Chopped Broccoli Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to make brocoli salad? ›

Whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. Toss salad ingredients with dressing: Combine broccoli florets, almonds, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl. Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well.

Typically, broccoli salads also contain things like bacon, red onions, nuts (like almonds), seeds (like sunflower seeds), dried fruit (like raisins or dried cranberries), and cheese (usually Cheddar).

Blanching is a cooking process that removes the harsh, bitter taste of raw broccoli while setting its bright green color. It also ensures that the broccoli won't be overcooked as it can just be tossed with a finished recipe at the end.

Serving broccoli raw is an excellent option, since it retains these nutrients and the enzyme that forms isothiocyanate compounds. Before serving on a relish tray or salad, quickly blanching and cooling allows you to get even a bit more of these compounds.

Fresh broccoli lasts between 3 to 5 days in the fridge when properly stored. “For cut-up broccoli, I would say no more than 4 days for optimal use,” Amidor says. “But it's best to cut from the whole head right before cooking or eating to maintain nutrients.”

First, check the color of the florets. They should be a bright, uniform green. If they have any yellow or brown spots, that's a sign your broccoli is starting to spoil. If you notice fuzzy white or black patches growing on the florets or the stem, that tells you that mold is starting to form, and it's time to toss it.

A vegetable salad can be made in many different ways – with raw vegetables, with boiled or steamed vegetable and also with grilled veggies. Whatever way you make it, a vegetable salad is absolutely great for your body as it increases the intake of your veggies.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli stems, florets, carrots, cabbage, onion, almonds, and cranberries. Drizzle with about ¾ of the dressing and toss to coat. Add more dressing, if desired. Garnish with the reserved almonds and cranberries and serve.

The next time you cut into a head of fresh broccoli, don't toss the stems—use them to make this crunchy broccoli slaw. Broccoli stems are not only edible, they're healthy too—they offer essential nutrients, like fiber and vitamin C, just like the rest of the head.

If you don't blanch your broccoli, it will turn color and acquire a bitter taste. You can either stick it in boiling water for three minutes to blanch, or steam it for five minutes, whichever you choose.

How long do I blanch broccoli for? ›

To blanch broccoli, start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, submerge chopped broccoli florets into the pot. It does not take long to blanch broccoli – only about 30-60 seconds, so keep an eye out for when the color changes from dull green to bright green.

Broccoli has a simple taste that can be paired subtly with lemon pepper, or salt and black pepper, or combined with bold flavors like balsamic vinegar, basil, and fresh ginger. These common flavors will add to natural taste of the broccoli, and can even be combined with other raw vegetables to make a salad.

The knife can do the job of separating the florets from the large stem but the grater will do a better job if you're looking to finely chop the florets into smaller pieces. This is great for making cauliflower rice, a broccoli soup, or are making these as part of a filling for a pocket pie like an empanada.

Broccoli cuts include the crown of the broccoli as well as the stalks, which are firmer than the florets but are popular with those who love a thicker and crunchier texture. It tastes milder than the florets but adds a mix of flavor notes to your dish when cooked together.

When dicing vegetables for a salad, ensure that all your vegetables are roughly the same size for even cooking. Start by cutting your vegetable into slices, then stack a few slices together and cut them into even strips. Finally, dice the strips into small, bite-sized pieces.

Broccoli and cauliflower should be first separated into bite-sized florets, then depending on their tenderness, served raw, or more likely, blanched for just a moment in boiling salted water, shocked in ice water, and spun dry in a salad spinner.