8 Crunchy Side Dishes to Win the BBQ
Crunch is a "nice to have" in most food settings, but at a backyard BBQ, it becomes nonnegotiable. As is true of acidity, crunch cuts through grilled meats and other mains that sit on the richer, smokier end of the spectrum. Plus, long after softer salads have started to collapse, crunchy veg is—dare we say—perky.
While the grill gets perennial attention, these dishes can stand to sit out, get passed around and be eaten over time rather than plated and served immediately. The eight recipes below form a set of sides that don’t just fill space on the table, but actively sharpen everything else around them.
1. Lemon-Tahini Slaw
Rethink the mayonnaise-laden slaws of yore with this fresh, tahini-infused rendition. Ribbons of slaw stalwarts like carrots and red and green cabbage are coated in a garlicky lemon-tahini dressing and showered with black and white sesame seeds for a smart confetti look. Pair it with charred meats that could benefit from a heap of hearty, crunchy veg.
2. Charred Cabbage Salad with White Beans, Bacon & Avocado
A focus on crunch doesn’t have to mean a raw dish. This cabbage salad is proof of that, turning the conventions of slaw on its head with grilled cabbage chunks that keep just enough bite. Bacon, white beans and avocado lend a mix of umami and creamy richness, rounding it out into a salad that’s substantial and still fresh.
3. Grilled Lemon Broccoli with Pistachio-Parmesan Sprinkles
Few vegetables are as dramatically transformed by char as broccoli. After a good coating of oil, each little flower bud—yes, that’s the technical name for the tiny bits at the top of the floret—becomes deeply caramelized. Finished with a pistachio-studded Parmesan gremolata, the dish will disappear faster than you can say "cookout."
4. Crunchy Green Bean Salad
Goodbye limp, overcooked green beans that no one wants to eat. Hello, snappy beans with an attitude. This salad is especially well suited to late-summer barbecues, when produce is still at its peak but flavors start leaning toward the season ahead. Paired with red leaf lettuce, shaved fennel and bitter radicchio, it plays particularly well alongside grilled steak or salmon, both of which can stand up to its assertive flavors.
5. Smashed Cucumber & Melon Salad with Spicy Sesame Crunch
Cantaloupe is too often relegated to wedges eaten over a sink or wrapped in a blanket of prosciutto. Here, it stars alongside crunchy cucumbers in a savory-sweet number that will win the BBQ. A gingery soy vinaigrette sharpens everything up, while a slightly spicy sesame brittle doubles down on the crunch factor. It’s gorgeous and delicious.
6. Snap Pea & Radish Salad with Creamy Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette
Sugar snap peas are the epitome of crunch. Here, they mingle with thinly sliced radishes that layer on even more snap, plus baby kale for a perkier bite than standard lettuce. Don’t sleep on the honey-glazed pistachios, which stand in for everyday croutons. The lemon poppyseed vinaigrette is creamy enough to cling to every surface without weighing the veg down.
7. Matchstick Okra Fries
If you’re looking for something crunchy and hot to sit alongside burgers and dogs, why not swap out French fries for masala-spiced okra? You’ll halve the pods lengthwise and fry them in your HexClad 4.5QT Hybrid Deep Sauté Pan until beautifully crisp before tossing with chaat masala, salt and lime juice. They’re eminently snackable and a refreshing twist on the standard BBQ side.
8. Creamy Broccoli Crunch Salad
Broccoli deserves a second mention in a crunchy side dish roundup, if only to dispel its reputation for mushy, overcooked florets. Here, you steam the florets until just tender, then toss them with a confetti of toppings, including pickled shallots, grated smoked Gouda and enough crispy bacon to land in every bite. If you like Caesar salad, you’ll like the creamy dressing here, which takes its cues from the classic without weighing things down. Serve it alongside grilled or fried chicken, sausages or shrimp kebabs.
See you at the sides table!
