Green Salads

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

Raw Brussels sprouts, shaved thin, taste nothing like the boiled version that ruined them for a generation — they are nutty, sweet and unbelievably crunchy, closer to a slaw than a cabbage. The trick is the cut: anything thicker than a coin stays tough and grassy. Crispy pancetta and its rendered fat go into the dressing, Parmesan brings salt, and toasted hazelnuts add the roundness. This is the salad to bring to a Thanksgiving table, and one of the very few that genuinely improves after twenty minutes of sitting.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
20 minPrep time
8 minCook time
28 minTotal time
6Servings
320Kcal / serving

Ingredients

  • 700g Brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 120g pancetta or thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 60g Parmesan, finely grated
  • 60g hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Shave the sprouts

    Slice the sprouts as thinly as you possibly can — a mandoline, a food processor slicing disc, or a very sharp knife. Fluff the shreds apart with your fingers into a large bowl.

  2. Crisp the pancetta

    Fry the pancetta in a cold dry pan over medium heat until deeply crisp, about 8 minutes. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and reserve 1 tbsp of the rendered fat.

  3. Make the dressing

    Whisk the lemon juice, Dijon, honey, olive oil and the warm reserved pancetta fat with a pinch of salt until emulsified.

  4. Toss and rest

    Pour the dressing over the sprouts and toss hard. Fold in the Parmesan, hazelnuts and most of the pancetta. Let it sit 20 minutes before serving, then top with the rest of the pancetta and lots of black pepper.

It belongs on the same table as our Wild Rice & Cranberry Salad and Pear & Gorgonzola Salad. Swap in Apple Cider Vinaigrette to keep it vegetarian.

The EasySaladBowl secretUnlike leafy salads, this one wants to sit. Twenty minutes in the dressing softens the sprouts just enough while keeping the crunch — dress it before your guests arrive, not after.

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