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Deep Sea Purple Kraut

Deep-Sea Purple Kraut

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Servings 6 cups
Calories 172 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds
  • 1 purple cabbage (about 3 lbs)
  • 2 bunches scallions, sliced in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (1½–2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup packed fresh chopped parsley
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped dulse or dulse leaves (about 1/2 ounce)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or pressed
  • 1 1/2 tsp non-iodized salt

For the Brine:

  • 2 cups non-chlorinated water
  • 1 tbsp non-iodized salt

Instructions
 

  • Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown and aromatic, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
  • Remove and compost the outer leaves of the cabbage. Cut the head into quarters and slice ¹⁄8 inch thick, or as thin as you can. (You can remove the core before slicing, but I don’t usually bother.) Combine the sliced cabbage in a large bowl with the toasted sesame seeds, scallions, parsley, dulse, and garlic. Sprinkle the salt over the cabbage mixture and massage with your hands by squeezing and flipping for 10 to 20 minutes. Let the cabbage rest for 10 minutes or so, then massage for another 5 to 10 minutes. By this point, the cabbage should have begun to sweat, with juice collecting at the bottom of the bowl.
  • Tightly pack the cabbage mixture into a clean half-gallon mason jar or crock. Pour any juice remaining in the bowl into the jar. If that juice is enough to cover the cabbage by 1 inch, you do not need to prepare the brine.
  • Prepare the brine: Warm ¼ cup of the water, add the salt, and stir until dissolved. Stir that salty water into the rest of the water.
  • Pour enough brine over the cabbage to cover it by about 1 inch. (You should have enough brine, but make more if you need to.) To keep the cabbage submerged beneath the brine, set a ziplock bag on top of the cabbage and fill it with water, so it spreads out and seals off the jar or crock. Or set a smaller glass jar filled with water as a weight on top of the cabbage. If you are using a crock rather than a jar, you can put a plate on top of the cabbage inside the crock and put a jar full of water on top of the plate to weigh it down.
  • Let the kraut ferment at room temperature until the flavor reaches your liking, 1 to 3 weeks. Check it every other day during the first week to make sure the cabbage stays submerged beneath the brine; any cabbage exposed to air may mold. Push the weight down as needed and add more brine if necessary.
  • Begin to taste the kraut after 1 week. The longer it ferments, the more sour the flavor and the softer the cabbage. The speed of fermentation will vary depending on the ambient temperature. A ferment made during a heat wave in August might take only 10 days to be as sour as you like it, whereas a ferment made in October could require 3 weeks or more.
  • When you like the taste, transfer the kraut to smaller glass jars or plastic containers and store in the refrigerator, where it will keep for 3 to 6 months. Once it is refrigerated, the kraut does not have to be submerged beneath the brine; the cold will keep it from spoiling.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 9gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 2107mgPotassium: 450mgFiber: 9gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 2063IUVitamin C: 90mgCalcium: 247mgIron: 7mg
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