Long John Silver's Coleslaw Recipe: Say Goodbye to Boring Coleslaw

Although primarily a seafood restaurant, Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe is perhaps the most iconic thing on their menu.

The best thing about Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe is the ingredients list, which, as long as it seems, is a fairly minimal and orderly one. The ingredients are simple and accessible, and most of them are needed to make the creamy, delicious dressing. The recipe is also a fairly flexible one, coming with different variations that are suitable for everyone’s taste.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Pro Tips
• Long John Silver's Coleslaw Recipe:
• Comments

Ingredients

• Carrot — ¼ cup, finely shredded
• Onion — 2 tbsp., finely minced
• Salt — ½ tsp.
• Black pepper — ½ tsp.
• Vinegar — 1 ½ tbsp.
• Granulated sugar — ⅓ cup
• Cabbage — 8 cups, finely chopped
• Mayonnaise — ½ cup
• Buttermilk — ¼ cup
• Lemon juice — 2 ½ tsp.

Instructions

1. Add the buttermilk, vinegar, sugar, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a mixing bowl.

2. Combine the ingredients using a whisk, until smooth.

3. Then, add the cabbage, onion, and carrot.

4. Mix to coat.

5. Cover and chill for a day before serving.

Substitutions

• Vinegar — Vinegar, although it could also be omitted, provides a rich, deep flavor to your coleslaw dressing. While we used apple cider vinegar, you could also get away with using rice vinegar instead. It will do the job, providing a sweet, tangy flavor to your dressing.

• Mayonnaise — While Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe is at its best when made with mayonnaise, we substituted it with Greek yogurt and we were fairly pleased with the results. Use heavy cream, but if you are watching your calories, sour cream would be a lighter option.

• Buttermilk — While you can use whole milk instead of buttermilk, the high acidic content in buttermilk elevates the dressing to another level. You could combine one cup of whole milk with half a teaspoon of cream of tartar, and you should be good to go.

Variations

• Spicy — While Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe is great as it is if you’d like to have your dish a tad spicier, you can always add some jalapenos into the mix. If peppers are not your cup of tea, consider adding a teaspoon of hot sauce to your dressing.

• Fruity — This one’s a sweet, tropical twist to the Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe. While the trio of cabbage, onion, and carrot is usually enough for most people, you might want to add some sliced apples, strawberries, or maybe even mangoes.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Mixing bowl

• Whisk

Storage

• You can either store your coleslaw in an airtight container, or you can simply wrap it with any wrap. Once stored in your fridge, the leftover coleslaw will last for about 4 days.

• Make sure to stir your coleslaw before serving since the dressing and the vegetables might separate in the fridge.

Pro Tips

• Go fresh — Make sure to choose high-quality and fresh ingredients, especially when it comes to vegetables. The quality of the ingredients is the key to Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe.

• Season it — While the ingredients list in Long John Silver’s coleslaw recipe is enough to get the job done when it comes to seasoning, you should feel free to act on your instincts. Use more salt and pepper if you feel like it, and you can always add more herbs and spices.