Like a breath of fresh springtime air, this crunchy salad of carrots, pomegranate, pistachios, shallot, and mint will bring you LIFE! Winter (we hope) is fading, and I’m getting sooo excited for spring produce! This salad feels like the in-between time, taking advantage of the present (winter pomegranate while it’s still in season), but looking forward to those light green bulb shoots breaking out of the winter earth.

Soaking raw veggie ribbons in ice water is a wonderful way to celebrate and accentuate the crunch of root vegetables. You can also try it with radishes!

Dressed Ribbon Carrots with Shallot, Pomegranate, Pistachio, and Mint | Easy, Healthy Vegetable Side Dishes for Easter or Spring — I did not curl these carrot ribbons for the photo– this is what they will look like after soaking in ice water!

Dressed Ribbon Carrots Recipe

Print Recipe

Dressed Ribbon Carrots

I use a mandoline slicer (and wear a cut-resistant glove) for this recipe. If you don’t have one, you can use a vegetable peeler for similar results!

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 lb rainbow carrots peeled and ends trimmed
1 large shallot peeled and ends trimmed
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1/3 cup toasted chopped pistachios
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (from 1 large pomegranate)
2 tbsp thinly sliced mint leaves

Instructions

Set your mandoline slicer on a setting that thinly slices your carrots, but doesn’t slice them so thin that they lose their crunch (you can experiment with this a bit.) Slice the carrots into ribbons by running them gently across the blade lengthwise with your palm, keeping your hand flat. (If you don’t have a cut resistant glove, consider using a vegetable peeler instead or purchasing 2 lbs carrots and shaving each one down only halfway. Your hands are important, and you can use the leftover carrot pieces for something else.) Slice the shallot thinly lengthwise on the mandoline as well. Place the shaved carrots and shallot in a large bowl and cover with cold water and a few ice cubes. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Drain the carrots and shallot well and gently wrap in clean kitchen towels to dry a bit further.
In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar and olive oil until emulsified and season with salt and pepper.
Toss the carrots and shallots with the dressing, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with pistachios, pomegranate seeds, and mint. Enjoy right away!