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An Easy Carrot Ribbon Salad with Pickled Raisins
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This carrot ribbon salad is one of those recipes that feels a little fancy but is surprisingly low effort. You know the kind. It looks great on the table, tastes fresh and interesting, and somehow makes people think you tried harder than you actually did. This Carrot Ribbon Salad does exactly that.
The real surprise here is the pickled raisins. If raisins live in your brain as a snack food or something you bake with, this recipe is about to change that. Pickling them takes about 15 minutes and turns them into something bright, tangy, and well-suited to savory cooking.
Why Carrot Ribbons Are Having A Viral Moment
Shaving carrots into ribbons with a vegetable peeler completely changes the humble carrot. They go from crunchy sticks to soft, flexible strands that soak up olive oil and vinegar in the best way. No knife skills, no stress. Just peel and pile them into a bowl.
Carrots also bring a natural sweetness that makes this salad feel balanced instead of sharp. That sweetness is what makes them such a good match for pickled raisins. It is a classic sweet-meets-tangy situation, and it works every time.
Pickled Raisins Are The Move
Pickling raisins sounds fancy, but it is almost laughably simple. Golden raisins plus white balsamic vinegar. That is it. Let them hang out for about 15 minutes, and they plump up, soften, and take on a gentle tang that cuts through their sweetness.
Pickled raisins add a burst of flavor that keeps each bite interesting. And using California raisins here makes sense. They are naturally balanced and flavorful, which means they hold their own once they are pickled instead of getting lost.
Once you try raisins this way, it is hard to go back. They stop feeling like an afterthought and start feeling like a real ingredient.
More Recipes Featuring Pickled California Raisins
We aren’t the only ones falling hard for pickled raisins. It seems like they are popping up all over the place. Check out the recipes below for more ways to enjoy pickled raisins in your recipes.
The Latest Viral Trend: Charcuterie Nachos
If charcuterie boards and nachos had a very California love child, this would be it. Charcuterie Nachos—or what we’re lovingly calling charcuterie chips—are the latest viral snack moment, and honestly? They make a lot of sense. Crispy kettle-cooked chips, melty cheese, cured meats, briny bites, sweet pops of pickled raisins, and just enough diversity in flavors and textures to keep things interesting.
Duck Confit With Spicy Pickled Raisins
This elegant twist on classic French duck confit pairs slow-cooked, fall-off-the-bone duck legs with a bright, tangy topping of pickled raisins. The long confit process yields super-rich, tender meat and plenty of flavorful duck fat (perfect for roasting potatoes later), while the sweet-and-zesty raisins cut through the richness with bold vinegar, spice, and fruitiness. Click here for this recipe.
Quick Pickled Golden Raisins
These quick-pickled golden raisins from Food 52 are like autumn in a mason jar: amber-colored raisins, plumped up with sweetness, float in a brine flecked with red pepper flakes. Click here for the recipe.
It Is All About Texture In This Carrot Ribbon Salad Recipe
What makes this carrot ribbon salad so good is how everything plays together. You have tender carrot ribbons coated in California Extra Virgin Olive Oil, chewy pickled raisins, crunchy pistachios, and fresh parsley to keep things bright. Toasted cumin seeds bring warmth and a little earthiness that ties everything together.
Nothing feels heavy. Nothing feels random. It is simple, but it is not boring.
A Word About California Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
Want to be sure your olive oil is fresh, the highest quality, and the real deal? Look for the COOC seal on bottles of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make sure you’re getting delicious 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Certified California EVOO uses stricter standards than international requirements, requiring the oil to pass chemical testing and a sensory analysis by a group of experts, called an organoleptic panel evaluation.
A Classic Reinvented
This Carrot Ribbon Salad is fresh, casual, and quietly impressive. It proves that small tweaks can make familiar ingredients feel brand new. Shaved carrots instead of chopped. Pickled raisins instead of plain ones. A few smart choices that add up to a salad you will actually want to make again.
If you love the classic combination of carrots and raisins as much as we do, you’ll love this recipe, too.
Roasted Carrot Raisin Slaw
This roasted carrot and California raisin slaw is a delicious, easy recipe with bold flavor. Fresh shredded apple, apple cider, and freshly squeezed orange juice give it a unique and tantalizing taste. Click here for the recipe.
NEED A PLAYLIST TO LISTEN TO WHILE YOU MAKE MAGIC WITH CARROTS? CHECK OUT THIS CA GROWN SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:
Craving more delicious dishes with carrots? Check out our Pinterest for more CA GROWN recipes and ideas for innovative ways to use lots of ingredients from the Golden State in your kitchen.
Do you have an innovative way to serve carrots that we should be aware of? Snap a pic and tag us with #CAGROWN—we’d love to see what you’re cooking up.
Carrot Ribbon Salad with Pickled Raisins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup golden raisins
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 2 TBSP soy sauce or tamari
- 2 TBSP honey or date syrup
- 1 small orange juiced
- 6 medium-sized carrots
- 2 TBSP chopped parsley
- 2 TBSP minced pistachios
Instructions
- Combine the raisins and vinegar in a small bowl, set aside and allow to soak for a minimum of 15 minutes and a maximum of 8 hours, overnight.
- Next, toast the cumin seeds. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, add seeds in a single layer, and shake or stir constantly for about 1 minute until fragrant and lightly browned. Immediately transfer to a cool plate to prevent burning. Grind the toasted seeds lightly for maximum flavor. To grind cumin seeds without a grinder, you can use a rolling pin to crush them in a sealed bag or between parchment paper, use the flat bottom of a heavy skillet or pan. Set aside.
- To make the dressing, add the olive oil, soaking vinegar from the raisins, soy sauce or tamari, honey, and orange juice to a small bowl. Whisk them to combine. Set aside.
- Now prepare the carrots by peeling them with a vegetable peeler into thin ribbons. Place the ribbons into a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over the top. Toss to combine and coat all of the carrot ribbons. Add the pickled raisins, pistachios, cumin seeds, and parsley then toss again lightly.