French-style grated carrot salad

Description

At a glance

Nutrition rating

Allergy/intolerance

Serves

I love this simple carrot side salad which I first tasted in Lyon in France. I've modified it slightly from Saveur.com. You can see the original at their website at www.saveur.com.

The trick is to use a mandolin type grater so you get a long squarish grate. I like to add a little parsley for colour but you can omit this if you like. The carrot salad looks stunning on a buffet of other salads - it's a great contrast to the usual green leaves or tomato-cucumber types. The oil in the dressing is important as it assists the absorption of the beta-carotene which is fat-soluble.

Ingredients

5 medium carrots (about 500g)

Lemon mustard dressing:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of salt

Serve with:
Mignonette or light green lettuce leaves

Methods/steps

1. Peel and coarsely grate carrots.

2. Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl. Add carrots, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss well.

3. Serve garnished with lettuce, tomato wedges and parsley.

Serves 4 as a side salad or 8-10 as part of a buffet.

Additional Tips

Variation:
Add fresh chopped dill instead of parsley. Toss through ½ cup sultanas and 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts - this is a popular variation with children. Diced red apple works well too.

Preparation time: 10 min Cooking time: 0 min

Nutrition per serve:
449 kilojoules ( 107 calories), 9g fat (including 1g saturated fat), 4g carbohydrate (including 4g sugars), 3g fibre and 149mg sodium. Read our nutrition rating system.