New York Times Famous Broccoli Salad - with Cumin, Garlic and Sesame
Recipe video above. This is a wildly popular raw Broccoli Salad by Melissa Clark of the New York Times. The red wine vinegar lightly "cooks" the broccoli so it's not as hard as plain raw broccoli, then it's marinated in an intensely flavoured cumin, garlic and sesame infused olive oil. It is unexpectedly good, it's unique, and I keep making it so I wanted to share the recipe.Not a fan of raw broccoli? This probably isn't the dish to convert you, I'll admit. Try instead just lightly steaming the broccoli - it's really worth making just for the dressing!
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT1M
Rating
5 stars (25 reviews)
Keywords
broccoli salad, raw broccoli salad
Ingredients
500g/1lb broccoli florets (, large florets halved or cut into thirds (3 medium or 2 large broccoli heads, 1kg/2lb in total))
1 tbsp red wine vinegar ((or white wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, cider vinegar))
4 garlic cloves (, finely minced using knife (not crusher))
2 tsp cumin seeds ((whole, not powder))
2 tsp sesame oil (, roasted (Note 1))
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes / chilli fakes ((optional))
Categories
Side Dish
Vegetable
Cuisine
Western
Steps
"Cook" raw broccoli: Toss broccoli in red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Set aside 10 minutes - it will lightly pickle, almost "ceviche" the broccoli.
Garlic, spice and oil mix: Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, cumin seeds and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until garlic is light golden. Stir in sesame oil.
Toss broccoli: Immediately pour oil mix over broccoli. Toss very well using a rubber spatula to scrape up all the oil from the side of the bowl.
Marinate: Leave on the counter for at least 1 hour to marinate, or refrigerate for up to 48 hrs (it gets better with time).
Serve at room temp, not cold, for best flavour!
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 185 kcal
Carbohydrates: 8 g
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 17 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 384 mg
Sugar: 2 g
Reviews
Michael on 2025-09-27 (5 stars): Great recipe! Thanks! I added a large chopped shallot for a little more color and about a quarter cup of sunflower seed kernels for crunch. Then when I tasted the final product, I felt like it was missing something so I tossed in a tablespoon or so of soy sauce and that gave it a little extra kick. Thanks!
LaTesa on 2024-11-13 (5 stars): This is really good. I did sub the sesame oil for a sesame dressing that I had on hand. My boys loved this.
Marianne on 2024-11-07 (5 stars): I was having company over and had to double the recipe but only had enough broccoli for one recipe but I also had a head of cauliflower. decided to double it using the cauliflower, all other ingredients unchanged except went lighter on the oil - 1/2 cup instead of 2/3 cup for a doubled recipe. It was really good. Next time I made it I didn't have broccoli and I ran out of cumin seed so I again used cauliflower and decided to try using fennel seed instead. For this version I left out the sesame oil and added a pinch of ground cumin. It was delicious, and got better as it aged. Tonight I just did that version again but instead of a pinch of fennel I added 1/4 teaspoon of cumin seeds along with 2 tsp of fennel seeds. Even better!!
Louise on 2023-11-29 (5 stars): Fam love it. Great simple way get my daughter to eat lots of Broccoli.
Linda Teske on 2023-09-05 (5 stars): My husband doesn’t love raw broccoli, but I found that throwing it in the pan, off heat, with the lid on as the last step was just enough to steam it to his liking.
Mikela Dennison-Burgess on 2023-08-28 (5 stars): Absolutely so delicious! We have beautiful fresh tuna from a work friend for dinner tonight and a head of broccoli as a side - just made this and I’m worried I won’t be able to let it sit long enough before I eat it all! No substitutions made but I would make twice or even thrice as much next time. Would be great for lunches as well as it will only get better with time. Another banger, thank you Nagi and hi Dozer!
Caitlin Walbrun on 2023-05-08 (5 stars): I made this last night and cut the olive oil even more (about 1/4 cup). My guy took a bite and said "mom. This is tasty." Which is basically a rave from him. We loved it and will make it again. Love how easy it was and is especially perfect for warmer weather when we grill a ton.
tokeus on 2023-01-14 (5 stars): Recipe worked perfectly as usual, thanks Nagi. Quick and easy, no effort needed. I had it with Karaage chicken and salmon sashim, the crunch of slightly cooked broccoli worked well these dishes. Will make again.
April on 2022-09-28 (5 stars): Super Duper yummy! I made this to go with my baked salmon and it was a perfect accompaniment. Wonderful flavor!
Natalia on 2022-01-03 (5 stars): 5 stars , for sure. My teenager loves it , I am speechless. Very easy to make. Thank you so much, Nagi.
Sandra on 2021-12-16 (5 stars): This definitely works. Saved some for tomorrow’s lunch. Hot here in Brisbane at Christmas, so this will be a treat to go with ham, prawns etc etc.
