This raw carrot salad with parsnips is sweet, crunchy and refreshing. It comes together quickly and pairs perfectly with pulled pork and avocado for easy, weeknight paleo tacos.
I made this raw carrot salad the day after the third US presidential debate, which I did not watch, but did read live blog coverage of. I had been conceptualizing it for a few weeks, as I’d been dying to do something with these gorgeous tricolor carrots I kept seeing at the market.
With a general sense of direction, but lacking any specific recipe per se, I bit the bullet, headed to the kitchen, and came up with this:
Isn’t she pretty?!?
Once Cameron had finished processing the images, I looked through the proofs and started laughing so hard I nearly choked. “Honey, it’s a…a….a bad h’ombre…carrot…salad!” Cue more laughter from the husband and quizzical stares from the child. This is likely to be the first and last time I get somewhat political on this blog, so fear not. But c’mon friends, just look at this salad… It’s orange. It’s slick. It’s paired with freakin’ tex-mex pulled pork (recipe coming soon!). I just couldn’t help myself when I saw the connection. I had to.
Raw Carrot Salad Recipe Notes
This raw carrot salad is as easy as they come, ready in 20 minutes! I opted to shave the carrots and parsnips, but it would be just as delicious with grated or julienned vegetables. It can stand a good long marinade in the fridge, so it’s perfect for leftovers or lunch prep.
In addition to the carrots, I threw in a few parsnips on a whim. I was a little apprehensive as I hadn’t previously consumed raw parsnips, but I have to say – they’re nutty and ever-so-slightly spicy, and gently offset the sweetness from the carrots. Feel free to keep ’em or lose ’em, but I highly recommend keeping them.
Being the bad(ass) hombres that we are, Cameron and I ate this raw carrot salad for dinner with pulled pork lettuce cup “tacos” and a little avocado. It. was. amazing.
Raw Carrot Salad with Parsnips
This raw carrot salad with parsnips and champagne vinaigrette is sweet, crunchy and refreshing...served with a touch of irony. It comes together quickly and pairs perfectly with pulled pork and avocado for easy, weeknight paleo tacos.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. organic carrots multi-colored to achieve the ombre effect
- 3 medium organic parsnips
- fresh parsley
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil see note
- 1.5 tbsp champagne vinegar
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 garlic clove smashed
- flaky malden sea salt to taste
- fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse/scrub the carrots and parsnips. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the outer skin from each parsnip and carrot and reserve for another purpose (they are great to add to vegetable stock).
- Continue to shave each parsnip and carrot until you reach the core. Arrange the peeled vegetable strips in a shallow platter. To achieve the ombre effect, I started with the parsnips, then yellow carrots, then orange carrots, finishing with purple carrots.
- Prepare the vinaigrette. Vigorously whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and smashed garlic.
- Pour the vinaigrette over the shaved vegetables. Top with fresh chopped parsley, salt and pepper. Gently toss to serve.
Recipe Notes
You want to use great quality extra virgin olive oil for a salad like this, as the vinaigrette is an essential component of the finished taste. An easily available and relatively affordable choice is the California Olive Ranch brand.
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