Carottes Râpées, Ribbon-Style

Our favorite way to make French carrots vinaigrette, a ubiquitous salad known as carottes râpées, is to use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots into gorgeous ribbons. Best of all, it’s even easier than the way most French home cooks make the dish, using a box grater.

READ: “Carottes Râpées, France’s ubiquitous carrot salad, gets a game-changing upgrade”

Shaved fine as we do, the carrots become instantly elegant — and they pick up their lemony vinaigrette beautifully. Finish the salad with snipped chives and nigella seeds, and you’ve got something so good you’ll want to make it again next week.

Makes two servings.

Ingredients

1/2 pound / 225 grams carrots, peeled

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

A few grinds of black pepper

2 teaspoons snipped chives

1/4 teaspoon nigella seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Working over a medium bowl, use a vegetable peeler to shave the carrots into ribbons (pretend you’re peeling the carrots, but keep going, rotating the carrot now and then, until you can’t peel anymore). Set aside. Save the skinny cores for another use, or snack on them.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard and salt, then whisk in the olive oil. Add a few grinds of black pepper. Pour the dressing over the carrots and toss to coat. Divide between two plates, and sprinkle each with half the chives and half the nigella seeds (if using.) Serve right away, or keep it, chilled, for up to a few hours.