I love broccoli steamed with grated lemon zest, or with sharp cheddar cheese melted over the top, but there came a time when a cold, uncooked broccoli salad opened my eyes to another way to enjoy broccoli. This Cold Tarragon Broccoli Salad with Golden Raisins, Marinated Red Onion and Pepitas is an amazing, tangy, crunchy, delicious salad. It’s even better the next day!
I was first introduced to this salad from my mother-in-law several years ago and have since embellished upon it with a couple ingredients, but the initial salad of cold, uncooked broccoli was what I loved surprisingly. I had never had it before and the tangy dressing was fantastic.
I thought dried tarragon would be a nice herbal note and have used dried cranberries, but prefer the golden raisins. For a little other crunch I added the toasted and salted pepitas. These are roasted pumpkin seeds and a house favorite in salads. The salad gets a handful of marinated, thinly sliced red onions and is perfect as a side dish. It is filling, and with an addition of some rotisserie chicken would make it a fine meal on it’s own.
One of this salad’s ingredients, the sliced red onion in rice wine vinegar, is treated to a quick pickle prior for the salad. I like to keep this mixture on hand in my refrigerator for different salads and as a garnish on Mexican dishes. Simply thinly slice a red onion, cover it with rice wine vinegar and keep in your refrigerator. For this I would suggest allowing the onions to marinate at least 30 minutes if you don’t have any on hand.
In a mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, honey, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper, whisk thoroughly.
Chop the broccoli into florets, trim and chop the stalks as well if you like into bite size pieces. Place in a mixing bowl and add the marinated red onions, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and golden raisins. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to completely coat the vegetables and chill for 20 minutes prior to serving.
This is perfect as a side dish for outdoor parties, BBQs and potlucks or even as a main course. It would be fantastic served with my Pineapple Five Spice Pork Ribs or a Perfect Rib Eye Steak seasoned with my Copycat Montreal Seasoning. Enjoy!
This recipe first appeared on Kevin Is Cooking in August 2015 and has been updated with new photos and video.
Tarragon Broccoli Salad with Golden Raisins, Marinated Red Onion and Pepitas - this fresh, crunchy and healthy salad is the perfect side dish!
- For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tsp dry tarragon
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- For the Salad:
- 4 cups crowns and stalks of broccoli
- 1/2 medium red onion , sliced thin
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup pepitas (toasted, salted pumpkin seeds)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
In a bowl add the sliced red onions and 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar or enough to cover. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or overnight.
- In a mixing bowl add the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, honey, mustard, tarragon, salt and pepper, whisk thoroughly.
- Chop the broccoli into florets and trim and chop the stalks as well if you like into bite size pieces. Place in a mixing bowl and add the marinated red onions, pepitas and golden raisins.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and mix to completely coat the vegetables and chill for 20 minutes prior to serving.
Love the combination of ingredients, the only thing I’d make different is the amount of mayo. I like adding a bit more to my salads, so think I’d go maybe 1/2.. ? Gotta try it to know better, but really, thanks for sharing this!
You’re so welcome Kelly, thanks for stopping by!
Broccoli salad is one of my favorites Kevin! I love the entire ingredient list here! Perfect for summer parties!
It is really and so good the next day, too! Happy 4th of July to you and the family Mary Ann.
So fresh and crunchy! this salad looks like something I could eat the whole summer!!loving the pepitas addition!
There’s so much good stuff going on in this one from flavors to textures and it’s healthy, too. Gotta get that in whenever I can. Thanks Gaila!
Hey Kevin. This is right up my food alley. I make a somewhat similar broccoli salad, but I put toasted pine nuts in it. We planted tarragon once in MI and by the third year it had taken over a large section of my herb garden…it spreads like crazy, as do a number of herbs.
I love to toast nuts, it brings out so much more flavor and pine nuts are a favorite. I found that mint and tarragon are notorious for spreading throughout the garden. Need to keep those in pots! Much cooler here these days. How are you guys doing?
This salad looks so fresh, good and crunchy. I love broccoli in any form and this salad is now kind of must try recipe for me. I’ll try this gorgeous fresh salad soon with yummy tarragon dressing. Thanks again for sharing this recipe.
This is a fantastic, crunchy and healthy salad and the tarragon just makes everything come together. Chilled and crunchy, so good. Thanks for stopping by, enjoy Dev!
Oh yeah. Broccoli salad is one of my favorites and yours looks perfect! I could probably polish off that whole bowl myself!
Thanks Marissa, it’s so incredible, even the next day if we don’t eat it all the night before.
I grinned when I saw this because yesterday I picked up 8 heads of broccoli for 80c/lb I have to say I’m fascinated at the thought of raw broccoli! I have never tried it. I promise to give it a go! Tarragon is hard to find in my area but I think I’ll try it with another herb 🙂 Pinning!
Nagi, you MUST give it a try, I know you’re not a big salad person, but this one shines. I actually like it better the next day as the broccoli absorbs more of the dressing. I use dried tarragon, which you can get at any market if that is holding you back. Fresh tarragon is hard to find here too. Thanks for the Pin, too amigo! 😉
The dressing is killer Kev. I love combining tarragon and Dijon mustard it’s a marriage made in heaven.
Great job my man!
Thanks Mike, that’s exactly what I just wrote back to Ben.
Hope Berlin is keeping you busy and I’m looking forward to new recipe inspiration after your return! #WolfPackTravels
Such a delicious salad, Kevin! I’ve never incorporated tarragon in dressings, and this sounds really great! Indeed, we’ve got some tarragon in a pot, and I’ve been thinking about how to use it up. Perhaps, you’ve helped me! 🙂
Oh Ben, you must try tarragon in dressings. The magic of it and mustard is beautiful. Enjoy!
Wow, those colors are just amazing, what a beauty!
Thank you Nicole, appreciate the kind words. Have a great day. You, Nagi and Amanda are such great sources of inspiration visually and I’m grateful we’ve all met via my favorite topic – food. 🙂
p.s. Your photography is beautiful, warm and inviting, too. Love it.
Thanks, I keep learning, pushing myself and trying new things. You’re aces!
Kevin, I need an emoji to show me drooling over this salad. You are seriously going to be the star of my family party this weekend- on the menu right now! I love broccoli salad but this version is over-the-top, which is no less than I’ve come to expect from you, lol.
Hahaha, that’s funny… a drooling emoji!
So happy I can be there this weekend in spirit via this salad. You will really enjoy it Sally, and I will continue to push hard to deliver top notch recipes for you! 🙂
Tarragon is such a good seasoning for dressings…and this one looks especially awesome! I’m a huge fan of raw broccoli (and steamed + lemon), so I definitely need this salad to appear in our house…and soon. Love this one, Kevin!
Thanks Dave, it’s a house favorite and that tarragon gives it just the right kick! Hope you do give it a try. The play of tart, sweet, savory and the texture all make it so good.