Slaw

This sweet-hot slaw gets its “attitude” from a combination of several highly flavored ingredients.

Coleslaw goes with so many things. You’ll rarely see a cookout without it. The crunchy shredded raw cabbage and the sweet-and-sour flavor make it a wonderfully piquant counterpoint to the grilled meats and BBQ sauce-slathered main dishes that make up America’s favorite backyard menus.

This dinner is full of antioxidants, low in fat, high in fiber, and huge on flavor. Can you get anything better for you than that? Plus, you won’t find this one on any take-out menu.

Here’s a nice change of pace from “white” coleslaw. It adds a refreshing note to spicy meals and adds vibrant color to the plate.

As close to “classic” coleslaw as any of the slaws here, this is especially good with sandwich meals and veggie burgers. See the super-easy menu below. It’s a quick and nourishing meal you can make even if dinnertime finds you exhausted.

This slaw is a delightful companion to spicy dishes, veggie burgers, and bean dishes. It’s festive enough to serve with more elaborate meals and at holiday celebrations.

Cabbage and corn kernels are a salad marriage made in heaven.

The miniature scale of Brussels sprouts makes them the perfect choice for a finely shredded lemony slaw to top the sliders . The freshness of the sprouts along with the little hit of acid in the dressing helps balance the rich flavor of the barbecue turkey.

This is the slaw that is served everywhere in Ensenada. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the Baja style of fried fish taco, as it doesn’t have much liquid to make the tempura batter–coated fish soggy. This slaw goes on the tortilla before the fish. Always look for small, bright green heads of cabbage. These have the smallest core and are sweeter, with a more subtle “cabbage-y” flavor. Avoid any that are pale to almost white, which are older and not as sweet.

Our update of the Waldorf salad has so much crunch, we skipped the walnuts. Serve with grilled pork, fish, or chicken.

Using a combination of red, white, and yellow carrots will make this slaw even more striking.

Candy-stripe beets (also known as Chioggia beets) won't bleed into this yogurt dressing as their red cousins would, so they make this summer slaw beautiful. They're available in better supermarkets and at farmers' markets.

The crisp-tender texture and robust flavor of thinly sliced Tuscan kale stands up to the tart, Caesar-like dressing of this hearty slaw. Serve as a first course or as a side with grilled chicken, beef, or lamb.

Serve this succulent slaw as a side or condiment for grilled chicken or pork. Use slightly underripe fruits, which julienne better than soft, juicy ones.

If you're craving the traditional picnic favorite, try this recipe, which makes enough to dress 8-9 cups of shredded cabbage and vegetables.

This slaw is perfect as a side dish or added to a pulled-pork sandwich.

The combination of daikon radish, rice vinegar, and sesame oil gives this slaw an Asian flavor.

Pat: In Memphis, if you run a barbecue joint, you better have coleslaw on your menu and it better be good (ours is some of the very best). Indeed, you could spend a day in Memphis tasting slaw from rib joints all over town. And yet there are people who visit our fair city who are hesitant to try it, especially folks from the West Coast. This is a mystery to me. Coleslaw and pulled pork go together like lettuce and tomatoes on a burger, and salted peanuts in a bottle of pop (I bet some of you haven’t tried that, either). Bottom line: You come down Memphis way, you have to try our slaw. When we started Neely’s, Tony and I recognized the importance of slaw and knew we would have to come up with a killer recipe, one that would complement our sandwiches and our sauce. It had to be sweet yet spicy, because our barbecue sauce was truly mild. We also wanted it to be coarse and fresh (with a little onion flavor, and carrots for color). A big key for us was using two types of pepper, black and cayenne, which work together as well as Tony and I do. Then came some sugar, as sweet as my Gina. All of these ingredients have given us a coleslaw we are very proud of. For years in the restaurant this was my dish—no one made it for either location but me. I didn’t use measuring cups; everything was done by feel. As we grew, I knew I would eventually have to develop it into a standard recipe so others could make it. Now we have customers who come in and buy slaw by the bucket to take home and have with their catfish, spaghetti, or whatever they are cooking. This recipe will convert even those West Coast hard-liners who claim they “don’t eat slaw.” Gina: On our show, we like to tease that Pat is the sweet and I am the spicy (only my man knows for sure!). At Neely’s restaurants, the famous and addictive coleslaw happens to be both. We often double this recipe for parties, because leftovers are so delicious (and a food processor makes quick work of all that shredding). When making this slaw at home, it’s a good idea to use both red and green cabbage. It’ll give your slaw more color. Be sure to select the freshest, best-looking cabbage available for the prettiest, crispest, and crunchiest coleslaw you have ever tasted.

Summer at the beach is unthinkable without coleslaw, but sometimes I hanker for something a bit out of the ordinary. I combined napa cabbage, a more delicate cousin to regular cabbage, with crunchy jicama, dressed it with white balsamic vinegar and mayo, and sprinkled on fennel seed to create what has become my new summer fave. This sturdy salad travels with ease, whether you're taking it to the beach or to a summer party with friends. Another plus: you can make it up to 24 hours in advance.