Adapted by Ellen Touart-Grob from thekitchn.com
Serves 8 as a side dish
This is one of my favorite ways to eat cabbage in the summer. The tangy, spicy dressing totally makes the dish special. And if you have any dressing left over – or you make extra to begin with – it’s marvelous on salads or mix it with mayo to slather on your fish or chicken tacos.
Juice of 3 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves – or more, to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
Lime wedges, to serve, optional
1 head green cabbage
Avocado or canola oil (or another high heat oil)
Heat a gas or charcoal grill on medium high. Combine the lime juice, olive oil, fish sauce, garlic, cilantro, salt, cayenne and maple syrup in a food processor or blender and process on high until the sauce is well blended and the garlic is pulverized. Set aside.
Remove the loosest, toughest outer leaves from the cabbage, and cut into 8 evenly sized wedges. Make sure to retain the stalk or inner core on each wedge, so they hold together. Lightly brush the wedges with avocado or canola oil.
Place the wedges on the grill and cover. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the edges of each layer are blackened and the cabbage is beginning to soften. Flip each wedge over, cover the grill, and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes on the other side. Remove the cabbage when it is beginning to wilt, but is still firm in the middle. If necessary, turn the heat down or move the wedges to a cooler part of the grill so they don’t burn. But don’t be afraid of those blackened edges; you want a lot of grill and char marks on the cabbage to give it a great smoky flavor.
Take the cabbage off the grill and arrange the wedges on a plate, or cut off the core and chop the wedge into bite-sized pieces. Pour the dressing over top and serve with wedges of lime to garnish, if desired.
Note: You can easily halve the recipe, if you’re serving fewer than 8 or don’t want leftovers. Also, the spicy lime dressing is excellent on salad.