Miso Napa Cabbage Salad with Fried Shallots

Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 7 mins | Course: Dinner | Serves: 6

Napa cabbage salad topped with fried shallots and a lovely creamy miso dressing. Inspired by Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen. https://smittenkitchen.com/2024/08/napa-cabbage-wedge-with-miso-dressing/

1 Napa cabbage head, quartered

2 shallots, shaved thin

¼ cup olive oil

3 green onions, minced

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar 

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds 

Miso Dressing:

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp mayonnaise 

2 Tbsp white miso

3 Tbsp sesame oil 

2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fish sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Cut the cabbage into 4 wedges, leaving the core intact. Rinse and allow to soak in a large bowl of cool water about 10 minutes (longer is fine). Allow to dry on a kitchen (or paper) towel. Place wedges on a salad platter (if really large, slice again into 1/8ths. Drizzle with the rice wine vinegar. Top with green onions and sesame seeds. 

Slice shallots thin with a mandolin or as thin and evenly as possible with a knife. Fry the shallots in a large skillet with the olive oil over a medium-high flame until they are a light golden color. Turn off the heat and let them continue to turn a more copper color. Watch closely that they don’t burn. Transfer to a paper towel with tongs or a fork, and salt. Immediately transfer them to another plate so they don’t lose their crunch by getting soggy. You can reuse the lovely shallot-scented oil in another recipe. 

Mix the dressing ingredients in a 2 cup measurer with a small whisk. Scatter the crispy shallots over the wedges and drizzle with the dressing just before serving.