This salad from recipe developer and fashion designer Peter Som is all about bringing the crunch factor to the Thanksgiving table. Shaved into thin slices, raw cauliflower provides excellent texture and structure, while crisp Asian pears bring a sweet-tart flavor with lovely floral notes. A bright citrusy dressing clings to every nook and cranny thanks to creamy peanut butter for just-enough thickness. When Som was growing up, Asian pears were a treat usually found in Chinatown (and instantly recognizable by their little foam-mesh protective sweaters) but now are more widely available. If you can’t find them, Bosc pears are a good substitute.
For the rest of Som’s Thanksgiving menu, see his recipes for Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Gochujang Brown Butter, Sweet Potato Tian, Dutch Oven No Mai Fan, Char Siu Wellington, and Milk Tea Bread Pudding With Crème Anglaise.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Mandoline
$57 $54 At Amazon
Medium Skillet
$50 At Amazon
Citrus Juicer
$20 $15 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
8 Servings
Ingredients
Peanuts
1
2
1
½
½
½
Dressing and Assembly
½
½
⅓
2
1
1
1
1
2
1
Preparation
Peanuts
Step 1
Melt butter with orange juice, five-spice powder, salt, and sugar in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add peanuts and cook, stirring, until peanuts darken and orange juice mixture reduces to a glaze, 5–7 minutes. Scrape peanuts onto a plate; let cool.
Do Ahead: Peanuts can be prepared 3 days ahead. Let cool; store airtight at room temperature.
Dressing and Assembly
Step 2
Whisk peanut butter, oil, lime juice, honey, soy sauce, and vinegar in a large bowl until smooth. Season dressing with salt.
Step 3
Cut cauliflower into quarters through stem; trim core. Thinly slice on a mandoline or with a sharp knife; coarsely chop any stray florets. Add cauliflower, Asian pear, arugula, cilantro, and half of peanuts to dressing and toss to coat.
Step 4
Divide salad among plates or arrange on a platter and top with remaining peanuts.
How would you rate Asian Pear Salad With Peanut-Lime Dressing?
Leave a Review
Reviews (14)
Back to TopPeanut topping was OK at first (but disagree w/ making ahead - leftover nuts got soft stored as directed) but not worth the trouble IMO - next time I'll probably just throw already roasted/salted nuts on top (maybe honey roasted for the sweetness suggested by the oj & sugar?) & whisk a little five-spice into the dressing
Kristin
NY
1/5/2024
For us, it was way too heavy for a side salad and too dominant a peanut butter taste. I’d lighten up the dressing and add a protein to make it a dinner salad. I agree that more cilantro would be good; I’d add apples and another veg like cooked and cooled green beans, perhaps cucumber. The peanuts were delicious though - I didn’t have five spice so used pepper and cinnamon; still delicious.
Anonymous
Toronto
10/8/2022
Love the dressing and made the dressing again. I am not that crazy over candied peanuts. I will try chopping peanuts and sprinkle them over salad.
Lady arie
Olympia, WA
12/28/2021
Crunchy indeed, but I needed to add a lot more acid and cilantro to brighten the salad up. Asian pears and raw cauliflower aren’t super flavorful in their own, and the peanut dressing was velvety, but I would have preferred something more punchy. I tried making the peanut topping three times but am not sure it came out like it should have. The peanuts were soft but I was expecting crunchy.
SpatulaCity123
Los Angeles
11/11/2021