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Liven up your lunch with this go-with-everything French carrot salad with hazelnut crunch. Stuff it in your sandwich or serve as a side. These vivid orange carrot slivers are coated in a sharp Dijon mustard dressing, sweetened with maple syrup and topped with toasty chopped hazelnuts. Elevate your everyday!
For a bit more crackle and pop to your raw carrot salad, try this Asian-inspired slaw with additional cucumber, radish, chili and peanuts.
Is it just me or does anyone else secretly play at being French sometimes? I mean, I don’t introduce myself as Julie from Paris or anything, but I do like to put on a Breton-style striped top, and make myself a light lunch of charcuterie and celeriac remoulade.
It’s a self-indulgent, harming-no-one activity that involves wearing a little Coco Chanel Mademoiselle (my signature fragrance, btw), listening to Sixties French pop fairly loudly, and it even gives you license to have a glass of wine at lunch time. Try it! Don’t, however, go riding your basket-fronted bicycle to the market for cut flowers and a baguette afterwards though.
Shredded carrot salad
While in the UK and North America we might raise a surprised eyebrow if presented with a mound of grated carrot in place of a salad, or as part of a salad, in France, carottes rapées is a very common accoutrement.
French carrot salad is fresh as sunshine, summer breeze-light, and can be thrown together in a desperate moment (realising there’s no salad in the fridge) while seeming entirely effortless. So French!
The central ray of sunshine is, of course, carrot. I always buy organic carrots when a recipe calls for raw, trust me you really can taste the difference! Good quality carrots are noticeably sweet and juicy, they should not be watery and insipid.
Typically, the dressing will contain sugar or honey as a sweetener, but due to my Canadian connections, I couldn’t resist experimenting with This is an affiliate link.maple syrup instead- and it worked! It offsets the vinegar from the This is an affiliate link.Dijon mustard and tempers the acidic lemon juice.
This recipe allows for reserve dressing- you won’t need it all! Remember, the grated carrots should be sheeny and glistening, not floating in liquid.
For extra texture, I roasted and chopped hazelnuts to sprinkle on top. Not only does this offer a satisfying crunch, it adds nutrients and it’s a habit I’m committed to: see Thai green papaya salad (peanuts) or garden salad (seed mix) for evidence!
Recipe tips and notes
- French carrot salad or French Canadian carrot salad? Instead of sugar or honey, I took the liberty of honouring my home from home with a maple syrup twist.
- The most efficient way to grate carrots is with a This is an affiliate link.food processor. Save yourself the arm-ache and if you have one, use it!
- However, a julienne slicer will deliver longer more elegant strands of crisp carrot.
- Or use a kitchen-common vegetable peeler to shave slender orange ribbons.
- You’re unlikely to find chopped nuts in a classic French carrot salad, but I can’t resist a touch of crunch, so I’ve included a handful of toasted hazelnuts.
- If hazelnuts aren’t your favourite, feel free to substitute.
- This is a simple recipe, you can use it as a template for other flavours. For example, add fresh coriander, mint and cumin seeds for a Moroccan take. Or red onion, garlic, coriander seeds and cayenne pepper for an authentic Russian Korean Carrot salad (yes, that’s thing).
Serving suggestions
Taking a decidedly French approach, I’m planning on serving this snappy little raw carrot salad with literally everything. Here’s a few off the top of my head:
- Stuff it in a sandwich- this chickpea one would be a dream.
- Box it up as part of a picnic with other salads: tuna macaroni and farro salads.
- Bang it in a beef burger, pulled pork sandwich or chicken burger at a barbecue, or serve in place of classic coleslaw.
- Offer alongside something else French: Croque Monsieur or Madame.
- Savour it by the delicate forkful with any (not too saucy) white fish or chicken dish.
Storage and leftovers
Picnic-planners! Get ahead of the game and prep this French grated carrot salad in advance. Thanks to them lemon juice, which will help preserve the shredded carrot strands, this side dish can be stored in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Beyond that the orange colour will dull and brown- not picnic perfect.
More salad recipes to try
- Caesar Salad with Rye Croutons
- Asian Noodle Salad in Peanut Dressing
- Summer Tomato and Cucumber Salad
- Salmon Cobb Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing
French Carrot Salad with Hazelnut Crunch
Ingredients
- 450g / 1 lbs carrots, peeled and grated
- 2-3 tbsp parsley or chives, (can use mint or coriander with a pinch of cumin for a Moroccan twist)
- 1/2 lemon, juice only
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp This is an affiliate link.extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.maple syrup, or honey
- 30g / 2 tbsp hazelnuts, roasted and chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Roast the hazelnuts at 350F for 5 minutes, cool rub off the excess skin and chop. Set aside till needed.
- Peel and grate the carrots.
- Mix the lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt and maple syrup.
- Combine the grated carrots with the chopped parsley and half of the made dressing, reserver the other half for another day.
- Toss until well coated. Top with the chopped hazelnuts and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
