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APPETIZERS

Quick Cajun Slaw

A sharp, garlicky vinegar slaw with just enough mayonnaise to bind it -- Creole mustard and Louisiana hot sauce doing the work a heavy dressing usually does. Ten minutes, one bowl, no cooking.

Used in Cajun Tuna Burgers

OriginLouisiana Creole
Active10 min
Total40 min
EquipmentMixing bowl, tongs, fine grater
Yield
3cups
4 side servings, or tops 4 sandwiches
Toss
2min
Until every shred is lightly coated
Rest
30min
Refrigerated -- the cabbage needs to soften
Keeps
2days
Crispest on day one, still good on day two
1 · DRESSING 2 · TOSS 3 · REST
3 cups ≈ 710 mL bagged coleslaw mix Add to the dressed bowl and toss with tongs until every shred is lightly coated.1 Cover and refrigerate 30 min.2
1 tbsp ≈ 15 mL apple cider vinegar Whisk the dressing in the bottom of the bowl, before the cabbage goes near it.3
1 tbsp ≈ 15 mL Creole or whole-grain mustard Whisk in.4
1 tbsp ≈ 15 mL mayonnaise Whisk in.5
1 clove garlic, minced Mince fine or grate on a microplane, then whisk in.6
1 tsp ≈ 5 mL hot sauce (Crystal or Louisiana-style) Whisk in.7
1/4 tsp ≈ 1 mL kosher salt Whisk in until dissolved.
pinch black pepper Whisk in.
  1. bagged coleslaw mix · TOSS It will look underdressed -- that is correct.
  2. bagged coleslaw mix · REST The cabbage gives up water, softens slightly, and the dressing goes from a coating to a proper glaze. Toss again before serving.
  3. apple cider vinegar · DRESSING Vinegar first -- it is the base here, not an accent.
  4. Creole or whole-grain mustard · DRESSING It emulsifies the vinegar and mayo into one dressing instead of two things sliding off the cabbage.
  5. mayonnaise · DRESSING One tablespoon, and no more -- enough to make the dressing cling and go faintly creamy, not enough to make it a creamy slaw.
  6. garlic, minced · DRESSING The vinegar tames it over the rest.
  7. hot sauce (Crystal or Louisiana-style) · DRESSING Taste the dressing and adjust before the cabbage makes it hard to judge.
Protein
Produce
Dairy & Egg
Pantry & Grain
Spice & Seasoning
Liquid & Fat

Notes

Dress the bowl, not the cabbage. Whisking the dressing in the empty bowl first means one tablespoon of mayonnaise can actually reach three cups of shreds. Add mayo to cabbage instead and you will keep adding more to cover it, which is how a vinegar slaw turns back into a creamy one.
It should look underdressed going into the fridge. Cabbage releases a surprising amount of water in the first half hour. Dress it to the point that looks right immediately and it will be soupy by the time you serve it.
The mustard is structural. With this little mayonnaise there is not much emulsifier holding vinegar and fat together. Creole or whole-grain mustard is what keeps the dressing as one thing rather than separating in the bowl.
No bagged slaw mix? Sub fresh. 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage plus 1/2 cup shredded carrot works the same -- slice as thin as you can, since thick shreds never soften in half an hour.
Two days, and the garlic sets the limit. Raw garlic in a cold acidic dressing sharpens past about day two, and the cabbage has gone limp by then anyway. This is a make-it-the-morning-of side.
Where this came from. Built as the slaw inside Cajun Tuna Burgers, where it still goes -- and it is the right side for anything fried, or a pile on a pulled pork sandwich.
Original Developed for this project, August 2026, as the slaw inside a Cajun tuna burger; split out and reformulated as a standalone side September 7, 2026 -- less mayonnaise, more acid, plus mustard, garlic and hot sauce.