Shredded Carrot Salad with Herbs and Dijon Vinaigrette
This Shredded Carrot Salad features grated carrots tossed with a light and flavorful French Dijon-Lemon Vinaigrette, parsley, and green onions. It's a delicious lettuce-free salad and a refreshing, flavorful, and light side dish - the perfect way to enjoy eating raw healthy carrots!
Grate the Carrots: Shred the 1 lb. carrots using the grating attachment of a food processor, a box grater, or use a vegetable peeler to make thin strips. Alternatively, you can buy pre-shredded carrots (see notes for more on this).
Make the vinaigrette dressing: In the bottom of a medium or large bowl, whisk together the 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon honey(if using). While whisking, drizzle in the 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, continuing to whisk vigorously until the dressing is well combined and all the salt has dissolved; about 30-60 seconds. Taste and adjust as needed.
Mix the salad: add the grated carrots, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, and 2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions to the bowl with the dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately (see notes for make-ahead instructions).
Notes
You can use pre-shredded carrots as a shortcut, however, their texture is a bit different than hand-grated. They tend to be thicker, julienne-cut rather than grated, so they won't as readily absorb the dressing and may be a bit crunchier. I prefer grating the carrots myself for this salad (my food processor attachment makes easy work of this!).
Adding honey is optional and if your carrots are particularly sweet, you won't really need it. Use maple syrup or agave for a vegan alternative.
To make ahead, grate the carrots and toss with the parsley and green onions in a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap, or container with a lid. Mix the dressing in a mason jar or container with a lid. Store both separately in the fridge for up to a week. Then, just before serving, shake up the dressing to combine and toss together (the dressing may solidify in the fridge; just run warm water over it or leave it out at room temperature for a while until it softens).