What to Do With Leftover Carrots

All hail thee, orange one

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Did you know that carrots left too long in the fridge go bendy?

I know this because I always have an inexplicable carrot or two that burrows into the depths of my crisper drawer only to be discovered a month later.

If you made my Thai carrot “soudle” recipe last week you too might have a leftover carrot or two. And we’re not into wasting food here at TCP, so I’ve got two very quick carrot salad recipes to save your leftover carrots from the same bendy fate as mine.

The first is Carottes Rapée — a traditional French grated carrot salad.

This is one of those recipes that split my life into BR and AR (Before Rapée and After Rapée). I’m obsessed with it, especially the cheap stuff they sell in French supermarkets. I can, and have, eaten entire tubs in one sitting.

But for those of us (including me) who don’t live in France, you can easily make Carottes Rapée at home.

The dressing is made from ingredients that always hang out in my pantry — French mustard, fresh lemon or orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Like so much French cooking its genius lies in its simplicity and quality of ingredients.

The second is another Thai-inspired salad that will help use up leftover chilies, aromatic herbs, and bits of fresh ginger that also find their way into crisper draw crevices.

I’m a grazer. I can’t go all afternoon without snacking and having these salads in the fridge reduces the chances of me going straight for the cheese. They’re also great as a little appetizer before dinner to get your appetite flowing and inject some vitamin C into your system.

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“Carrottes Rapée”

• Leftover carrots - I used two big carrots for 2 people, grated by hand or in a food processor

• A dressing made of:

  • 1.5 tbsp fresh orange juice (or 1 tbsp of fresh lemon)

  • 2 scant tsp mustard - Dijon is traditional but you can use most kinds (if it’s strong, start with less and add more if required)

  • 1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil

  • A pinch of sea salt

  • Optional — fresh herbs like parsley, chives or chervil

Thai-inspired dressed carrots

• 2 large carrots, grated by hand or in a food processor

• 1 scant tbsp fresh lime or lemon juice

• 1 tbsp light soy sauce (or fish sauce if you like it enough to eat it uncooked)

• A small nub of ginger and the same of fresh chilli, finely chopped (around 1 tbsp once chopped)

• A mix of aromatic herbs like mint, Vietnamese mint, and / or coriander, finely chopped (around 1 tbsp once chopped)

• 1/2 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil

• A pinch of sea salt

For both salads, whisk the dressing ingredients together. Pour onto the carrots. Mix and serve.

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