braai salad recipes south africa

Braai Panzanella salad with white anchovies, fennel & capers

Ingredients

½ ciabatta loaf torn into bite-size shards
A generous few glugs of a neutral/ mild-tasting olive oil
1 small garlic clove chopped (optional)
About 7 medium & small tomatoes (mixed heirlooms that are ripe) – If you use large then reduce the quantity by half to 3 – 4 very large (approx. 700gms)
Approx. 40gms baby or regular capers drained of brine
2 tsp caper brine
1 small fennel bulb shaved on a mandolin
A few fennel leaves, finely chopped (about 1 Tbsp)
About 8 – 10 basil leaves finely shredded (and a few small ones to decorate)
A splash of red wine vinegar
Good olive oil to drizzle
Maldon sea salt
Black pepper
About 10 – 12 white anchovy fillets (cut in half or left whole)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and toss the shards of ciabatta in olive oil until lightly coated.
Spread this out on a small baking tray and toast for around 20 minutes until golden and crunchy.
Add a chopped garlic clove to the pan (tossing it through the bread) about 3 – 4 minutes before the croutons are finished (this prevents them from burning and going acrid).
The croutons can be made in advance. Store in a sealed container if you do.
When you are ready to serve your salad, cut up the room temperature tomatoes into different shapes.
This creates different textures and looks pretty. Place in a large bowl and add the drained capers, shaved fennel, fennel leaves & basil, a few splashes of red wine vinegar and a good drizzle of olive oil.
Season with salt and pepper and allow this to sit for a few minutes. This allows some of the juice from the tomatoes to be released which adds to the dressing.
Add the croutons and toss everything together lightly. Toss once more and then spread the salad out on a flattish serving platter. Lay the anchovies over the top and serve.

Crispy noodle braai slaw with a soy, honey & ginger dressing

A braai recipe idea with a bit of Asian influence , the perfect salad to spice up any braai

1 – 2 packets of 2-minute noodles

5 cups finely shredded cabbage

½ cup finely sliced sugar snap peas (optional)

1/3 cup of flaked almonds, toasted

1/3 cup sunflower seeds toasted

+-2Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

6 spring onions finely sliced (white and pale green parts)

Dressing:

2 Tbsp + 2 tsp soy sauce

¼ cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup sunflower oil

1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

¼ cup runny honey

1 x garlic clove, minced

1 heaped tsp grated ginger

1 – 2 tsp wasabi paste, or one red chilli finely sliced, or a ½ tsp dried chilli flakes (optional to add heat)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cut up all the vegetables and mix together in a large bowl.

Heat the grill element of your oven and break up the noodles onto a baking sheet and toast for about 10 – 15 cm under the grill until golden brown. Keep a close eye as they burn quickly and shake the pan a few times during the grilling process. Set aside.

Dry pan fry the seeds until they start to pop and turn golden brown. Remove from the pan to prevent carry-over cooking and set aside.

Put all the dressing ingredients into an empty jar and shake around.

Toss the dressing, seeds, noodles and nuts together and serve immediately.

Spinach braai salad with grilled zucchini, peas, feta & mint

A different type of braai salad recipe idea!

Salad:

100gms baby spinach leaves

350gms zucchini

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup of peas (fresh or frozen)

180gms – 200gms feta, thinly sliced

50gms flaked almonds, toasted

10gs mint leaves, finely shredded

Salt and Pepper

Dressing:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp honey

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp good red wine or sherry vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

A pinch of sea salt flakes and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Rinse and slice the zucchini lengthways and brush lightly with olive oil. Fry on a griddle pan or in a frying pan until golden on both sides and just cooked through. Set aside to cool.

While the zucchini slices are cooking, bring a small pot of water to the boil and blanch the peas for 3 minutes until cooked al dente. Drain and refresh under cold water. Set aside.

Slice the feta, toast the almonds (if needing to be toasted) and shred the mint.

Make the dressing by putting all the ingredients into a small jar and giving it a good shake.

Just before you are ready to serve, assemble the salad by tossing 1/3 of the dressing with the spinach, peas and most of the mint. Spread this out over a Le Creuset serving platter. Top with sliced feta, grilled zucchini and the flaked almonds. Scatter. Over any remaining mint. Season with Salt and Pepper and serve with the rest of the dressing on the side.