This Italian cauliflower salad is a great side for summer barbecues or really any time you’re looking for a simple salad with a ton of flavor! It’s a cold salad that can be prepared ahead of time and tastes even better the next day.
It only has a few fresh flavors and pairs so well with these Grilled Chicken Thighs for a barbecue.
Or if making this cold cauliflower salad for indoors, pair it with this Tuna Pasta Recipe. They both use anchovy and capers and work great together!
Cauliflower Salad Ingredients:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 anchovies – Gives such a great flavor, without being overpowering.
- ¼ lemon juice – Definitely use fresh!
- zest of 1 lemon – If using a zester that produces large pieces just give them a quick chop.
- 2 Tbsp capers
- ¼ parsley – Try to use fresh.
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes – A good starting point, but use more if you like.
- salt/pepper to taste – The salt levels should be adjusted at the end after the anchovy and capers have been added.
How To Make Italian Cauliflower Salad
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and give them a rinse to clean.
- Place florets in a lidded pan or pot with 2 cups of water and cook on stove for 7-10 minutes on high heat from a cold start. After draining, do not rinse with cold water. Keeping the cauliflower warm will allow it to absorb more of the dressing.
- While cauliflower is cooking make a paste from 1- 2 cloves of garlic. If you like more garlic, by all means add more, just remember that raw garlic will be very potent.
- Zest 1 lemon and set aside. Juice ¼ cup of lemon juice as well. Rolling the lemons like shown helps out in the juicing process.
- Chop and create a paste from 2 anchovies. Using the back of a heavy knife and applying pressure with finger tips helps to create a paste.
- In a large bowl add ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil.
- Add the garlic paste, anchovy paste, finely chopped fresh parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, capers and crushed red pepper. Whisk well to make the cauliflower salad dressing.
- Add the cauliflower and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Depending on the saltiness levels of the capers and anchovies, extra salt might not be needed.
- Let the Italian cauliflower salad sit for 1 hour before eating to allow it to absorb more of the flavors. Making the salad ahead and refrigerating it overnight will yield even better results!
What To Serve With Italian Cauliflower Salad
- Italian Grilled Chicken Thighs
- Linguine Alle Vongole
- Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Shrimp Oreganata
- Italian Potatoes With Sausage
- Pan Seared Swordfish Steaks
Cold Cauliflower Substitutions And Additions:
- Anchovies – If you have an aversion to this flavor, by all means leave it out. It definitely packs an umami punch in many Italian recipes. Using 2 of them in this cauliflower salad recipe yields a great flavor without being overpowering, in my opinion, of course.
- Oil cured black olives – Just a perfect ingredient to add if you can find them. Use good quality oil cured olives like Nicoise. Again, these are a salty ingredient, so it’s important to wait until the very end to add any additional salt.
- Red wine vinegar – Add some vinegar in with the lemon juice or it can be used as a direct replacement.
- Herbs – Fresh basil, oregano or thyme are all very nice in this cauliflower salad.
Can It Be Made Raw?
Absolutely! Raw cauliflower salad is excellent. If making it raw, refrigerating overnight or even for a couple of days will soften the cauliflower and make it much more flavorful.
How Long Does Cauliflower Salad last?
This cold salad will last up to 5 days. Every day the salad will be a little more potent and flavorful. Like mentioned above, it’s important to let the salad absorb the dressing for at least 1 hour before eating, but the longer the better. Making this the day before a barbecue would be perfect!
Looking For More Italian Salads?
- Grilled Fennel Salad With Shaved Parmesan
- Potato Green Bean Salad
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Radicchio Salad
So that’s how to a make an easy Italian appetizer or side dish that has a ton of flavor! They can pull double duty as light dinner idea too.
If you’ve enjoyed this Italian Cauliflower Salad Recipe or any recipe on this site please let us know in the comments. We would love to hear how you did and it’s nice to show others as well. Thanks!
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Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small anchovies
- 1 large lemon zested
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp capers
- ¼ cup parsley
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Cut, clean and cook cauliflower florets in 2 cups of water in a lidded pan on high heat to moderately soften. Cook for 7-10 minutes then drain but do not rinse to cool.
- In a large bowl combine paste of 1 garlic clove, paste of 2 anchovies, ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ¼ cup fresh lemon juice, zest of 1 lemon, ¼ tsp crushed red pepper, ¼ cup minced parsely and 2 Tbsp capers. Whisk well.
- Add warm cauliflower florets to bowl and toss to coat. Taste test and adjust salt/pepper and crushed red pepper levels if necessary. Let the salad sit for 1 hour to adequately absorb the dressing if possible. Enjoy!
Notes
- No salt was added due to the inherent saltiness of the capers and anchovies. Add any additional salt if required.
- If possible, wait a minimum of 1 hour before eating to let the flavors absorb into the cauliflower.
- Anchovies are optional.
- The salad will be even better the next day.
I’m not usually a fan of raw cauliflower but I love the tip of letting it soften up in the refrigerator before using it. I’ll have to try that. I like your method in the recipe though, of cooking it first. 🙂 I love all of the delicious, briny/tangy flavors you’ve combined with it. I’m in!
Thanks Valentina! Anchovies are not for everybody, I’m glad you like the flavors as much as I do!
I did use raw cauliflower when I made this but I chopped it small into cauliflower ‘rice’ instead of the florets. This way I could eat it shortly after, around 15 minutes I let it sit. It was delicious! Big flavor!
Hi Avril. I like the idea of chopping up the cauliflower so that it can absorb the vinaigrette more quickly. I’m glad you enjoyed it!