Massaged Kale Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

A massaged kale salad topped with grated parmesan cheese on a white plate.

Massaged Kale Salad with Lemon-Basil Dressing

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Californian, Italian

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: barbuto kale salad, massaged kale salad

Prep Time: 15

Resting Time: 30

Total Time: 45

Servings:

Calories: 337kcal

This massaged kale salad is simple to prepare and has a dressing that is reminiscent of Caesar, but punched up with basil and lemon. It's the famous Barbuto kale salad!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

8 ounces kale curly or tuscan
8 fresh basil leaves
2 salt-cured anchovies
2 cloves garlic
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese or pecorino romano

Instructions

Remove the thick stem at the bottom of the kale (but not the center rib), roll up the leaves, and slice it very thinly. Put it into a large mixing bowl and set aside.
Chop the basil and smash the garlic cloves with the side of your knife. Place them on a wooden cutting board with the anchovies.
(You MUST use a wooden cutting board for this part of the process. We're going to make a paste with the ingredients, and it just won't happen on a plastic board.)
Chop the garlic and anchovies along with the basil finely. Then turn the knife blade at an angle, steadying the tip of the blade with your other hand, and drag/scrape the edge of the blade through the mixture repeatedly. Chop, chop, chop. Drag, drag. The oils from the anchovy and the garlic will start to release, creating a paste.
Add the paste to a small mixing bowl with the mustard, lemon juice, egg yolk and salt and whisk together. Then slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly, to form an emulsified dressing.
Pour half of the dressing over the bowl of kale and massage it together with your hands until all the leaves are well-coated.
Grate the cheese on a box grater, then sprinkle ¾ of it into the salad and toss together. Let the salad sit for a bit - up to one hour - to allow the flavors to come together. Top with the remaining cheese and serve.

Notes

Adapted from The Barbuto Cookbook
You can use curly kale or Tuscan kale, whichever you prefer.
Grate the cheese yourself! The texture and flavor will be so much better. Pre-grated cheese dries out too easily.
You might need a bit more than half the dressing, depending on what kind of kale you are using. Start there and add a little more if you think you need it.
The original recipe calls for one tablespoon of toasted breadcrumbs. I omitted this so it would be gluten-free, but feel free to add them back in just before serving for a little crunch.
You'll have some dressing left over. Store in an airtight container the fridge and use within 2-3 days.

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Nutrition