Recipe

Crispy & Creamy Kale Salad

by Tim Chin

For better or for worse, it seems like kale salad will never go out of style. It’s healthy, it’s green, and it fits squarely into every brunch-going, Instagram-posting, farm-to-table-loving millennial’s diet. But from a culinary perspective, there isn’t much to write home about kale: It’s often bitter and can be tough to chew on. Here I wanted to offer my own take on kale salad that both addresses these shortcomings and highlights differences in texture.

I love furikake—a crunchy Japanese seasoning of chopped dried seaweed, sesame seeds, bonito flakes, salt, and sugar—and I put it on everything. Here I take inspiration from furikake to make a seasoned crispy kale topping for the kale salad. That’s right; I’m talking about kale on top of kale. I also use almonds in two ways: I blend some into a bright herb-and-lemon dressing to provide creamy richness without dairy or eggs, and I use more sliced almonds for crunch in the salad. Altogether it’s a simple but texturally interesting salad—one that might win over any would-be kale haters out there.   

Yield
Serves 2 to 4
Ingredients

Crispy Kale Topping

100 g kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
28 g vegetable oil
16 g sesame seeds, toasted
2 g kosher salt
2 g sugar
1 g cayenne pepper

Salad

140 g kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
75 g plus 25 g sliced almonds, toasted, divided
90 g water
56 g vegetable oil
45 g lemon juice
20 g fresh parsley leaves
12 g grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 g fresh thyme leaves
2 g sugar
2 g kosher salt
  pepper

Crispy Kale Topping

3½ ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad

5 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
¾ cup plus ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted, divided
1½ cups fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon sugar
  pepper
Essential Equipment
Instructions
    • 100 g kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 
    • 28 g vegetable oil
    For the Crispy Kale Topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees F/ 135 degrees C. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in 2 batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Toss kale and oil in medium bowl until kale is well coated, about 30 seconds. Spread kale evenly on prepared baking sheet. Wipe bowl clean with paper towels. Bake kale until dry, crispy, and translucent, 30 to 40 minutes, turning leaves halfway through baking. Carefully remove kale and return it to bowl, leaving excess oil on baking sheet. 
    • 16 g sesame seeds, toasted
    • 2 g kosher salt
    • 2 g sugar
    • 1 g cayenne pepper
    Thoroughly combine sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and cayenne in small bowl. Gently toss crispy kale and sesame seed mixture until evenly coated and kale is broken into ½- to 1-inch pieces. 
    • 140 g kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
    • 75 g sliced almonds, toasted
    For the Salad: Gently knead and squeeze kale until leaves are slightly wilted, about 15 seconds. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in multiple batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine kale and 75 grams almonds in large bowl. 
    • 90 g water 
    • 56 g vegetable oil 
    • 45 g lemon juice 
    • 25 g sliced almonds, toasted 
    • 20 g fresh parsley leaves 
    • 12 g grated Pecorino Romano cheese 
    • 2 g fresh thyme leaves 
    • 2 g sugar 
    • 2 g kosher salt
    • Pepper
    Process water, oil, lemon juice, 25 grams almonds, parsley, Pecorino, thyme, sugar, and salt in blender on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. Transfer 165 grams dressing to bowl with kale mixture; toss until kale is well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among shallow bowls or plates, sprinkle with crispy kale topping, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve.  
Instructions
    • 3½ ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 
    • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
    For the Crispy Kale Topping: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 degrees F/ 135 degrees C. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in 2 batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Toss kale and oil in medium bowl until kale is well coated, about 30 seconds. Spread kale evenly on prepared baking sheet. Wipe bowl clean with paper towels. Bake kale until dry, crispy, and translucent, 30 to 40 minutes, turning leaves halfway through baking. Carefully remove kale and return it to bowl, leaving excess oil on baking sheet. 
    • 4 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted 
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt 
    • ¼ teaspoon sugar 
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    Thoroughly combine sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and cayenne in small bowl. Gently toss crispy kale and sesame seed mixture until evenly coated and kale is broken into ½- to 1-inch pieces. 
    • 5 ounces kale, stemmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 
    • ¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted
    For the Salad: Gently knead and squeeze kale until leaves are slightly wilted, about 15 seconds. Wash kale and spin dry in salad spinner in multiple batches. Pat kale thoroughly dry with paper towels. Combine kale and ¾ cup almonds in large bowl. 
    • 1½ cups fresh parsley leaves 
    • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water 
    • ¼ cup vegetable oil 
    • ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese 
    • ¼ cup sliced almonds, toasted 
    • 3 tablespoons lemon juice 
    • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves 
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt 
    • ¼ teaspoon sugar
    • Pepper
    Process parsley, water, oil, Pecorino, ¼ cup almonds, lemon juice, thyme, salt, and sugar in blender on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. Transfer ¾ cup dressing to bowl with kale mixture; toss until kale is well coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among shallow bowls or plates, sprinkle with crispy kale topping, and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve.  
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