.
- Place the broccoli into a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and then mix well with a metal spoon. Cover and let the broccoli sit in the fridge for one hour.
- Serve with accompanying meal of chicken, seafood or on its own.
I love the sound of this. What an unusual way to prepare broccoli. I hear some people don't like raw broccoli, but I'm not one of them! Saving the recipe now!
Posted by: Kalyn | 01 July 2008 at 11:25 PM
Thanks for the links Syrie. This salad looks fantastic! I'm in Montreal this weekend, but will definitely be getting some broccoli next week to make this.
Posted by: Marc @ NoRecipes | 02 July 2008 at 09:44 AM
That broccoli salad looks good!
Posted by: Kevin | 02 July 2008 at 11:43 AM
Syrie, this is a great recipe - I love the use of coriander and cumin in it. I'm definitely trying this one.
Posted by: Laurie Constantino | 02 July 2008 at 02:32 PM
I have a head of broccoli sitting in the fridge and I might try my hand at this. It's beautiful! I didn't think I can eat raw broccoli but this looker is making me change my mind.
Posted by: [eatingclub] vancouver || js | 02 July 2008 at 04:25 PM
Wish I loved broccoli. Love the pictures!
Posted by: Joseph | 03 July 2008 at 02:09 AM
Wow! This looks amazing! Your timing is too perfect. I am raw for the month and struggling with monotony. I am DEFINITELY making this tonight.
Arika
http://rawforamonth.blogspot.com
Posted by: Arika | 03 July 2008 at 02:17 AM
Add grated chedder, walnuts, chopped bacon, and red onions. We eat this all the time. Broccoli grows like mad in my garden.
Posted by: pietra | 03 July 2008 at 02:19 AM
Looks amazing. I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow.
Posted by: Alex | 03 July 2008 at 03:02 AM
Saw your beautiful photo on Tastespotting - and when you said you were addicted I knew I had to check out the recipe. It sounds wonderful! And just last night I came across a forgotten head of broccoli in the fridge - it's fate! : )
Posted by: Farmgirl Susan | 03 July 2008 at 03:02 AM
Wow! This is so different from the usual raw broccoli salad of raisins, bacon, onion, and dressing. I bet the first bite of your salad really takes people by surprise. Yum, I'm making this one!
Posted by: Paula | 03 July 2008 at 03:24 AM
Can I cheat and add nuts, like almonds or walnuts?
Posted by: newyorkdude | 03 July 2008 at 01:20 PM
Hmm I like raw broccoli but it would probably be even better with these seasonings!
Posted by: Hillary | 04 July 2008 at 12:59 AM
Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for stopping by and for your comments. Wow, I didn’t know raw broccoli could be such a hit!
Pietra, thanks for the additional ingredient tips. They all sound fantastic.
NewYork Dude, of course you can add nuts. You can add anything you want. I would even consider adding tuna next time too.
Thanks again everyone!
Posted by: Syrie | 04 July 2008 at 02:18 AM
Raw brocoli scares me. But you, and all your readers, seem to think it sounds like a good idea. It's simple enough to make, I may have to brave the raw brocoli! Thanks for pushing me in the "raw" direction! ;)
Posted by: Erinn | 04 July 2008 at 08:26 AM
Wow, I would never have thought to use broccoli raw! I probably would have been too afraid of the bitterness or the chlorophyll-like taste. Ha-ha, does that make sense? But it certainly is healthier and if combined with the best ingredients (Portuguese salt and Tuscan olive oil, I'm impressed! :) it's bound to be a hit.
Posted by: manggy | 04 July 2008 at 03:43 PM
Wow - this looks & sounds amazing!
And, it just so happens that I have a bunch of broccoli sitting in my fridge with nowhere to go... Guess I'll have to make this recipe
Thanks for the delicious idea :)
Posted by: jd | 04 July 2008 at 04:55 PM
What a delicious looking salad! I like raw broccoli more than cooked and I know I'd love this salad. This is exactly the kind of food I'm craving this summer and will definitely give it a try.
Posted by: Cassie | 05 July 2008 at 03:28 AM
Cast away your fears Erinn and eat some raw broccoli! Hopefully you'll fall in love with it. Thanks for visiting.
Hi Manggy, makes total sense and the chopped broccoli does smell like that at first - kind of like freshly mowed grass but once it marinates for a while that kind of disappears.
Thanks Jd & Cassie. Hope you both like it!
Posted by: Syrie | 06 July 2008 at 08:42 AM
Hello! This looks delicious, but I just want to confirm one of the ingredients — when you refer to "coriander," are you referring to the seeds or the leaves? Given that it's being minced, I assume the latter, but I'm used to the leaves being called "cilantro" in the States.
Posted by: Eric | 07 July 2008 at 03:34 AM
That looks awesome. I'm getting into raw stuff and this looks like a good addition to my arsenal!
Posted by: Laura @ Hungry and Frozen | 07 July 2008 at 10:57 AM
Very good recipe. I am Portuguese and was looking for a raw broccoli salad that I've had in Texas 4 years ago. This one looks even better! Thanks
Posted by: Ines Pessoa | 09 July 2008 at 10:36 PM
Fantastic, love it! Especially the addition of cumin.
Posted by: Christie @ fig&cherry | 11 July 2008 at 12:26 PM
Syrie, I made this salad yesterday and my husband and I just loved it! I can see why you're addicted. :D I'll be making this one again and again.
Posted by: Cassie | 15 July 2008 at 10:40 AM
This sounds delicious! I love eating veggies raw - I did it with asparagus his year - thinly shaved with a raspberry vinegar dressing and I loved it. I'm getting into more raw foods too at the moment. Your blog is beautiful by the way, I'm glad to have found you.
Posted by: Helen | 17 July 2008 at 04:24 AM
Hi Eric, thanks for stopping by! I use the cilantro leaves. Sorry I should have stated that!
Thanks Laura. Enjoy!
Hope you like it Ines. Thanks for stopping by.
Cassie, thanks so much for trying it out and I'm really excited that you and your hubby liked it.
Thanks so much Helen. That thinly shaved asparagus sounds fantastic. I must try it out.
Posted by: Syrie | 21 July 2008 at 09:40 AM
Just found this post via Veggie Meal Plans... this looks and sounds amazing. I'm going to have to try it!
Posted by: Foodeater | 09 August 2008 at 08:20 AM
We´ve tried this recipe and it is totally amazing, as you said, can´t stop eating it!
I love broccoli but find boring to boil it or steam it...so this recipe will be a must for many years!
thank you so much for sharing it!
Posted by: Barbara | 25 November 2008 at 11:26 PM
I tried this recipe as a side for a potluck and I don't think I liked the combination of garlic and lemon as much as I thought I would. Perhaps next time I will roast the garlic first.
Posted by: Lena | 28 November 2008 at 03:52 AM
I just made a big bowl of this last night to take for lunches this week, alongside a rice/lentil/roasted tomato salad. It's amazing! But I swapped out cilantro for fresh basil and then I left out the cumin (because it didn't make as much sense after the swap). So the freshness of lemon, garlic and basil is fantastic. My lemon was extra big, so it's got a real kick to it. Thanks!
Posted by: Lynne Miles | 01 December 2008 at 07:44 AM
I am DEFINITELY going to try this one... looks beautiful!! And your photography really does this dish justice!
Posted by: Ashley | 31 March 2009 at 01:49 AM
I bought 2 heads of broccoli today while thinking why did I do that, and two lemons. Now I know why.
I am just starting on the raw thing, one ingredient at a time.
Could you recommend a great web site to start me off with the beginning.
Tina
Posted by: Tina | 16 April 2009 at 11:21 PM
The salad was tasty. I think I had too much lemon juice in mine, though. I used the coriander and it had a real Greek flavor to it. I served it as a side with pasta with browned butter and Mizithra cheese.
This recipe is great if your broccoli is a little limp. It seems so much crisper when it's chopped up.
Posted by: lmnop | 27 April 2009 at 12:21 PM
I didn't know raw broccoli tasted that nice until I tried it. But how does it taste? sour sweet
Posted by: Adithy | 15 May 2009 at 04:29 PM
This is amazing - I added cheese and bacon with it. I love broccoli raw and now I love it even more. Everyone - try it - you can vary the ingredients to suit your taste. Wonderful - Thanks x
Posted by: Loopy Lou | 25 May 2009 at 10:05 PM
This recipe was delicious - even though I made a big misstep. I didn't see the cilantro leaves comment, so I used actual coriander - and 2Tb. was definitely a bit too strong...but surprisingly, still interesting and tasty. Next time I'm looking forward to trying it with cilantro!
Posted by: Furaha | 10 June 2009 at 02:33 AM
I took this salad to a raw food dinner and it was the biggest hit! My husband loves it, too! Thanks for posting the recipe.
Rachel :-)
Posted by: Rachel Hudson | 06 October 2009 at 10:21 AM
DUH !!!!!!!!
Thats NOT a healthy way to prepare this!
with all the oil and salt, u might as well cook it !!!!!!
Posted by: Sarahtigirl | 04 November 2009 at 12:10 AM
A delicious nutritious recipe! Thank you! I googled raw broccolli salad and found your wonderful site! Broccolli is so nutritious and garlic, sea salt, lemon juice is as well...what a great way to get all these wonderful health foods into your day..I ate this for 3 days now...and I feel really really good! Love it! Thanks again, beautiful website and info!
Posted by: Susanna | 30 December 2009 at 06:11 AM
I've just prepared this and am just waiting for the hour to be up so I can try it. It looks and smells really yummy. Thank you.
Posted by: Holly | 09 March 2010 at 06:22 AM
This looks awesome! I love broccoli raw, roasted, steamed... and this definitely sounds different and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Dawn | 13 March 2010 at 01:25 AM
THANK YOU! We have an abundance of broccoli for this week, and I needed a raw recipe for dinner. Looking forward to it!
Posted by: Megan | 16 April 2010 at 07:13 AM
Thank you for sharing this recipe! I made it today and enjoyed it very much... I didn't taste the bitterness indeed, raw broccoli normally has! And this is a huge improvement for me...
As a beginner in raw food, in fact I naively tried eating broccoli raw... I didn't know in fact how to prepare it properly. But now I now! :D
Thank you again for sharing this unusual and delicious recipe... Only hope I will not get addicted - or maybe I should... :)
Posted by: Merijn | 18 April 2010 at 04:28 AM
Just a head up... if the salt truly does contain "umami", That is MSG a potent excitotoxin. Glutamate is the same chemical responsible for causing a neuron to fire and it is never a good idea to consume, though it may taste good, it damages and kills neurons.
Posted by: Tim | 10 June 2010 at 12:36 AM
I'm a bit confused about what you mean by coriander - the leaves (which is cilantro) or the seeds?
Posted by: Sheryl | 27 June 2010 at 08:19 AM