One of my favorite things about spring is that we get to transition from the deep, hearty flavors of winter to the bright, fresh flavors of new growth! When I spotted this veritable rainbow of carrots I knew I wanted to highlight how stunning they were, and add a little extra to level-up their perfect spring crunch- this marinated carrot ribbon salad fits the bill!

Jump to Recipe

And while I do highly recommend rainbow carrots because it gives this side dish *pizzaz,* you can absolutely use regular orange carrots as well. However, the fresher they are, the better! Look for carrots that are still snappy- meaning that instead of being malleable, they’ll snap if you try to bend them. If you’re grabbing yours at a farmers’ market or choosing organic grab some with greens! The greens are delicious this time of year!

Marinated Carrot Ribbon Salad Ingredients

1lb Carrots, Shaved (about one bunch)
¼ C Mint, Julienned
¼ C Dill, Minced
¼ C Chives, Minced
½ Medium Red Onion, Shaved
¼ C White Wine Vinegar
1 Tsp Sumac
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
½ Lemon, Juiced
Drizzle of Olive Oil
Black Pepper, to taste

Marinated Carrot Ribbon Salad Method

Thoroughly scrub the bunch of carrots and dry well (you don’t want to slip as you’re shaving them!)

Then using a sharp vegetable peeler, carefully shave each carrot down until it is just a core. I love feeding these as snacks to my animals, as a snack for myself, or throwing them in a Stasher Bag to make stock later!

You can use the same vegetable peeler or a mandolin to shave the red onion- we want thin pieces, so they won’t overwhelm a bite of carrot!

Combine the onion and carrot in a (preferably clear) small bowl, then pour the white vinegar over the ribbons. Give a quick toss with your fingers to combine, sprinkle the salt over the now-wet ribbons and toss again.

Set the carrot-onion mix aside for about thirty minutes or until you see that there is a pool of liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Pour out this liquid. Tip: the carrots shouldn’t taste overly salty- the salt and vinegar should have pulled liquid from the carrots, and most of the salt will be in the liquid. If your carrots taste especially salty, give them a quick rinse. (Key word being quick here- we don’t want to wash away all of the flavor!)

While the carrots are sitting, finely mince the herbs.

Combine the herbs, sumac, garlic powder, and black pepper. Toss well. Then drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil. Toss again.

Serve either room temperature or chilled! I particularly love this side dish when it accompanies sea food- the citrus, carrot, and sumac pair particularly well with white fish and shrimp!