Recipe of the Week Brussels Sprouts Salad

You’d never really consider eating brussels sprouts raw would you? But this River Cottage recipe proposes exactly that, and I was surprised at how delicious it is.

The lemon juice gives a lovely fresh citrus kick. When you think about it, it’s not so odd to eat brassicas raw. Sure isn’t that what coleslaw is? Raw brussels sprouts have such terrific flavour and crunch, it's surprising that we don't enjoy them raw more often. These quantities serve one to two.

Ingredients

50g hazelnuts, preferably skin on
150g brussels sprouts, trimmed, discoloured outer leaves removed
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
Good pinch of chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
80g young, fresh goat's cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Scatter the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until fragrant and browned – about nine to 11 minutes. Remove from the oven, wrap in a clean tea towel and leave for a minute. Rub vigorously in the tea towel – this will remove the browned skins.

Cut the prepared brussels sprouts from top to root into very thin slices. Put these into a bowl and toss with the lemon zest and juice, thyme leaves, chilli flakes, and a tablespoon of oil, and season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more olive oil, lemon juice and/or chilli flakes as desired.

Arrange on a plate, scatter the hazelnuts over and around and crumble on the goat's cheese. Trickle over a little more olive oil and serve immediately.