This is a famous Broccoli Salad from the New York Times. Seeing all the amazing reviews, I tried it once, had a nibble, and wasn’t convinced. But then I kept nibbling and couldn’t stop. I’m now convinced. (And I’ve made it countless times since!)
Famous NY Times Broccoli Salad with cumin, garlic and sesame
Welcome to Day 2 of the RecipeTin Eats 30 Day Holiday Salad Marathon, a day where I’m bringing you something simple yet intriguing and little bit different!
It’s a wildly popular raw Broccoli Salad by Melissa Clark of New York Times Cooking. Red wine vinegar lightly “cooks” the raw broccoli, then it’s marinated in an intensely flavoured mix of cumin, garlic, sesame and olive oil.
It is so unexpectedly tasty, unique, and I keep making it over and over so I wanted to share the recipe with you!
Not a fan of raw broccoli? This may not be the dish to quite convert you. Try this one instead, where the creamy dressing really rounds out the crunchiness like a coleslaw. Otherwise, lightly steam the broccoli instead – it’s worth making just for the dressing!
What you need for the NY Times Broccoli Salad
Here’s what you need for this broccoli salad. Part of the appeal and is how few ingredients are called for to make such an interesting salad, though I do forewarn you that there is marinating time involved.
Regular readers will be unsurprised to hear that I tweaked the ingredient quantities a bit… here’s what I changed from the source recipe (and why):
(Far) less oil – I reduced the original 3/4 cup (185 ml) olive oil which to me – and many hundreds of commenters on the recipe – is an obscenely excessive amount of oil. We don’t need our broccoli swimming in oil! I’ve cut it down to 1/3 cup which is still on the generous side by my usual standards, but the right amount to bring the required richness and mouthfeel. You can go as low as 1/4 cup however;
Less salt – Similarly, I reduced from 1 tsp to 3/4 tsp because it was a tad salty for my taste. You could reduce even further to 1/2 tsp. (NB. Make sure you use kosher/cooking salt, not table salt which is much finer. If you use table salt you would need to reduce to just under 1/2 tsp); and
Doubled red wine vinegar from 1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon. 1 1/2 teaspoons is such a small amount it did nothing from what I could tell. I increased it to cut through the richness of the oil and also to “cook” the broccoli a bit better.
How to make the NY Times Broccoli Salad
The making part is straightforward but a bit unique, calling for a light “pickling” of the broccoli before marinating in a heavily flavoured garlic-cumin-sesame olive oil dressing:
Light pickle – Toss the broccoli salad in the red wine vinegar and set aside for 10 minutes. It has the effect of slightly softening the surface, sort of like Ceviche. But more importantly, we get vinegar tang into the broccoli before dousing with the garlicky olive oil;
Infuse oil – Infuse the olive oil with garlic, cumin and sesame flavours, by frying until golden brown. This literally takes 30 seconds;
Toss – Pour over the broccoli and toss well. Love those crispy golden garlic bits!
Marinate – Mix and leave for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days, to “marinate”. This is when the flavour magic happens and the garlic/cumin/sesame flavours penetrates the broccoli. It’s one of those rare salads that gets better with time!
Cooked broccoli option – For those of you wary of or dead-set adverse to raw broccoli, just steam the florets lightly before proceeding with the recipe. Please don’t boil, it will make the florets watery and dilute the flavour!
I didn’t even realise how much I liked it …
I first made this recipe out of sheer curiosity, wondering why people rated it so highly. With the first bite freshly made, without letting it sit and soak in the marinade, I wasn’t convinced at all.
Post-marinating for 1 hour, I had my second bite, and thought it was fine but I still didn’t understand the rave reviews.
Then I just kept picking at it, eating more and more, and…….wait! I realised I literally could not stop eating it. It’s bizarrely addictive. I still don’t quite rave about it to friends because it’s not everyone’s thing. But I am quietly addicted to it, and you might just become so too.
So I want to share it, quietly, with you, my internet friends. 😇
Love to know what you think if you try it! – Nagi x
PS. Remember, raw broccoli haters, steam your broccoli first. This is not the recipe to try to convert you into a raw broccoli lover! Use this Creamy Raw Broccoli Salad with Bacon instead. You will like that one, I promise!
What is the Holiday Salad Marathon?
This is my inaugural Christmas recipe countdown where I am sharing 30 salad recipes in a row until Christmas Eve – something completely different to people’s usual baking countdowns!
These salads are in addition to my regular 3 new recipes a week. Because aren’t you bored of the usual tomato-cucumber-lettuce garden salad routine??
Click here to see all the Holiday Salad Marathon recipes to date, or sign up for instant updates and you’ll receive a free email alert whenever I publish a new salad! 🙂
Watch how to make it
Captioning typo alert! The liquid I pour over the broccoli at 10 seconds is the red wine vinegar, not sesame oil! 🙂
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New York Times Famous Broccoli Salad – with Cumin, Garlic and Sesame
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb broccoli florets , large florets halved or cut into thirds (3 medium or 2 large broccoli heads, 1kg/2lb in total)
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, cider vinegar)
- 3/4 tsp salt, cooking/kosher (if table salt: 1/2 tsp)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves , finely minced using knife (not crusher)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds (whole, not powder)
- 2 tsp sesame oil , roasted (Note 1)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes / chilli fakes (optional)
Instructions
- "Cook" raw broccoli: Toss broccoli in red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside 10 minutes – it will lightly pickle, almost "ceviche" the broccoli.
- Garlic, spice and oil mix: Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until garlic is light golden. Stir in sesame oil.
- Toss broccoli: Immediately pour oil mix over broccoli. Toss very well using a rubber spatula to scrape up all the oil from the side of the bowl.
- Marinate: Leave on the counter for at least 1 hour to marinate, or refrigerate for up to 48 hrs (it gets better with time).
- Serve at room temp, not cold, for best flavour!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He was licking his lips until he got close enough to realise what it was….
My husband doesn’t love raw broccoli, but I found that throwing it in the pan, off heat, with the lid on as the last step was just enough to steam it to his liking.
Absolutely so delicious! We have beautiful fresh tuna from a work friend for dinner tonight and a head of broccoli as a side – just made this and I’m worried I won’t be able to let it sit long enough before I eat it all! No substitutions made but I would make twice or even thrice as much next time. Would be great for lunches as well as it will only get better with time. Another banger, thank you Nagi and hi Dozer!
Can I substitute white wine vinegar for the red wine vinegar without changing the taste much?
I made this last night and cut the olive oil even more (about 1/4 cup). My guy took a bite and said “mom. This is tasty.” Which is basically a rave from him. We loved it and will make it again. Love how easy it was and is especially perfect for warmer weather when we grill a ton.
Recipe worked perfectly as usual, thanks Nagi. Quick and easy, no effort needed. I had it with Karaage chicken and salmon sashim, the crunch of slightly cooked broccoli worked well these dishes. Will make again.
Hi Nagi (or a fellow Aussie foodie reading this). What’s your go-to olive oil for salads that I can get in a supermarket (ie not $50 a bottle).
What can I substitute for the cumin seed?
Super Duper yummy! I made this to go with my baked salmon and it was a perfect accompaniment. Wonderful flavor!
Can I roast the broccoli before proceeding instead of steaming??
The broccoli is not actually cooked. The red wine vinegar mixture “wilts“ the broccoli and makes it tender. If you watch the video you will see what I mean. 😊
I am allergic to sesame so i was wondering if this salad would still be yum if i left out the sesame seeds? or maybe i could substitute with something else? do you have any suggestions? i’m keen to try this!
5 stars , for sure. My teenager loves it , I am speechless. Very easy to make. Thank you so much, Nagi.
This definitely works. Saved some for tomorrow’s lunch. Hot here in Brisbane at Christmas, so this will be a treat to go with ham, prawns etc etc.
so I need one pound of florets and 2 #’s of whole broccoli will yield roughly 1# of florets?
Hi Jim…yes that is correct…enjoy! Nx🙂
Perfect! Thanks for the help.
Bit confusing as the video starts with pouring sesame oil, salt and salt while the recipe says pour red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. I assume it’s vinegar.
We don’t heat the ingredients and it’s still perfect!
I am not a big fan of broccoli but with this dish, I can smash the entire bowl myself!
Thank you Nagi!!
You’re totally converted Alaska!! N x
You’re alterations to the salt, oil and vinegar are spot on! We’re having a bit of a heatwave here in Canada (seriously), and minimal cooking is a must. My husband and I loved this, the flavours are smokey and complex, definitely adding to our rotation. Thanks for passing this gem on!
This recipe is awesome! Love it!!! I’ve been searching for a broccoli salad recipe that isn’t sweetened w/ dried cranberries, raisons or mayonnaise. This will be my go to salad. Also can’t imagine adding more oil, good call
This and your poached chicken is a match made in heaven 😡
Can I use cauliflower instead?
Sure could Annie! N x
Addictive is right! This is a delicious salad Nagi and I like the slight adjustments you have made…I think the flavour balance is perfect!
I’m sorry I am late to the game in making this salad, but I am catching up on all of the wonderful offerings you have posted over the last year! I can tell you this will be a welcome addition on my table many times going forward.
Thank you once again for your creativeness, energy, and delightful posts. I love ‘seeing’ you and Dozer in my inbox!