Lemony Cauliflower With Garlic and Herbs Recipe (2024)

I'm wondering whether this can be converted from a salad to more of a side dish by par-boiling the cauliflower briefly first. I'm thinking of a cooking time of about one or two minutes, just long enough to leave most of the crunch but take out some of the rawness. This might also allow the cauliflower to better absorb the flavors of the dressing and other ingredients.

I have been making almost the same recipe for 25 years as a Thanksgiving side dish. (It is an Indian recipe originally that I used.) I use steamed cauliflower. Instead of olive oil, I use melted butter infused with the cumin and garlic. Toss together with cauliflower, throw on some parsley and dill. I have never tried it with hot peppers as well. It sounds good as cold dish.

I commented on this as a "hot side-dish" style a bit earlier, but was not complete. I have been making almost the same hot side-dish version for 25 years, based on an Indian recipe. Steam the cauliflower gently, so it is still crunchy. Melt butter (or clarified butter -- if I have it, I use ghee), then add to the melted butter the cumin and then the garlic. Pour in the lemon juice (I forgot to say that originally in my post). Let it bubble a bit. Add to cauliflower. Add herbs. Enjoy.

I agree with Stu. I would do a quick ' lite' steam ( possibly cool before adding dressing).Lightly steamed, leaves plenty of crunch. More pleasant mouth feel and flavor. This could also be served by topping on a bed of salad greens, would make a beautiful presentation served on a platter family style.

Try purple cauliflower with green peas. And I would steam or microwave the cauliflower for (just) a few minutes. I am definitely making this!

I followed someone’s recipe they’ve made for 25 years that was originally an Indian dish. SO good that way, thank you for that! (Only because raw cauliflower is hard on my tummy). The ghee, cumin and coriander made it really incredible.

It isn't an error. It says to add the cauliflower to a heatproof bowl, then in a large skillet, heat olive oil until hot, but not smoking. Add garlic and cumin, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in red-pepper flakes.After that, you pour the hot mixture over the cauliflower that is in the heatproof bowl.

I LOVE this. Made it for Thanksgiving with 3 colors of cauliflower (and I've made it a bunch of times since). Added pink peppercorns for spice and crunch. It is best made a few days ahead and it doesn't lose texture. I thought about blanching the cauliflower and I'm glad I didn't - I really liked the texture.

This is so good, and especially pretty made with three colors of cauliflower. I added Chinese peppercorns. I made it the day before Thanksgiving, and it was good on Thanksgiving, but it was even better a couple of days later. I didn't blanch the cauliflower, which I'd thought about doing.

Used leftovers to turn this into a warm side dish and it was great -- perhaps even better than as originally served as a cold salad. Put it into a shallow baking dish and baked at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Guests loved it.

I found it bland until I added the suggested feta, capers and olives. Then it was okay. I have a similar recipe I've made for years, but I like the lemon and dill accents here so will use them again. Would be good with broccoli, maybe.

I liked this a lot. However, I used purple cauliflower and I thought it looked weird. The picture here with white cauli looks better to me.

I could not stop eating the cauliflower. Pretty sure that’s the first time anyone has ever said that. Addictive and delicious.

Just recently learned that raw cauliflower is more nutritious than cooked so if maximizing your nutrients is a goal this is a good recipe to have in your arsenal. Also nice that it gets better as it sits in the fridge making a last minute meal easier if you have some of this already prepared

If you don’t have the time or capacity to steam the cauliflower, cut it into small rice-like pieces instead

This is really quite lovely. I can see what others are saying about cooking the cauliflower a bit first; maybe I will try that next time. I'm not a big fan of parsley, so substituted cilantro. Very nice with the cumin & coriander (I used half of each).

Fabulous! Made with the following mods: steam cauliflower 8 mins 1st, used just 1/3C olive oil, it was plenty! 5 stalks of scallions. Had no parsley so cut up same amount of arugula, great addition no harm to recipe, used 5 big cloves mashed garlic, extra 1/2 lemons juice, out of jalepeño so used large pinch of red chili flakes, added 1 Tblsp capers & about 1/4 tsp caper juice. Out of fresh dill (pity) but used 1/3C dried & it was nice & dill-y! Delish! Easy. Quick.

Fabulous! Made with the following mods: 1/3C olive oil, it was plenty! 5 stalks of scallions. Had no parsley so cut up same amount of arugula, great addition no harm to recipe, used 5 big cloves mashed garlic, extra 1/2 lemons juice, out of jalepeño so used large pinch of red chili flakes, added 1 Tblsp capers & about 1/4 tsp caper juice. Out of fresh dill (pity) but used 1/3C dried & it was nice & dill-y! Delish! Easy. Quick.

This is delicious. I used less olive oil, 2/3 cup, but one could easily use 1/2 cup. I used purple cauliflower from the farmers market. I did not parboil and the cauliflower both absorbed the flavors and retained its crunch. I will definitely make this again.

I also added some steamed potatoes (cut up) to this mix as my cauliflower was on the smaller end. Nice touch!

Using thawed frozen cauliflower works really well as a "substitute" for a parboil or steam. I brought this to Thanksgiving a few years back and the host kept what little was leftover. I've made it several times since; it's delicious!

I don't think you need to steam or cook in any way if you marinate it long enough. I love this recipe exactly the way it is written.

This is amazing! I browned the chopped garlic so it was about 5 minutes on med/low then tossed it over the mixture in the bowl. Honestly not sure I'll be able to save any overnight! It's on my Go To list forever.

I have made this several times since last year and it’s always a huge hit. I do roast the cauliflower for about 15 minutes at 425F on a baking sheet with some salt, pepper and olive oil first. It is to die for good. It even converted a cauliflower hater!

I lightly steamed cauliflower so it still had a little crunch. This was good.