Name: Collard Greens Salad With Pickled Fennel and Coconut
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: ½ cup white wine vinegar; ⅓ cup sugar; 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt; 2 garlic cloves, smashed; 1 bay leaf (optional); 1 medium fennel bulb, stalks and tough outer layer removed, thinly sliced lengthwise; 1 jalapeño, halved lengthwise; 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 2 jalapeños, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes; Kosher salt; 1 large egg yolk*; ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk; 3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tsp. Dijon mustard; 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil; 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce; Kosher salt; 2 bunches collard greens, stems removed, leaves very thinly sliced (about 5 cups packed); ½ small head Napa cabbage, tough stems removed, very thinly sliced (about 2 cups); 1 small head radicchio, halved through core, very thinly sliced (about 2 cups); ¾ cup crumbled farmer’s cheese; * Raw egg is not recommended for the elderly, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems…or people who don’t like raw egg.

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Photograph by Joshua Kissi, food styling by Roscoe Betsill, prop styling by Amy Wilson

Inspired by chef and author Marvin Woods, this mix of hardy greens, pickled fennel, and spicy coconut vinaigrette brings a lightness to decadent tables. Anyone with a busy kitchen during the holidays will appreciate a salad that gets better as it sits. The creamy coconut vinaigrette softens the collards while freeing up time for you to focus on other dishes.

This recipe was adapted from ‘The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.’

Recipe notes