Author Notes
Old-school carrot-raisin salad gets a long-awaited update. —Emma Laperruque
Ingredients
- Dressing
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1/4 cup
extra-virgin olive oil
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3 tablespoons
just-squeezed lime juice (about 1 large lime)
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1/4 cup
golden raisins
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3
garlic cloves, smashed, peeled, roughly chopped
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1 teaspoon
cumin seeds
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1 pinch
kosher or flaky salt
- Salad
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1 pound
pineapple slabs (from about 1/2 average-sized pineapple)
-
1 tablespoon
sugar
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1/2 teaspoon
ground cayenne
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1 1/4 pounds
carrots, peeled
-
1 cup
cilantro leaves
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1 pinch
kosher salt
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2
large avocados, peeled, pitted, and roughly chopped
Directions
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Combine the olive oil, lime juice, and raisins. Leave to soak while you prep the salad.
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Turn on the broiler. Line a rimmed sheet tray with foil. Add the pineapple slabs. Combine the sugar and cayenne in a small bowl, then sprinkle half on top of the pineapple. Broil for 5 to 10 minutes, until very charred. Remove from the oven, flip over, and sprinkle the rest of the cayenne sugar on top. Broil for another 5 or so minutes until charred. Cool completely (a freezer helps!), then chop into big chunks.
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Prep the carrots. Use a vegetable peeler to strip the carrots into long ribbons into a big bowl. This will become trickier as you whittle down the vegetable—I like to save the very center for future snacks. Add the cilantro and pineapple to the bowl.
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Finish the dressing. Dump the olive oil, lime juice, and raisins into a food processor, along with the garlic, cumin, and salt. Pulse until a creamy, chunky dressing forms. Season with salt to taste.
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Add about half the dressing and a pinch of salt to the salad. Toss. Add more dressing to taste—you may not use all of it. Add some avocado, give a very gentle toss, then top with the rest. Serve immediately.
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.
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