Known as “Carottes Rapées”, this French-Style Grated Carrot Salad is ubiquitous in France. You can find it everywhere: on bistro menus, served as high orange piles topped with lemon wedges; in grocery stores, sold in plastic-sealed containers as well as at your local butcher, where you’ll commonly find it in the shop window displayed and sold by the gram. If you haven’t tasted “Carottes Rapées” yet, you’re definitely missing out on a staple!
It is literally so omnipresent in France, during every season, that I don’t often go the extra-mile to make my own from scratch. But in Canada, this has become one of my go-to recipes. It’s quick and simple, utterly satisfying, and certainly one of those recipes that instantly brings me back home.
In essence, you just need crisp carrots, fresh parsley and a simple vinaigrette. What did I say – quick and simple! This salad is light, fresh, crunchy, tangy, sweet and brings a great pop of color to the table. It’s a perfect starter, an accompaniment to barbecues or portable fare for a picnic.
Cooking notes:
- This is a very basic recipe for a French-Style Grated Carrot Salad. You can keep it simple, or sprinkle a few add-ins as some like to do: raisins, pine-nuts and chopped walnuts work great in here.
- This vinaigrette recipe is also basic, including extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and Dijon Mustard. If you want to twist it up a bit, you can add a spoonful of honey or a sprinkle of freshly grated ginger.
- When selecting the carrots for this recipe, organic are best. Alternatively, make sure they are crisp and not too ripe
- For grating the carrots, you can use a Julienne Peeler (affiliate link), a Food Processor (affiliate link) or a Box Grater (affiliate link).
If you try this French-style Grated Carrot Salad let me know! Leave a comment or share a photo using #pardonyourfrench on Instagram. Bon Appétit!
If you like this recipe, you may also like:
- Frisée with Bacon & Egg (Salade Lyonnaise)
- Herby Sugar-glazed Spring Vegetable Jardiniere
- Kasha Green Bean Potato Salad
2 comments
This wonderful! Made this with very fresh carrots and the sweetness of carrots was perfect with the light tart dressing. I think it was even better the second day. Great for a make ahead side dish. I will definitely make this in the future. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you, Karen! This salad is so much more flavorful than people can imagine. I’m so happy to hear you loved it as much as I do. Fresh carrots always best!