This grilled pointed cabbage is a great BBQ grilled side dish. It’s lightly grilled to give its edges a charred finish and served with a rich anchovy butter and topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
This grilled pointed cabbage recipe proves that cooking over fire isn’t just for meat. Drizzled in an incredible anchovy butter, this easy vegetable side dish is loaded with flavor and goes with any of your favorite smoked meat classics.
This is far from your regular boiled cabbage: The charred edges of the cabbage leaves introduce a subtle bitterness that adds depth to the meal, while the salty richness of the anchovy butter and finishing sprinkle of Parmesan takes it to a whole new level of indulgence. Its complex, sweet flavor works beautifully as a barbecue side dish for any smoked meat.
But we’re not stopping there. In this recipe, we’re taking grilled cabbage to new heights with a luscious anchovy butter that adds an umami punch that will leave your tastebuds singing.
Why Grilled Cabbage?
Cabbage usually takes a lot of flak—people think of it as being boiled, thrown in soups, or fermented for sauerkraut or kimchi. Now, there’s nothing wrong with any of those options but grilling the cabbage takes it somewhere unexpected. Its crunchy texture holds up well to being grilled over high heat without turning limp or soggy, while its outer leaves become the perfect vessel for slathering in sauces and butters.
If you’ve got a complicated main course going on, you don’t want to be dealing with tricky or technical sides, and placing the cabbage on the grill and brushing it with butter is about as difficult as this recipe gets. So if you want something low in effort but high in flavor, this is perfect—it’s a fantastic way to elevate your meals without having to cause yourself any major kitchen stress.
For this recipe we’ve gone for pointed cabbage. Also known as hipsi or sweetheart, pointed cabbage keeps its shape and crispy edge, and looks beautiful on the plate. Green or savoy cabbage can work here, but pointed delivers the shape we really want for cooking on the grill.
And once you’ve cooked this vegetable up, you can serve it as the side to a whole variety of dishes. Whether it’s classic smoked meats to help cut through those thick layers of meat, or as the veg filling in meat-filled sandwiches to deliver a bit of crunch.
Grilled Pointed Cabbage with Anchovy Butter
Ingredients
- 2 pointed cabbage quartered
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Anchovy Butter
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 4 anchovy fillets roughly chopped
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 lemon juice of
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Garnish
- 4 tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Fire up your grill to medium 350-375°F (175-190°C). In your charcoal grill, move the coals to one side to create two cooking zones (direct and indirect heat).
- Once the grill has warmed up, place a small saucepan on the indirect side. Add the butter and allow to melt. Then, add olive oil, anchovies, shallots, and chili flakes. Cook at low heat for 1-2 minutes to a simmer. Remove from heat and season with salt, black pepper, and lemon juice to taste. Set aside to cool.
- Brush the cabbage quarters with olive oil and place them cut-side down on the direct heat of your grill. Cook for 5 minutes on each cut side, or until nicely charred.
- Once charred, move the cabbage quarters across to the indirect heat of the grill and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until tender but still holding their shape. Remove from grill.
- Season the cabbage lightly with salt and pepper, brush with the anchovy butter and finish by sprinkling with grated Parmesan
