Carrot Salad With Yogurt, Ghee, and Barberry Dressing Recipe

This simple fall salad dresses up shaved and pickled carrot with perky barberries and warm spiced ghee.

By
Sohla El-Waylly
Sohla El-Waylly

Sohla El-Waylly is a culinary creator, video host, and CIA graduate whose work can be found on Serious Eats, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Food52, YouTube, and more.

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Updated March 11, 2021
carrot salad
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Peeling carrot into strips and pickling larger pieces offers two textures in one salad.
  • Tart barberries add color and pop to each bite.
  • Toasting spices in ghee produces warm fall flavors in this crisp salad.

This simple fall salad highlights carrots in two ways: thin strips shaved with a peeler and crisp quick-pickled pieces, for double the texture in one bowl. For the dressing, warm spices are toasted in ghee, offering depth to contrast the tangy yogurt and bright vinegar. Finally, tiny and tart barberries speckle the dish, and dill brings a pop of color and freshness.

Recipe Details

Carrot Salad With Yogurt, Ghee, and Barberry Dressing Recipe

Active 30 mins
Total 90 mins
Serves 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 8 medium carrots (about 12 1/2 ounces; 350g)

  • 1/4 bunch fresh dill (1/2 ounce; 14g), divided

  • 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (4 ounces; 113g)

  • 1/4 cup sugar (1.8 ounces; 50g)

  • 2 tablespoons (24g) kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

  • 1 tablespoon (15g) ghee or butter

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 whole star anise

  • 2 tablespoons (10g) barberries (see note)

  • 1/3 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt (2 1/2 ounces; 70g)

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Wash and peel carrots, taking care to scrub out any dirt lodged between the carrot tops and the crowns of the carrots. Trim carrot tops, leaving only 1 inch attached on each. Using a vegetable peeler, peel carrots lengthwise to create long strips. Cover strips with a damp kitchen towel and set aside. Once most of each carrot has been peeled and only a slender core remains, split remaining carrot in half lengthwise. Repeat with the rest of the carrot cores and set aside in a shallow dish, along with half of dill.

  2. In a small pot, combine 3/4 cup (170ml) water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and pour over carrot pieces. Set aside to pickle at least 1 hour at room temperature and up to overnight in the fridge.

  3. Just before serving the salad, melt ghee or butter in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add cinnamon, bay leaf, and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove spices and add barberries to the hot fat. Transfer hot fat and barberries to a large bowl. Stir in yogurt and 2 tablespoons pickling liquid and season with salt and pepper to taste.

  4. Gently toss carrot strips in the dressing. Drain pickled carrots and chop remaining dill, then fold both into the salad. Serve right away.

Notes

Barberries are small dried berries that are tart and barely sweet, much like unsweetened cranberries. If you can't find them, unsweetened dried cranberries or chopped unsweetened dried cherries can be substituted.

Special Equipment

Vegetable peeler, mixing bowl

Make-Ahead and Storage

The carrot strips and pickled carrots can be prepped up to 24 hours in advance.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
106Calories
5gFat
14gCarbs
3gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories106
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g6%
Saturated Fat 3g14%
Cholesterol 12mg4%
Sodium 303mg13%
Total Carbohydrate 14g5%
Dietary Fiber 3g12%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 7mg37%
Calcium 61mg5%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 263mg6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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