It probably doesn’t feel like it, but we officially have a month of summer left, and many of us have more than a month of grilling weather left to maximize. I don’t know about you guys but I love slaw with grilled stuff, and this one is particularly excellent. Not too sweet, a little spicy, and a tiny bit rich – not from an overly creamy dressing, but from honking chunks of creamy avocado.

I’m a fan of diced cabbage rather than shredded cabbage in marinated salads like this. Slaws taste best when they have a few hours to mingle and let the flavors develop, but shredded cabbage tends to get limp and sad as it soaks in the salty dressing. Dicing the cabbage eliminates the soggy slaw visual so you can give the salad all the time it needs to properly get together. You can add the avocado at the last minute if you like, but the dressing contains quite a bit of lime and vinegar which will keep it from turning brown too quickly. I kind of love the green on green going on in that bowl, it’s pretty in a highly-edible, unfussy way.

Jalapeño Avocado Slaw

Ingredients:
-1 Tbsp white wine vinegar (or cider vinegar)
-juice of 1/2 lime
-1/3 cup mayo
-1 1/2 Tbsp honey
-dash cumin
-1 small clove garlic, grated or minced
-2 jalapeños, seeded, quartered lengthwise, and thinly sliced
-1/4 cup green onion, sliced
-2-3 Tbsp cilantro, minced (less is fine if you’re sensitive to that flavor)
-1 small head cabbage (about 6 cups diced)
-1-2 avocados, cut into large chunks
-salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, combine vinegar, lime juice, mayo, honey, cumin, and garlic. Whisk together, add salt, and taste. This dressing is on the thin side, which I think makes the whole thing feel fresher. Adjust sweetness, tartness, and saltiness by adding more honey, lime, or salt as you like.

2. Dice cabbage, slice jalapeño and green onion, and mince cilantro. Add to your mixing bowl and toss to coat in dressing. Taste again for seasoning and adjust as you like. Add avocado chunks now (and re-toss to coat the avocado in dressing) if you will be serving within an hour.

3. Allow salad to rest, covered and refrigerated, for at least half an hour and up to 4 or 5 hours (but wait to add avocado if you’re making the salad that far in advance). Serve chilled.