Two humble ingredients — green cabbage and non-iodized sea salt — are all it takes to produce a tangy, probiotic-rich condiment that fits beautifully into a candida-conscious lifestyle. Fermented foods like this one are often celebrated for supporting a balanced gut environment, and making it yourself means zero hidden additives, vinegars, or preservatives that could sneak into store-bought versions. The process is almost meditative: you massage the salt into the cabbage until it weeps its own brine, then let time and beneficial bacteria do the rest. Keeping the shreds submerged below that natural brine is the key to a safe, successful ferment, and the zip-lock water bag trick makes it surprisingly foolproof even for first-timers. By day seven you can start tasting, and the batch is done whenever the sourness hits just the right note for you — no guesswork, no rushing. The result is crisp, deeply savory, and genuinely versatile: pile it alongside proteins, stir it into salads, or eat it straight from the jar as a gut-friendly snack.
About FigFig is a food discovery app that helps you find foods and recipes that fit your dietary needs. Whether you have food allergies, intolerances, or follow a specific diet, Fig makes it easy to eat with confidence.
Learn more →16 servings
Peel off and set aside 1–2 large outer cabbage leaves. Quarter the cabbage, cut out the core, and slice the remaining cabbage into thin shreds about 1/8-inch thick.
Place the shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the sea salt evenly over it. Massage and squeeze the cabbage firmly with clean hands for 8–10 minutes, until it has released a significant amount of liquid and feels limp and wet — the brine should pool visibly at the bottom of the bowl.
Create a Fig account for step-by-step instructions, access to our full recipe library, and more!
(16k)