Fried Cabbage Recipe: How to Make Southern Fried Cabbage

Fried cabbage is cabbage that cooks on the stove in olive oil or bacon grease. Worldwide, chefs fry cabbage with various seasonings and ingredients, but fried cabbage is an especially popular side dish in the southern region of the United States alongside pork chops, corned beef, and smoked sausage.

A basic southern fried cabbage dish is simple to make, requiring at a minimum just cabbage, oil (or animal fat), and seasoning; however, you can dress up the dish any way you want. Cabbage takes on other flavors well since it has a distinct yet subtle taste. Here are three flavor profiles you can contribute to fried cabbage:

• Bacon: Cook bacon in the oven or on the stove and save the bacon drippings. Then heat the bacon fat in a cast-iron skillet on the stove and fry the cabbage. The bacon fat adds a smoky flavor and a hint of saltiness. Chop the crispy bacon and sprinkle it over the chopped cabbage after you cook it.
• Barbecue seasoning: Make a seasoning blend of smoked paprika, garlic powder, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Toss the chopped cabbage in the dry barbecue seasoning blend and fry it in a pan with olive oil. Add apple cider vinegar toward the end of the cooking process to brighten the flavor.
• Cajun seasoning: Use store-bought Cajun seasoning or a homemade one to lend a spicy yet sweet flavor to the fried cabbage. Toss the cabbage in the Cajun seasoning before cooking it, or add the spices to a pan with hot olive oil just before you add the cabbage.