I am someone who somehow frequently buys cauliflower and then has no idea what to do with it. Sometimes it is just the best-looking produce at the store. Do I like cauliflower? Do I want to make it? Why does it take up so much room in my refrigerator? Honestly, I’m not sure.
Normally I end up roasting it but I was adding recipes to my spreadsheet and came across this and thought “Why not?”.
I’ve seen cauliflower salads in the recent past when “low-carb” recipes were the rage but I am not one for pretending one ingredient is another. In the book, this is described as a “diet” recipe for Mock Potato Salad but it’s cauliflower and while it is tasty, no one is fooled.
Since I’m not concerned with it being a diet recipe I used my usual olive oil mayo and no fake sugar. I also added more ingredients for flavor and color interest. I felt like the original recipe really dropped the ball on that. More vegetables are always a good thing!
You don’t have to refrigerate it before serving but I think it did help the flavors to meld. The smoked paprika really added a smoky depth I think helped distract from the boiled cauliflower vibe. I had thought about roasting the cauliflower but I thought it might end up being too greasy–dry roasted cauliflower isn’t great so I’d have to add oil and I knew I was going to add mayo to the dressing.
It was really good! The trick is not to overcook the cauliflower–I think steaming it whole keeps it from getting too waterlogged–and not pretending it’s a potato. I’d totally make this again. An unexpected delight. Even the leftovers were tasty.
Confetti Cauliflower Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large head cauliflower
for the dressing:
- 2-3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon ground mustard
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
for the salad:
- 1 carrot, grated
- 1 jarred roasted red pepper chopped
- ¼ cup diced cornichons
- 1 stalk celery (with greens) diced
- ½ red onion diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stream the whole head of cauliflower, floret side down, until fork tender. Cool and break into bite-sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Add the cauliflower and remaining salad ingredients. Toss to evenly distribute everything.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
adapted and updated from Evelyn Metzger’s Mock Potato Salad (Diet) appearing in “Quote” The Maven collected by Pioneer Women/NA’AMAT Baltimore Council 1983
