Skip to main content

Kale Salad with Avocado, Almonds, and Toasted Nori

Massaging kale (shown opposite) with olive oil and salt is a useful technique popular in raw cuisine. The greens get “cooked” by the salt and the squeezing action, becoming tender and more digestible. Nori seaweed, the kind used to wrap sushi, adds a rich, savory note to the salad. Find nori at natural food stores or Asian markets. In summer, add shaved radishes, fresh corn kernels, and mint leaves.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 4

Ingredients

1 bunch kale, thick stems removed and coarsely chopped
1 ripe avocado, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into thin half moons
1 small sweet, crisp apple, sliced thin
1 scallion, green part only, thinly sliced
1 large handful toasted almonds
1/2 sheet nori

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the kale in a large bowl with the avocado. Add a dash of salt, the garlic, and olive oil. Gently massage everything together for about 3 minutes. The kale will shrink and become darker and more pliable.

    Step 2

    Reserve a small handful of the carrot and apple slices for garnish, then gently fold in the carrot and apple to the kale mixture. Taste and season with salt.

    Step 3

    Divide the salad among four plates. Top each plate with the sliced carrots, apples, and scallions. Season with pepper. Scatter the almonds on top.

    Step 4

    Turn a burner to medium heat, pick up the sheet of nori with a pair of tongs, and pass it over the flame 3 or 4 times. Let the nori cool for a moment, then fold the sheet in half lengthwise and cut with scissors along the crease. Using the scissors, cut several thin ribbons of nori over each plate. This salad can keep for up to a day in the refrigerator.

Lucid Food
Read More
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.
Like crispy gnocchi caprese and raspberry—brown butter skillet cake.
A flurry of fresh tarragon makes this speedy weeknight dish of seared cod and luscious, sun-colored pan sauce feel restaurant worthy.
The secret to flavorful, never-greasy eggplant parm? Brine the eggplant first.
Like hot honey chicken with peaches and a dirty martini spritz.
No grill needed for this just-charred-enough sweet and spicy chicken.
Fontina and fried shallots make this diner-style omelet perfectly acceptable dinner fare.