Carrottes Râpées , or Grated Raw Carrot Salad is a classic French salad that I think is truly underrated. It's sweet and tangy, refreshing and colorful and perfect for making to serve alongside rich dishes. It's served at bistros and restaurants and available to purchase from delicatessens all throughout France, however it's so easy to make at home, so we can all enjoy it.
I especially like making this French grated carrot salad in winter. For me it's a great refreshing salad to eat when the sky is grey and there isn't much really good fresh produce at the store or market to buy. Plus all you need is a few ingredients for a batch of healthy salad that you can eat as a side or on sandwiches all week.
This simple carrot salad goes especially well with a rich stew, like my favorite winter dish Chestnut and Mushroom Bourguignon. And if you like this style of classic French bistro style salad, you should definitely try this Vegan Celeriac Remoulade which gives celery root the same treatment.
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🥕Ingredients
The ingredients for carottes râpées are simple: Please check the full recipe card below for quantities.
- Carrots: Fresh and crunchy carrots are best for this salad, as they need to be grated.
- Flat-leaf parsley: adds a little colour and a herbal tang. You can also choose chervil, curly leaf parsley, tarragon or chives.
- Lemon Juice: This is the acid which helps to make the lemon dijon vinaigrette. You could also use red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar./
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: the best you can afford.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard is piquant and tangy which makes it the perfect foil for the sweet carrots.
- Sea Salt: just a pinch of salt brings out the sweet flavour.
- A little agave or maple syrup: or even a little brown sugar. This balances the dressing.
See recipe card for quantities.
👩🍳Instructions
All you are really doing to make this salad is making a simple vinaigrette and grating some carrots.
1 and 2. Clean and peel your carrots. Then either use a box grater, a julienne peeler or the grating attachment on your food processor to grate the carrots.
3 and 4. Whisk together the Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and sweetener into a vinaigrette. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice as desired.
Once the ingredients for this simple salad are ready, mix it well in a big bowl and garnish with extra fresh herbs. Be sure to really mix the dressing in well as you don't want clumps of under-dressed salad!
To Grate or Julienne?
This delicious salad can be made with either grated carrots or julienned carrots. If you go to a Bistro or buy it in the market, it will often be julienned in little slivers of carrots. You can get this effect by using a julienne attachment on your food processor, which is especially good if you want to make a big batch of salad. Alternatively you can use the large holes on your box grater (as pictured) or try using a julienne peeler or the julienne attachment on a mandolin.
🍊Substitutions & Variations:
This delicious French classic salad is already gluten and dairy free, however there are some variations you can make to it:
- Other vinegars: choose Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine vinegar or white wine vinegar as the acid in the vinaigrette.
- Orange Juice: In place of the lemon juice, use fresh orange juice. You can add a little extra vinegar for oomph and tang.
- Different fresh herbs. In place of chopped parsley, try finely snipped chives, chervil, or in summer fresh tarragon.
- A little cumin or curry powder: It's controversial, but either take the salad into another flavor level.
🔪Equipment
You'll need a good box grater, or a food processor with a grating attachement to grate the carrots.
🥫Storage
This delicious shredded carrot salad is perfect for making ahead of time. It keeps for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge. I like to add it to sandwiches or to jazz up a quick meal. It does not freeze well!
❗Top tip
This salad always tastes even better the next day, once the dressing and the carrots get to know each other! It becomes more than the sum of it's parts. (I've been known to sneak a spoonful or two directly from the fridge!)
❓FAQ
Carrot salad is made with grated or julienned carrots, and a dressing such as lemon Dijon vinaigrette.
Raw carrots are high in fibre and carotene as well as containing calcium and vitamin K.
More Salads
Love a great salad? Try one of these...
Pairing Ideas
These are some of my favourite French inspired recipes to serve with this salad.
📖 Recipe
Grated French Raw Carrot Salad (Carottes Râpées)
Equipment
- 1 Box Grater optional
- 1 food processor optional
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 500 g (4 cups) carrots (grated or julienned)
- Juice of one lemon
- 3 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup OR agave
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Peel and julienne or grate the carrots using the large holes on your box grater.500 g carrots
- Mix the vinaigrette ingredients together until creamy.Juice of one lemon, 3 tablespoon dijon mustard, 2 tablespoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon maple syrup OR agave, Salt to taste
- Finely chop the parsley or other herbs.3 tablespoon parsley
- Mix the carrots and herbs well with the dressing. Keep mixing to be sure that all the carrots are covered in dressing.
- Taste and add extra salt, lemon or mustard as desired.
Notes
🍊Substitutions & Variations:
This delicious French classic salad is already gluten and dairy free, however there are some variations you can make to it:- Other vinegars: choose Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine vinegar or white wine vinegar as the acid in the vinaigrette.
- Orange Juice: In place of the lemon juice, use fresh orange juice. You can add a little extra vinegar for oomph and tang.
- Different fresh herbs. In place of chopped parsley, try finely snipped chives, chervil, or in summer fresh tarragon.
- A little cumin or curry powder: It's controversial, but either take the salad into another flavor level.
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