Massaged Kale Salad
Have you ever tried massaging kale? It makes for a glorious salad, and here I pair it with a few simple ingredients for a wonderful side dish.
Massaged kale??!
I know, it sounds like some sort of high-maintenance nonsense vegetable treatment for what has arguably been one of the trendiest greens ever, but if you’ve never massaged your kale, you are missing out on something awesome.
Because frankly, massaged kale is nearly my favorite thing EVER. And it’s…kale…
So what does massaging do exactly?
Rubbing the kale transforms the tough, bitter leaves into tender, silky, slightly sweet greens that are perfect for a raw salad.
First take your kale (I use lacinato kale, aka dino kale), and run your fingers up the stem to remove the leaves:
Discard the stems (I’ve never found a good use for these) and tear up the leaves with your fingers.
Place the washed kale leaves in a big bowl and add your favorite dressing (or olive oil + balsamic) along with a pinch of salt. Start rubbing this all over the kale leaves, and rub the leaves between your fingers until it starts to break down and become silky.
After a few minutes, you’ll see the kale leaves lose a ton of volume, and start to wilt. This is the cellulose structure breaking down.
Now the leaves can be served with your favorite salad ingredients. I love doing Kale Caesars, or pairing with dried cranberries, pecans, and blue cheese:
Enjoy!
Massaged Kale Salad
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb lacinato kale
- 2 tbsp your favorite dressing
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Remove the leafy portion of the kale by running your finger along the stem, stripping the leaves off. Discard the stems, then tear the leaves into small pieces. Wash and dry thoroughly.
- Place the washed kale leaves in a bowl and add the dressing and salt. Rub and massage the kale leaves together for a few minutes, until the kale loses a lot of volume and starts to wilt. Toss the kale with the other salad ingredients (like blue cheese, cranberries, and pecans), and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
6 Comments on “Massaged Kale Salad”
We recently joined a local farm CSA and one of the vegetables this winter is kale. Lots of kale. We’ve tried several salad recipes and no one said to massage the dressing into the leaves. (most said to marinate in lemon juice or EVOO). This was the best tasting and easiest salad to make. First time anyone went back for more.
Hi Craig, how wonderful!!!! I’m so glad to hear that the salad was so delicious. I really love massaged kale too. Happy cooking!
Whaaaa? I’ve never heard of this “kale massaging” and am so excited to try it! I LOVE your recipes. Seriously, everything I’ve made so far has been just great 🙂 Keep up the good work!
I’m so glad you have enjoyed the recipes you’ve tried so far, that makes me very happy! Definitely try the kale massaging, it does magical things!
I love massaged Kale – the first time I tried it I was so surprised by how different the texture was from regular kale salad – so silky.
We love massaged kale! It’s a great way to get the kids involved in cooking —and they’re way more likely to eat anything they cook. Even kale! This recipe looks great, we’ll definnitely try it out!