Noma’s Grilled Vegetable Salad with Fermented Hot Sauce Vinaigrette
Thick wedges of cabbage, leeks, and root vegetables charred directly on the grill or in a screaming-hot cast iron pan, then dressed with a vinaigrette built from Noma’s lacto-fermented hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and cold-pressed rapeseed oil. The dish appears in The Noma Guide to Fermentation as an illustration of how fermented condiments can anchor a dressing rather than merely season it. Charring the vegetables until they are properly blackened on the outside — not merely browned — is essential: that carbon edge is what the dressing is designed to meet.
Ingredients (serves 4)
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Savoy or hispi (pointed) cabbage | ½ head |
| Leeks | 2 large |
| Parsnip or celeriac | 300 g |
| Beetroot | 2 medium |
| Neutral oil | 2 tbsp |
| Flaky sea salt | to taste |
| Fresh dill fronds | small handful |
| Pickled mustard seeds (optional) | 1 tbsp |
| Toasted sunflower seeds | 2 tbsp |
| For fermented hot sauce vinaigrette | |
| Lacto-fermented hot sauce (Noma-style or Tabasco as substitute) | 2 tbsp |
| Apple cider vinegar | 2 tbsp |
| Cold-pressed rapeseed oil | 4 tbsp |
| Honey | 1 tsp |
| Garlic, very finely grated | ½ clove |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Make the vinaigrette: whisk hot sauce, apple cider vinegar, and honey together. Slowly drizzle in rapeseed oil while whisking to emulsify. Add garlic and season with salt. The dressing should be fiery, sour, and slightly sweet. Set aside.
- Preheat a grill or cast-iron pan until smoking. Prepare vegetables: cut cabbage into wedges through the core (so it holds together), halve leeks lengthwise, and cut parsnip or celeriac into thick planks. Wrap beetroot individually in foil.
- Roast foil-wrapped beetroot on the grill or in a 200°C oven for 40–50 minutes until tender. Allow to cool, then peel and quarter.
- Brush all other vegetables with neutral oil and season with salt. Grill over high heat, turning once, until well-charred on the cut face and just cooked through: cabbage 4–5 minutes per side, leeks 3–4 minutes, parsnip 4–5 minutes.
- Arrange grilled vegetables on a large platter while still warm. Drizzle generously with the fermented hot sauce vinaigrette.
- Scatter dill, pickled mustard seeds, and toasted sunflower seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- To make Noma-style lacto-fermented hot sauce: blend fresh hot chillies with 2% salt, ferment 5–7 days at room temperature, then blend smooth. The result has a deeper, rounder heat than fresh chilli.
- Do not under-char the cabbage — it needs true blackening on the outer leaves.
- This salad works as a side to grilled fish or roasted chicken.
- Pickled mustard seeds can be made by simmering mustard seeds in equal parts vinegar and water with a pinch of sugar for 5 minutes.
Dressing: Noma-Lacto-Fermented-Hot-Sauce-Vinaigrette