Southern Fried Cabbage (Fried Cabbage)
Fried Cabbage Say it: FRYD KAB-ij
Fried cabbage is a staple of Southern home cooking, a simple skillet dish of green cabbage softened in bacon fat with sweet onion, a whisper of sugar and a splash of cider vinegar. It is eaten all year, most often alongside cornbread and peas, and it is prized for the way cheap, humble ingredients turn silky and sweet-edged in the pan. The balance of smoky, salty and tangy is what makes it special.
Southern Fried Cabbage (Fried Cabbage)
Fried Cabbage
Pronounced FRYD KAB-ij
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free and egg-free.
Allergens: contains milk. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Method
Cook the bacon in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven (12-inch / 30 cm) over medium heat until crisp and the fat has rendered, 7 to 9 minutes. Lift the bacon out with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving about 2 tbsp of fat in the pan; pour off and discard any excess.
Add the butter and sliced onion to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and its edges are pale gold, 5 to 6 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and sugar and cook for about 30 seconds, just until the garlic smells sweet and the spices darken slightly.
Add the cabbage a few handfuls at a time, tossing with tongs so every piece picks up some fat. The pan will look overfull at first, but the cabbage collapses quickly.
Pour in the water, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the cabbage is tender but still has a little bite and has shrunk by about half.
Uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, until the liquid has evaporated and the cabbage edges turn golden and slightly crisp.
Return the bacon to the pan, splash in the cider vinegar and toss for 30 seconds. Taste, adjust the salt, and serve hot.
Regional variant: Fried Cabbage with Smoked Sausage
Reduce the bacon to 3 slices and brown 12 oz (340 g) sliced smoked sausage or kielbasa in the rendered fat until the edges are crisp, then set it aside with the bacon. Continue with the onion, spices and cabbage exactly as written, and return both the sausage and bacon to the pan at the end with the vinegar. The dish becomes a full main course rather than a side.
Cook's notes
- Pull the cabbage off the heat while it still has slight resistance—overcooked cabbage goes watery and dull.
- Use a wide, heavy pan so the cabbage browns rather than steams; a crowded skillet will only simmer it.
- Keep the rendered bacon fat if you have extra—it is the traditional cooking fat and freezes well.
Serve with
Cornbread, black-eyed peas or pinto beans, sliced tomatoes, and sweet tea.
Make ahead and storage
Keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of water or broth to loosen it.
