What makes this salad unique is its thin, crisp, carrots. It not only adds great texture to the salad but also great shape and volume.
When we submerge vegetables in ice-cold water for a long period of time (anywhere from 3-10 hours) they absorb the cold water and get crisper and crisper. When you cut them thinly, they tend to firm up into really cool shapes and they look beautiful on a plate. That’s what I wanted to do with this salad; keep it fresh and beautiful. Carrots are a great vegetable to do this with, since you can cut them thinly, they absorb the water well, and they crisp up really nicely.
Since we’re keeping everything raw in this salad and the only prep you have to do is put the carrots and asparagus in cold water ahead of time, you can easily prep for this salad in advance. Slice the carrots and asparagus, put them in the ice-cold water overnight, and mix the dressing up ahead of time. Then, when it comes to serving, just drain and dry the veggies, mix everything in with the vinaigrette, and serve!
Keep in mind that you don’t want to dress your carrots or asparagus until right before serving, as the salt will cause them to wilt and lose that beautiful crispiness that you want.
What’s great about this salad:
It can be made ahead of time
It’s super colorful and looks great on the table
It’s all raw and therefore nutrient-packed
Serve as a salad, either individually plated or as a salad to share
Use this same method to crisp up your carrots and use them to top other dishes or in other salads.
If you happen to have extra carrots on hand, juice them and use that juice to incorporate into the vinaigrette. The sweetness will be phenomenal!
3 purple carrots
3 golden carrots
3 white carrots
2 orange carrots
3 asparagus
4 scallion tops, thinly sliced on a bias
10g curly parsley leaves
50ml freshly-squeezed lemon juice
120ml extra-virgin olive oil
10g dijon mustard
20ml maple syrup
sea salt, to taste
20g hemp seeds
Use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to slice the carrots and asparagus lengthwise into very thin strips. Place carrot and asparagus slices in an ice bath and cool in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably for 4 or overnight. Drain and spin them in a salad spinner to dry completely. Set aside.
To make the vinaigrette, mix all the vinaigrette ingredients in a blender and blend until emulsified. Season to taste.
Once ready to serve, add drained carrots and asparagus to a large bowl along with the scallion tops and parsley. Add the vinaigrette and mix to combine.
Serve the salad in a bowl or bowls and top with hemp seeds.
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