Vegan fermented cabbage salad with apples

Vegan fermented cabbage salad with apples: fresh sauerkraut, apple, carrot, linseed oil and caraway make a crunchy, aromatic salad with a gentle tang.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 10 min
• No cooking needed
• Total time: 10 min
• Calories: 60 kcal per serving
• Protein: 2 g
• Fat: 1 g
• Carbs: 10 g

Ingredients

• 1 carrot
• 1 apple
• 150 g unpasteurised raw sauerkraut
• 1 tbsp cold-pressed linseed oil
• 1 pinch of caraway

Method

You’ll need: chopping board · knife · mixing bowl · grater

1. Put the unpasteurised sauerkraut in a bowl and loosen it with a fork.
2. Coarsely grate the apple or cut it into thin matchsticks. Grate the carrot and add both to the sauerkraut.
3. Add the linseed oil and caraway and mix everything gently so it stays crunchy.
4. Leave to stand briefly so the flavours come together. You usually won't need extra seasoning, as the sauerkraut is already seasoned.
5. Gently toss once more before serving and, if needed, mix in a little sauerkraut juice.
6. Serve fresh, ideally lightly chilled.

Good to know

A salad like this is wonderfully simple but still full of character. Fresh, tangy and crunchy – just right when you want something light with some bite.

Swaps

Carrot → fennel (fresher, slightly aniseed flavour, goes well with sauerkraut) Apple → pear (milder and juicier, a little softer in acidity) Linseed oil → extra virgin olive oil (more stable for cooking, well-rounded flavour) Caraway → fresh dill (lighter, herbier flavour, goes well with cabbage and apple notes)

Allergens

The recipe contains none of the most common allergens. Caraway can taste very strong to sensitive children, and unpasteurised sauerkraut is only a good idea during pregnancy if it was made hygienically and kept safely chilled.

Frequently asked questions

What's in linseed oil, nutritionally?

Linseed oil contains a particularly large amount of alpha-linolenic acid, a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid. It's sensitive to heat, so it works best cold in salads.

Is unpasteurised sauerkraut more nutritious than pasteurised?

Unpasteurised sauerkraut can contain heat-sensitive compounds and live microorganisms. How big the difference actually is depends a lot on the product and storage.

Why do carrot and a little fat go well together?

Carrots provide beta-carotene, which is fat-soluble. A little linseed oil in the salad makes sense, because it suits a meal with carotenoids.

Does apple in a sauerkraut salad suit everyone?

Many people are fine with apple in small amounts; it brings pectin and fruit acids. If you have a sensitive stomach or fructose malabsorption, though, raw apple may not suit you as well.

Does caraway have any nutritional benefit?

Caraway contains essential oils and is traditionally used in cabbage dishes. Here it mainly adds its typical spicy, slightly aniseedy flavour.

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