Tiana Walters Trust me this Asian Collard Green Salad is a must make! A fresh spin on an ordinary boring table salad. This dish highlights and merges Asian cuisine with Georgia produce. The bitterness and toughness are taken out of the collard greens, which are then paired with a tangy ginger dressing and topped with a sweet and spicy nut and seed cluster.
What a weird salad some may say
Anyone who knows me, knows I love Asian food. So when making my Korean BBQ Ribs, I wanted a healthy side to serve with them. I had these beautiful collards in the backyard just waiting to be eaten. Ribs… collard greens…. it just makes sense!
I was kind of sick of the bbq style collards and wanted a fresh take on them. Enter a Collard Green Salad!
A quick google search and a Bon Appetit recipe highlighted some very similar ingredients and I just loved it. So I made it with of course my own local-ingredient spin on things and there was no disappointment.
For the toppings
Interesting fact, China is a big purchaser of Georgia Pecans. Therefore, it makes sense to put pecans in the salad. However, it needed a little kick to wake up the collards, enter red pepper and ginger dressing!
Hands-on
How do we cut the bitterness and the toughness of raw collards? Easy peasy! Add something sweet and in this case honey, a few pinches of salt and oil. (Which helps your body get the full nutritional value of dark leafy greens.) Then you get right in there and massage those beautiful greens.
What is best served with it?
I would serve this Asian Collard Green Salad with my Korean BBQ Ribs or anything grilled, smoked, or with an Asian influence. Honestly, it would be great as lunch and topped with grilled chicken or fish. And the dressing you can use over and over again! An extra bonus!!
Asian Collard Green Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp fresh ginger finely minced
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 3 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp pecans crushed
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 bunch collard greens de-stemmed, thinly sliced
Instructions
- In a mason jar or dressing container add vinegar, oils, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon honey, and a pinch of salt. Shake vigorously.
- In a small bowl combine 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and 1 tablespoon water.
- Lay out a small piece of parchment (about two hands sized) for the seeds to “rest” on.
- Combine seeds and pecans. Toast in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes until fragrant, and sesame seeds are browned.
- Add the honey mixture to seeds. Stirring until the seeds start to form small clumps about 4 minutes.
- Lay seeds on parchment to cool. Once cooled break into clusters.
- Add collards to a large salad bowl. Using your hands massage the collards with the dressing adding pinches of salt to help season and break down the collards. Massage for about 30 seconds until collards become dark green and glossy.
- Drizzle with more salad dressing and top with the seed clusters.
Step By Step Photos
To make the dressing add vinegar, oils, ginger, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon honey, and a pinch of salt in a mason jar or container. Shake vigorously. Set aside.
The next step we will make a honey mixture for the seeds and nuts. In a small bowl combine 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, and 1 tablespoon water. Lay out a small piece of parchment (about two hands sized) for the seeds to “rest”.
Combine seeds and pecans. Toast in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for a few minutes until fragrant, and sesame seeds are browned.
Add the honey mixture to seeds. Stirring until the seeds start to form small clumps about 4 minutes.
Lay seeds on parchment to cool. Once cooled break into clusters.
Add collards to a large salad bowl. Using your hands massage the collards with the dressing adding pinches of salt to help season and break down the collards. Massage for about 30 seconds until collards become dark green and glossy. Drizzle with more salad dressing and top with the seed clusters.
