Polish Sauerkraut Salad (Surówka z Kiszonej Kapusty)

Polish sauerkraut salad, surówka z kiszonej kapusty, is sauerkraut, grated carrot and a little onion, dressed with oil and a pinch of sugar. Surówka just means a raw vegetable salad, and in Poland one sits next to a lot of dinners. I make this one for kotlety mielone, schabowe and placki ziemniaczane.

Apart from being healthy, it is one of the most popular Polish salads you will find on the table. Next time you are in Poland and order a zestaw surówek, the set of salads served with your dinner, it will most likely be there.

How I make it: I dice the onion first and mix it with the salt and sugar. Once it softens I add the grated carrot, then the squeezed sauerkraut, then the oil. The salt pulls the juice out of the onion, and that juice dresses everything else.

Apple is optional. I leave it out, my mum always grates one in. Both are good, so her way is below too.

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Polish Sauerkraut Salad (Surówka z Kiszonej Kapusty)

Five ingredients and ten minutes of waiting for the onion. The only things that matter are squeezing the sauerkraut and tasting at the end.

Equipment You’ll Need

Nothing more than a grater and a bowl.

A Closer Look at the Ingredients

Each one has a job, and two of them are optional.

• Sauerkraut Kiszona kapusta, fermented white cabbage. It brings all the sourness and most of the salt, so it decides how the salad tastes.
• Carrot The sweetness and the colour against the sour cabbage.
• Onion Red or white, both work. It gives the bite, and once salted it gives up the juice that dresses the salad.
• Oil Rapeseed or sunflower, something neutral. It softens the sharpness of the sauerkraut.
• Sugar Just enough to round off the sour. Instead: a little honey.
• Apple Optional. I do not use it, my mum does. It makes the salad sweeter.
• Dill Optional, fresh and chopped, if you have some.

How to Make Polish Sauerkraut Salad, Step by Step

Full quantities are in the recipe card below.

1. Salt the Onion. Dice the onion as finely as you can and put it in your bowl with the salt and the sugar. Mix and leave it for 10 minutes, until it softens and looks wet.The salt draws the juice out of the onion, and that juice becomes part of the dressing, so do not pour it away. I always start with the onion for that reason.Dice it small: big pieces of raw onion take over the salad. Small ones spread the bite through it.
2. Add the Carrot. Grate the carrot, and the apple if you are using it, and stir it through the onion.It goes in on top of the onion and its juice, before the sauerkraut, so everything gets mixed with that juice.Apple or not: I leave it out, my mum always grates one in. If you add it, go easy on the sugar.
3. Add the Sauerkraut. Take the sauerkraut a handful at a time and squeeze out as much juice as you can, keeping the juice in a cup. Add it to the bowl.Squeezed sauerkraut lets the dressing cling, instead of the salad sitting in a puddle. Keep the juice: if the salad comes out too sweet, a spoon of it puts it right.
4. Dress and Taste. Pour in the oil and mix well. Taste and adjust with salt, sugar or a spoon of the sauerkraut juice. Stir in the dill if you are using it.Taste now, not before. Sauerkraut can be very sour or quite mild, so the salt and sugar depend on yours: a pinch more salt if it is flat, a little more sugar if it is too sharp.Keeping: in a closed tub in the fridge it keeps up to a week.

Recipe Card for Polish Sauerkraut Salad

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What to Serve With Sauerkraut Salad

I eat it with kotlety mielone, kotlety schabowe and placki ziemniaczane. For another Polish surówka, try my celeriac salad.

FAQ for Polish Sauerkraut Salad

What does surówka z kiszonej kapusty mean?

Surówka is a raw vegetable salad, and kiszona kapusta is sauerkraut, so it is simply sauerkraut salad.

My salad is too sweet, how do I fix it?

Add more squeezed sauerkraut, or a spoon of the juice you squeezed out of it.

Do I have to squeeze the sauerkraut?

I do. Left wet, it sits in its juice and tastes sharper. Some Polish cooks like it that way, so it is up to you.

Can I make it without oil?

Yes, but it will be sharper, because the oil is what softens the sour.

Should I add apple?

My mum grates one in and I do not. Both are good. If you add it, go easy on the sugar.

How long does sauerkraut salad keep?

Up to a week in a closed tub in the fridge.

Is it the same as American sauerkraut salad?

No. The American one usually has a sweet vinegar dressing with celery and peppers. The Polish one is just sauerkraut, carrot, onion and oil.

A Few Words from the Chef

My mum makes hers with apple and I make mine without. Try both and see which side you are on.