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Kale Salad with Smoked Almonds and Picada Crumbs
A green salad is a welcome counterpoint to the many heavy meats, starchy sides and rich desserts that crowd holiday tables. We like kale, which is both flavorful and seasonal, a prime candidate for a winter salad. But when eaten raw, the hardy leaves can be unpleasantly tough. We started with lacinato kale, also known as dinosaur or Tuscan kale. Its long blue-green leaves are sweeter and tenderer than curly kale. Slicing the greens thinly was the first step in making them more salad-friendly. Then, to soften them further, we borrowed a Japanese technique used on raw cabbage — massaging the leaves. An acidic shallot-sherry vinaigrette also helped to soften and brighten the kale (look for a sherry vinegar aged at least 3 years). Intensely flavorful paprika breadcrumbs, inspired by the Catalan sauce picada, tied everything together.
6
Servings
Tip
Don’t slice the kale until you’re ready to make the salad; it will wilt. You can, however, stem, wash and dry it ahead of time.
15 minutes
Ingredients
-
2
shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
-
5
tablespoons sherry vinegar
Directions
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01In a small bowl, whisk together the shallots, vinegar and ¼ teaspoon salt. Allow to sit 10 minutes. Whisk in the honey, 5 tablespoons of the oil and ½ teaspoon pepper; set aside.
Reviews
June 14, 2026
One Of My Fave Salads
I make this one often. . . sometimes I’m short on time, so I have a few shortcuts in that instance which is to use panko breadcrumbs and smashing some almonds in a baggie vs getting the food processor out. IMO, it’s just as good. Most times I actually go that route becasue I do make this salad so often. It pairs well with lots of things, but we also like it as a meal.
December 8, 2024
Yummy
Loved the flavor of this salad and it was so easy to make. My only takeaway is that there is way too much of the crumb and nut topping. I only needed half.
May 21, 2023
Timing
Great recipe. I didn't have sherry vinegar, so I substituted red wine vinegar. As the other reviewer mentioned, it takes much longer than 15 minutes, at least double.
February 11, 2023
A Favorite!
We love this recipe! I use Zeppole sourdough from our local Boise bakery. The kale truly transforms to a rich dark color as you massage it. Tastes fancy and healthy!!
February 1, 2023
Delicious
Delicious
Great salad. I don't know how anyone can make this in 15 minutes, though. It probably took me an hour and a half end-to-end. The processing of the kale probably took the longest.
I didn't have any sweet paprika but I had a lot of the smoked kind, so I used it and instead of the smoked almonds, I used the regular kind.
For bread, I used the Whole Foods' store brand sourdough. I think it gave the crumbs a very good flavor, and because it's not from an artisanal bakery or anything, the crust was soft and thin, suitable for being chopped up in the food processor. No issues at all (I was worried).
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The crispy, tiny savory bread crumbs in the salad were delicious and fun. Making the crumbs was easy and I learned a new cooking technique.