Kale salad: the leaves have to be massaged by hand
Raw kale is tough, bitter and fibrous — which is why many people give up on it after the first try. The fix takes a few minutes and needs only your hands: the leaves are rubbed with oil and salt, kneaded like dough. The leaves bruise and release their juice, the kale darkens, halves in volume and softens, and the bitterness mellows noticeably. It is a good illustration that cooking is sometimes not about the ingredient but about what you do to it.
Your own work in that: 40 min.
- Kale 15 min
- Croutons 12 min
- Tossing 13 min
Step by step
0 / 5 doneStrip the leaves from the stems
Hold a kale leaf at the base of its stem and pull upwards along it with your other hand — the leaf comes away whole. Discard the thick stalks: they stay tough whatever you do to them. Cut the leaves into wide ribbons.
Ingredients: 300 g kale · 2 tbsp olive oil · ½ tsp salt · ½ pcs lemon, juice
Tip300 g of kale leaves you with about 200 g once stemmed. That is normal — the stalks are roughly a third of the weight of a bunch.
The leaf slides off the stem in one pullMassage the leaves by hand
Put the leaves in a large bowl with two tablespoons of oil, the salt and the juice of half a lemon. Now knead them with your hands for 3–5 minutes, like dough. The kale darkens, softens and halves in volume — that is the signal it is done.
TipIf after three minutes the leaves are still stiff and pale, keep going — tougher varieties need the full five minutes. Don't overdo it, though, or the kale turns soggy and watery.
It darkens, softens and halves in volumeFry garlic croutons
Cut the bread into 1.5 cm cubes. Heat the oil with a crushed (not chopped) clove of garlic, fry 30 seconds and remove the garlic. In that scented oil fry the croutons 6–8 minutes, shaking the pan, until golden.
Ingredients: 3 pcs stale bread · 3 tbsp olive oil · 1 clove garlic
TipChopped garlic burns in this oil before the croutons can colour. A crushed clove gives its aroma and leaves the pan whole.
Garlic flavours the oil, then leavesMake a Caesar-style dressing
Mix the mayonnaise with the yogurt, mustard, crushed garlic, lemon juice and half the grated parmesan. Season with pepper. It should be thick — kale is stiffer than lettuce and a thin dressing simply runs off it.
Ingredients: 80 g parmesan · 3 tbsp mayonnaise · 3 tbsp natural yogurt · 1 tsp Dijon mustard · 1 clove garlic · ½ pcs lemon, juice · 40 g sunflower seeds · ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
A thick dressing, because kale is not lettuceToss and let it stand
Combine the kale with the dressing and toss it with your hands, so the sauce reaches every leaf. Leave 10 minutes. Add the croutons, seeds and remaining shaved parmesan only just before serving.
Ingredients: 300 g kale · 2 tbsp olive oil · ½ tsp salt · ½ pcs lemon, juice
Ten minutes; croutons only at the end
Before you start
It survives a day dressed
A rarity among leaf salads: massaged kale with dressing does not wilt and, kept in the fridge, is arguably better the next day. Keep the croutons separate and add them before eating.
Which kale
Curly kale (green and crinkled) is tougher and needs longer massaging. Tuscan kale (cavolo nero, dark with narrow, blistered leaves) softens faster and is usually milder.
Kale crisps
From leftover leaves: drizzle with oil, salt and bake 15–20 minutes at 150 °C, until brittle. At a low temperature the leaves dry evenly; hotter, the edges scorch before the middle dries.
As a full meal
Add grilled chicken, roasted chickpeas or a hard-boiled egg. The Caesar-style dressing suits any of them with no change of proportions.
