Carrots give a perfect crunch to a salad. Raw carrots also take well to marinades. Their texture changes slowly as they take on the flavors of a dressing. Surprisingly enough marinated carrots taste even better after being saved for a few days in the refrigerator.

Choose the readily available orange carrot, or bring some yellow or purple carrots home from the farmer’s market to make the following salad.

Ingredients

• 500 grams of fresh carrots (one pound)
• 30 grams of Dijon mustard (one rounded tablespoon)
• 30 grams of white wine honey vinegar (three tablespoons)
• 60 grams of extra virgin olive oil (six tablespoons)
• Sea salt and fresh rosemary to taste

Wash and peel the carrots cutting the tops and ends off . Grate the carrots into a salad bowl with the large side of a cheese. Make a classic vinaigrette by whisking the Dijon mustard, followed by the vinegar, a pinch of sea salt and the extra virgin oil into a small bowl. The dressing will be a bit more sour than perhaps you are used to, but will have a positive influence on the carrots. Pour the vinaigrette over the carrots and stir well.  Chill the salad for at least two hours. Add leaves of rosemary to the salad and serve.

♦  Suggested combinations
Add slivered artichoke hearts to the carrot salad marinade. Serve the carrot salad sprinkled with smoked red pepper such as “piment d’espelette” from France . Add a teaspoon of cappers and a small handful of arugla leaves to the marinated carrots, serving this combination with grilled monkfish or sea caught shrimp.

Make a fresh appetizer by serving the marinated carrots on a grilled slice of country bread brushed with olive oil. My friends enjoy this salad served with tuna packed in olive oil tossed through the carrots.

♦  Notes
Substitute fresh carrots for fresh fennel for a different kind of salad. Grate raw beetroot and toss with the same dressing for an equally interesting and bright purple dish.

Styling by Terri and photography by Sanne Couprie, 2011