Oaxacan Salad with Potatoes, Wax Beans, Carrot, Cauliflower, Greens & Pickled Jalapeño Vinaigrette
Leanne Valenti

by Leanne Valenti

Valentiful, Bento Picnic

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Adapted from The Food and Life of Oaxaca by acclaimed chef & documentarian Zarela Martínez, this bright, make-ahead salad is full of color, crunch, and contrast — sumptuous potatoes, crisp-tender veggies, hearty greens, and a tangy jalapeño vinaigrette that ties them all together. This cooked vinaigrette follows a southern Mexican escabeche tradition — simmering chiles, vinegar, and aromatics together to create a warm, spiced dressing that gently pickles the vegetables. It’s one reason this salad can keep so beautifully for hours without refrigeration. The result is a Thanksgiving dream salad: easy to prep ahead, sturdy enough to travel, and just as happy at room temperature as chilled. I made this for the first time last Thanksgiving, and I’m really excited to make it again this year!

Mexican • Salads & Sides • Gluten-Free · Egg-Free · Soy-Free · Nut-Free · Dairy-Free · Sesame-Free · Vegetarian
Colors:
Tastes:
🍋🧂🍬🍵🌶️
Techniques:
🥒💧
Tested by
Valentiful
Cooked and tested by the Valentiful team
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Rating:
Yield: 8 cups Salad · 2 cups Dressing
Serves: 8 (~200g (3/4 - 1 cup))
Time: Active 45m · Inactive 15m · Total 1h
Equipment: No equipment specified

Ingredients

600 g Potatoes (French Fingerling Potatoes) (Halved lengthwise & boiled in salted water)
200 g Green Beans & Wax Beans (Trimmed & blanched)
200 g Carrots (Sliced on the bias into 3 cm pieces & blanched)
200 g Cauliflower (Cut into florets & blanched)
1 bunch Asian Mustard Green or Kale (Blanched & roughly chopped)
½ cup Olive Oil (divided)
½ Large Onions
8 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Allspice
6 sprigs Thyme
⅓ cup Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar)
⅓ cup Water
2 Pickled Jalapeños (Destemmed)
2 Tbsp Pickle Juice (from the Pickled Jalapeños)
Honey, to taste

Sourcing Tips

Potatoes: If you can’t find fingerling potatoes, you could get bigger potatoes and cut

them into bite-size pieces.


Any variety of pole beans will do! I love getting yellow wax beans instead of green beans because the color stays more vibrant after cooking and dressing with the acidic dressing. The green beans taste just as good but the color dulls and I’m a sucker for color.

Instructions

Slice and put the potatoes in a pot with cold water. Add ~1 Tbsp salt to the water, bring water to a boil — then reduce heat and let simmer 10 minutes, or until tender but not falling apart; drain and cool.
While the potatoes are simmering, put a second pot of salted water over a high heat, to blanch the rest of the veggies.
• Green beans for 2-3 minutes, remove, and cool under cold water.
• Carrots and cauliflower for 6 minutes.
• Kale for 30 seconds, then rinse under cold water to halt cooking, then squeeze out excess liquid & rough chop.
Combine all vegetables in a large mixing bowl.
Heat half the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the onion, garlic, allspice, and thyme. Sauté 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and fragrant.
Transfer cooked aromatics to a tall vessel with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Use an immersion blender to emulsify. Alternatively, you can use a stand blender.
Coat veggies with the vinaigrette. Toss gently and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serving & Keeping

Serve: Room Temp
Make ahead: You can make the dressing a couple days in advance. And you can prepare the salad a couple hours ahead because it keeps well at room temp.
Keeps: Enjoy leftovers within 3-4 days.
Serve with: Sweet Potato Mash, Smoked Turkey Breast, Tamales

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