Cajun Coleslaw

Yes, this is the point in the week where you’d expect to see a tandem recipe posted, but this week you’ll have to wait a few more days. There WILL be a tandem recipe this week, but it’ll be up later in the week.

‘Til then, you’ll just have to put up with me.

Several years ago, Fred’s mother made this really good coleslaw for a family function, and we liked it so much that Fred asked for the recipe. It was originally created by some Cajun guy named Justin Wilson and I don’t know if Fred’s mother made some changes, or if the changes were made before the recipe got to her, but what I’m saying is that this isn’t exactly his recipe but it’s pretty close. Got it?

It’s coleslaw with a kick, is how I always describe it. It’s not hot – it does have hot sauce in it, but not enough to make it painful. Honestly, if cabbage and red onion are not your thing, you should probably go ahead and skip this. But if you don’t get that “Ewww, coleslaw!” look off your face, I’ma come slap it off for you. JUST SAYING.

It’s pretty easy to throw together, but you need to keep in mind that it needs to sit before it’s ready to be eaten. The recipe says that it should sit for at least an hour, but I’d recommend making it the day before. The longer it sits, the better it is.

Your ingredients:

Coleslaw (1)

Shredded cabbage, 1 large red onion, Durkee Famous Sauce (more on that in a minute), mayo, olive oil (not shown), red wine vinegar, hot sauce, ketchup, garlic salt, and lemon juice.

About the Durkee Famous Sauce. I think that maybe Durkee is a little too impressed with themselves, because I don’t think it’s really all THAT famous. It’s like, nice ego you’ve got there, Durkee. I’d never heard of this supposed “famous” sauce before this recipe. It’s a pain in the ass to find at the store because it’s located in the condiments aisle, stuffed in there among the tartar sauce and cocktail sauce and all that other shit no one ever uses. You can look for a copycat recipe that would be perfectly fine, I’m sure, or you could just use some Dijon mustard, and I expect it would be just as good. This is what the Durkee Famous Sauce looks like, just so you know.

Also, about the cabbage. The recipe calls for 1 head of cabbage, shredded. I opt to make life easier for myself, and buy two 10-ounce bags of preshredded cabbage. It’s the perfect amount, AND I don’t have to haul out the food processor.

Put your cabbage in a bowl (preferably one with a lid, because you’re going to stick the bowl in the fridge when you’re done.)

Coleslaw (3)

Inspector Brandon, inspecting.

Slice your red onion in thin slices. I cut my onion in half before slicing it, because  I think that the smaller the pieces of onion are, the more they’ll be distributed throughout the coleslaw. It’s a preference thing, really.

Coleslaw (2)

Inspector Brandon thinks those onions could have been sliced a wee bit thinner, but he hates onion so he just needs to shut up.

Mix all your dressing ingredients together. I use a 2-cup measuring cup to do the mixing, because everything fits nicely, and it makes pouring it over the cabbage and onion less messy.

Coleslaw (4)

Coleslaw (5)

Inspector Arya takes a deep, deep sniff.

Pour your dressing over your cabbage and onions.

Coleslaw (6)

Using a rubber spatula or a big spoon, mix everything together. Don’t worry about making sure that there’s dressing on every single piece of cabbage and onion – once it’s been in the fridge for a couple of hours, the cabbage will wilt a bit, making it easier to stir everything together.

Coleslaw (7)

Like I said up there, you can serve the coleslaw after an hour, but I very much recommend letting it sit at least overnight. It’s way better that way.

Coleslaw (8)

YUM.

Cajun Coleslaw
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Original Source/Author:
: Side Dish
Cuisine: Cajun!
Serves: 12ish
Ingredients
  • 1 cabbage, shredded (or 2 10-ounce bags of preshredded cabbage)
  • 1 large red onion, sliced in thin rings (or cut in half and then sliced in thin slices)
  • 2 T. Durkee Famous Sauce (or Dijon mustard as a substitute)
  • ⅓ c. mayo (we use reduced-fat)
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp hot sauce (we use Tabasco)
  • 2 T ketchup
  • ½ - 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 3 T lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
Instructions
  1. Mix dressing ingredients and pour over cabbage and red onion. Mix to coat the cabbage and red onion. Let sit for at least one hour (preferably overnight) before serving.

 


Comments

Cajun Coleslaw — 32 Comments

  1. That does look yummy, though perhaps you could mix it with your leaf-gathering gloves, Robyn. Also, I’m absolutely scandalized by “olive oil (not shown).” So unjust! Happily, your excellent pair of inspectors helped distract me from this blatant fit of olive-oil victimization. Nonetheless: 25 stars.

  2. As part of a large, Cajun family Justin Wilson is very familiar to me. LOL — I remember fondly the clip of his Cajun rum cake. It’s less about the cake and more about the “tasting the rum as you go for quality.” It’s a cooking method that serves me well today, since I cook with a lot of differing alcohols (and some of it actually in the food).

    • Ha – he sounds like my kinda guy. I’m going to have to check him out on YouTube!

      Fred’s stepfather is Cajun, so I bet he’s the one who discovered the recipe and pointed it out to Fred’s mother.

  3. I remember watching Justin Wilson on PBS – he was quite the character. I think a lot of people were taken in by that Cajun accent and the stories, but he was smarter than most people realized 🙂
    Anyway, he always used the palm of his hand to measure his “small” dry ingredients (salt, pepper, spices). He once proved that his method of measuring worked for him – it’s easier to watch than to describe, so here’s a link to the video on youtube for your viewing pleasure (go to 8:36): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK4umRMJlrs

  4. If you bowl had a lid, instead of using something to mix it together, couldn’t you just put the lid on the bowl and shake the hell out of it. One less thing to wash? Sorry, dishwasher is broken, so obsessing about not dirtying anything if I can.

  5. So am I the only person thinking “KETCHUP? Why the hell is there ketchup in the cole slaw???” I am? Carry on, then.

    I was going to deduct a star for the use of ketchup, but the kitten inspectors each earned an extra one. SEVEN STARS FOR YOU!

    I’ll bet Amanda spells “ketchup” as “catsup”. Just because she does.

    • Dude, it is TOTALLY spelled “catsup” on my recipe card, and when I was typing in the recipe, I thought “Hmph. NO ONE spells it like THAT!”

      You know those Cajuns. They love their “catsup”!

      • My mom and I have been emailing back forth regarding my grandma’s sloppy joe recipe. I keep spelling it ketchup and she keeps spelling it catsup. You’d think I’d be the one spelling it that way what with all the cats I’ve had over the years. Heh

      • [bad word] I wish I could just edit my previous comment! For those who care about such things: AP Stylebook says: ketchup, not catchup or catsup. Updated 11-7-08. Why yes, I do pay for a yearly subscription!

    • Ketchup or catsup, it is not permitted in my house nor in my coleslaw! I’ve never heard of Dukree Famous Sauce but I’m willing to bet Plochman’s stone ground mustard will work just fine.

  6. Love Justin Wilson. I remember watching/listening to him growing up. And just a couple weeks ago my husband downloaded several clips to his itunes list. Justin was one very hilarious guy, was sad when he passed away.

    • I love this coleslaw on pulled pork sandwiches.
      I come from a bigass Cajun family as well and we have always loved Justin Wilson. Hoooboy

    • When I was watching him on YouTube yesterday, Fred knew immediately who it was, just by his voice. Apparently I’m the only one who’d never heard of him!

  7. I do not like coleslaw, but this, this stuff, really makes me want to try it! I’ll report back when I do and it will either be great or that Robyn is a crackhead. We’ll just have to wait and see! 😉

  8. I’ve been making this recipe for YEARS and I think the Durkee’s is ESSENTIAL to the recipe. That oke Cajun deer, he know what he doing, him.

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