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Crispy & Creamy Kale Salad

By Tim Chin

Published on January 24, 2017

Yield

Serves 2 to 4

Crispy & Creamy Kale Salad

Ingredients

Crispy Kale Topping

3½ ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces2 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon sugar ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad

5 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces¾ cup plus ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided1½ cups fresh parsley leaves ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water ¼ cup vegetable oil ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese 3 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves ½ teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon sugar pepper

Before You Begin

We prefer lacinato kale (aka dinosaur or Tuscan kale) to curly-leaf kale in this recipe, but both will work. Using half white sesame seeds and half black sesame seeds adds beautiful contrast to the salad, but you can use whichever you have on hand. Kneading and squeezing the kale in step 3 accomplishes two things. It breaks down tough cell walls, making the kale more tender. And, due to an enzymatic reaction, it creates bitter-tasting compounds. Washing the kale after this step removes these bitter compounds, leaving the kale milder so that it needs less dressing to taste great.

Instructions

  1. For the Crispy Kale Topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees F/ 135 degrees C. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in 2 batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Toss kale and oil in medium bowl until kale is well coated, about 30 seconds. Spread kale evenly on prepared baking sheet. Wipe bowl clean with paper towels. Bake kale until dry, crispy, and translucent, 30 to 40 minutes, turning leaves halfway through baking. Carefully remove kale and return it to bowl, leaving excess oil on baking sheet.
  2. Thoroughly combine sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and cayenne in small bowl. Gently toss crispy kale and sesame seed mixture until evenly coated and kale is broken into ½- to 1-inch pieces.
  3. For the Salad: Gently knead and squeeze kale until leaves are slightly wilted, about 15 seconds. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in multiple batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine kale and ¾ cup almonds in large bowl.
  4. Process parsley, water, oil, Pecorino, ¼ cup almonds, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and sugar in blender on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. Transfer ¾ cup dressing to bowl with kale mixture; toss until kale is well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among shallow bowls or plates, sprinkle with crispy kale topping, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve.
Crispy & Creamy Kale Salad
Photography by Kevin White. Styling by Kendra Elizabeth Smith.

Crispy & Creamy Kale Salad

Headshot of Tim Chin
By Tim Chin
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Yield

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients

Crispy Kale Topping

3½ ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad

5 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
¾ cup plus ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided
1½ cups fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
pepper

Ingredients

Crispy Kale Topping

3½ ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad

5 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
¾ cup plus ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided
1½ cups fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
pepper

Ingredients

Crispy Kale Topping

3½ ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad

5 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
¾ cup plus ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided
1½ cups fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
pepper

Why This Recipe Works

by Tim Chin

For better or for worse, it seems like kale salad will never go out of style. It’s healthy, it’s green, and it fits squarely into every brunch-going, Instagram-posting, farm-to-table-loving millennial’s diet. But from a culinary perspective, there isn’t much to write home about kale: It’s often bitter and can be tough to chew on. Here we wanted to offer our own take on kale salad that both addresses these shortcomings and highlights differences in texture.

I love furikake—a crunchy Japanese seasoning of chopped dried seaweed, sesame seeds, bonito flakes, salt, and sugar—and I put it on everything. Here I take inspiration from furikake to make a seasoned crispy kale topping for the kale salad. That’s right; I’m talking about kale on top of kale. I also use almonds in two ways: I blend some into a bright herb-and-lemon dressing to provide creamy richness without dairy or eggs, and I use more sliced almonds for crunch in the salad. Altogether it’s a simple but texturally interesting salad—one that might win over any would-be kale haters out there.  

Before You Begin

We prefer lacinato kale (aka dinosaur or Tuscan kale) to curly-leaf kale in this recipe, but both will work. Using half white sesame seeds and half black sesame seeds adds beautiful contrast to the salad, but you can use whichever you have on hand. Kneading and squeezing the kale in step 3 accomplishes two things. It breaks down tough cell walls, making the kale more tender. And, due to an enzymatic reaction, it creates bitter-tasting compounds. Washing the kale after this step removes these bitter compounds, leaving the kale milder so that it needs less dressing to taste great.

Instructions

  1. For the Crispy Kale Topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees F/ 135 degrees C. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in 2 batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Toss kale and oil in medium bowl until kale is well coated, about 30 seconds. Spread kale evenly on prepared baking sheet. Wipe bowl clean with paper towels. Bake kale until dry, crispy, and translucent, 30 to 40 minutes, turning leaves halfway through baking. Carefully remove kale and return it to bowl, leaving excess oil on baking sheet.
  2. Thoroughly combine sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and cayenne in small bowl. Gently toss crispy kale and sesame seed mixture until evenly coated and kale is broken into ½- to 1-inch pieces.
  3. For the Salad: Gently knead and squeeze kale until leaves are slightly wilted, about 15 seconds. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in multiple batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine kale and ¾ cup almonds in large bowl.
  4. Process parsley, water, oil, Pecorino, ¼ cup almonds, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and sugar in blender on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. Transfer ¾ cup dressing to bowl with kale mixture; toss until kale is well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among shallow bowls or plates, sprinkle with crispy kale topping, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve.

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