If you’re not making carrot salads, you’re seriously missing out! Roasted or stewed carrots are wonderful, but the sweet, fresh, and crunchy elements of a raw carrot salad will turn even the biggest carrot haters around. A little fun fact: Moroccans brought carrot salads to Israel in the 1940s and the concept spread like wildfire. It wasn’t until the twentieth century that carrots transitioned from being a garnish to a main event on the plate! With a somewhat meaty texture, carrots have come a long way in the vegetarian world as everything from carrot bacon to pulled BBQ carrots.
Raw carrot salads are unbelievably easy to make. This is why I always suggest them as an excellent appetizer or salad course for a family-style meal or a side dish for a dinner party. Traditionally, the flavors in a raw carrot salad tend to lean heavily on the Moroccan side, but you’ll go crazy for my Thai-inspired carrot salad! I use all of those beautiful tangy and sweet Thai ingredients that’ll make this dish a unforgettable addition to your table. This is a perfect summer dish since it’s been way too hot to cook!
Serve this raw carrot salad as a side dish at your next BBQ. For a brilliant pairing, try it with my Asian-style sticky ribs!
One of the best parts about my Thai-inspired carrot salad is that it can be served at room temperature. Anyone who loves to host knows how stressful it can be to plan a dinner party when you’re working with warm dishes. To me, room temperature dishes are a life saver and they’ll take a tremendous amount of stress off of your plate. Make this carrot dish ahead of time so all of the flavors come together before you’re ready to serve.
Thai-Inspired Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp nam pla
- 1 garlic clove peeled and crushed through a press
- 2 bags of shredded carrots
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk the olive oil, lime juice, ginger, honey, nam pla, and garlic together. Add in the carrots and toss. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to taste, toss again. Let stand in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
- Return to room temperature, add in the cilantro and toss just before serving
For a full Thai-inspired menu, serve this raw carrot salad with my Juicy Pork Larb Lettuce Wraps or my Thai Red Seafood Curry. You could also put your own spin on this dish with any flavor profile your heart desires, whether that’s Moroccan, Korean, Indian, French or anything in between. When it comes to party planning, make your life easier in any way you can. Pick dishes that can be made ahead of time. This way you can put your focus on other elements the day of the festivities. I hope you’re all having an amazing summer. Keep following along for the best seasonal recipes!
XO,
Pamela
