Description
This crunchy chili crisp carrot salad is a light, but flavorfully complex salad that I’ve had on rotation in our kitchen for months.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3-4 large carrots, chopped into matchsticks (200g chopped)
- 2-3 large scallions, thinly sliced (40g sliced), plus more for garnish
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro (8g)
- 1 tbsp (12g) lemon juice
- 2 tbsp (20g) sesame oil
- 1 tbsp (16g) honey
- 2 tsp (3g) toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tsp (10g) finely grated ginger
- 1-2 tsp (6g) chili crisp (use your favorite chili crisp and adjust to your spice level)
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Prep the carrots and scallions. Chop the tops and bottoms of the carrots, and then cut each carrot in half or thirds – so each piece is about 3 inches in length. You can mandoline the carrots lengthwise on the thinnest setting, and then use your knife and slice the carrot ribbons into matchsticks. Or, I used my mandoline (linking it here) that has an interchangeable blade to get matchsticks. Slice the green onions into thin matchsticks, similar in size to the carrots. Add the sliced carrots to a bowl, along with the scallions, cilantro, lemon, and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt. Toss and set aside. NOTE: Tossing the carrots in salt and letting them sit for 5-10 minutes will help them release a little water, and will keep them crisp when tossed in the dressing.
- Make the dressing. Add the toasted sesame seeds, honey, ginger, and chili crisp to a heat-proof bowl or jar. Heat the sesame oil in a pan on high heat until it shimmers and looks watery (this is a good indicator that the oil is hot). Pour the oil over the bowl of aromatics – this will flash cook the raw ginger, mellowing out the sharpness, along with amplifying the flavors of the other ingredients. Stir well.
- Toss the salad and serve. Drain any water from the bowl of carrots, pour the dressing over the salad, and toss to combine. Adjust for salt as needed, top with extra chili crisp and sliced scallions, and serve immediately.