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Kohlrabi is one of my favorite farmers market vegetables. While it is most commonly associated with spring markets, it does start to reappear in the fall in some areas, including mine.
This is the perfect salad for those warm September days with cool nights. The warm brown butter dressing is rich and nutty, while the kohlrabi, fennel, and onion are fresh and crunchy. There’s lemon and mustard in the dressing to balance the flavor. I promise you’ll want to drink this dressing, it’s that good.
Warm Salad Dressings
Have you ever made a warm salad dressing? Trust me when I say it can be a game changer for fall salads.
Warm salad dressings are perfect for transitional weather. The warm salad dressing adds a richness that cannot be matched. And this one is made with brown butter as the oil component, which means that the dressing will be nutty and probably be unlike anything you’ve tried before. Maybe like a cross between a vinaigrette and a hollandaise sauce, but that description really doesn’t do it justice.
This warm brown butter dressing isn’t just good on this kohlrabi and fennel slaw. Try it on a shredded kale and broccoli salad, or on any dark greens. This dressing is bold and can stand up to bitter flavors in some of the more hearty greens, and the warmth of the dressing will soften even the toughest ones.
Ingredients
Kohlrabi
If you’ve never tried kohlrabi before, it is a bulbous vegetable in the crucifer family. It may look like a root vegetable, but the bulb is actually the part just above the ground. It isn’t commonly found at the grocery store (though some do carry it when it is in season), but it is very commonly found in farmers markets. It is crunchy and juicy, and perfect in salads.
When picking out your kohlrabi, go for the medium-to-small sized bulbs. The larger bulbs tend to be somewhat wooden in texture and lacking in flavor, though there are varieties that do grow to enormous proportions. When in doubt, ask the farmer which variety they are growing.
The closest substitution I could recommend here are broccoli stems. Broccoli comes from the same family as kohlrabi, and it could be sliced thinly to make a slaw.
Fennel
Fennel can be pretty polarizing, like licorice jelly beans. People either like the anise-like flavor or they find it horribly repulsive. Me, I love fennel (but I despise licorice jelly beans).
If you don’t like fennel, try my kohlrabi apple salad and substitute the dressing there with this brown butter dressing. I’m sure that would be just as delicious.
Butter
It seems a little funny to be writing up a paragraph about butter, but here we are!
I’ll spare you a description of what butter tastes like. But I will emphasize that the quality of the butter does matter here because the flavor is so prominent. I used Kerrygold unsalted butter in mine, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use Pulgra. If you’re feeling fancy, and want to spend a lot of money, Echiré butter is absolutely amazing. I got to try Echiré butter while staying at the Al Maha resort in Dubai, and that butter is what dreams are made of. It has a higher fat content than most American brands, which gives it its luxurious flavor.
There are no substitutions here, unless you’re talking salted versus unsalted (you’ll have to adjust the salt level if you use salted butter). Margarine will not brown the same way. Coconut oil/butter will brown, but the flavor will be very different.
Serving Suggestions
Unlike most of my recipes, this is not something you can make ahead. The dressing should be served immediately after making it. The dressing will solidify as it cools due to the high butter content, and that’s not good eats. As long as the dressing is warm, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Kohlrabi Fennel Slaw with Warm Brown Butter Dressing
This slaw perfectly captures the transition between summer and fall with its warm brown butter dressing.
Ingredients
Slaw
- ½ cup whole hazelnuts
- 1 medium kohlrabi bulb, peeled
- 2 small or 1 large fennel bulb, stalks removed
- ½ medium red onion
Dressing
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- 1 tsp spicy brown mustard
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Slaw
- Toast hazelnuts in a dry pan over medium to medium-low heat. Remove from the heat when they are golden brown and smell nutty, approximately 8 minutes depending on your pan and your stove. Roughly chop and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Shred kohlrabi, fennel, and red onion on a mandoline slicer. Add to bowl and toss with hazelnuts.
Make the Dressing
- Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, untill the butter becomes a golden brown color and smells nutty. This should take approximately 6-8 minutes, depending on your pan and your stove.
- Once butter is browned, pour into a personal sized blender. Add lemon juice and mustard, and blend until well combined and emulsified.
- Add white pepper, cayenne, and salt to the blender and pulse to combine.
To Serve
- Keep slaw and dressing separate until ready to serve. Keep dressing warm to prevent solidification.
- When ready, pour dressing over slaw and serve immediately.
Notes
Keep dressing both warm and separated from the rest of the salad until ready to serve. The dressing will solidify when cold.
