There’s something about the arrival of spring that puts a skip in my step: warmer temperatures, bright colored flowers, the promise of picnics and meals on the patio, and the clock ticking down the weeks until bathing suit season is here. But I prefer not to discuss, nor obsess over, exercise and dieting for said bathing suit. I’d rather write about food, in particular the carrot salad I made this past weekend.

Mother nature blessed the Charlotte and Lake Norman area with two glorious days of sunshine and seventy degree weather. Our family had a fun filled weekend, plowing through all of our favorite food related activities. We kicked things off on Friday with lunch at Hello Sailor, a great restaurant with beautiful lake views and a killer chicken sandwich. Saturday morning we visited the farmers’ market and strolled through the Davidson College campus. By evening we found ourselves cooking hamburgers on the grill while enjoying an apéritif and watching the kids run around the back yard. Sunday was spent feasting on our first picnic of 2022 at the local park. 

I created the carrot salad to serve as a side dish with our hamburgers, and the leftovers were a great addition to our picnic the next day. I was inspired by the French carrot salad. Called salade de carottes râpées (grated carrot salad), the carrots are typically marinated in lemon juice, honey, herbs and some variation of cumin or dijon dressing.

My version dresses the carrots in a vinaigrette made with olive oil, lemon juice, and white wine vinegar. I also added golden raisins and pistachios. These are some of my favorite flavor combinations - acidity, salty, sweet, and sour in one bite. The salad is also relatively healthy and quick to make. Grating the carrots is the most time consuming part, but my arm got a bit of a workout in the process! 

In my opinion, one pound of shredded carrots will feed 3-4 adults depending on your serving size. I suggest doubling the recipe if you’re feeding a crowd or you want to have leftovers to enjoy in the days that follow. 

Bon appétit!