This Spicy Carrot Ginger Dressing is made with the carrots in escabeche that come in canned pickled jalapeños. Bright and tasty, it’s great on salads. Also good as a dip for crudités, especially little carrots. Just saying.
I don’t know about you, but we always have a Tupperware full of whole jalapeños stashed in the refrigerator. Can't eat a lot of dishes without them. (Looking at you, fried chicken and grilled chicken tacos.) It’s one of those tall guys with a strainer inside so you can lift the jalapeños out of the juice easily. The Tupperware people call it a Pick-A-Deli® Container and it’s great for pickles, olives and, of course, jalapeños.
When we run out of jalapeños and I have to open a new can, I need to tip a bit of the juice out of the Tupperware to make room for the new stuff. And sometimes, if it’s been a while, I have to take out some of the left-behind carrots and onions too or the whole new can won’t fit. I know some people simply eat these spicy pickled carrots as a snack but we really don’t, so there are always carrots leftover at the end of the jalapeños.
The other day I removed about 4 ounces or 112g of carrots and was looking for something to use them in. You know, not to have a container of pickled carrots just sitting in the fridge. And, no, I could not throw them out! Bite your tongue. My grandfather came of age in the Great Depression so my mother was raised by him and I think frugality came down to me by a genetic disposition. Look it up. It's a thing.
In my search, I came across lots of recipes for a carrot ginger dressing that is apparently a popular Japanese restaurant thing. Who knew? This dressing is not that but, boy, is it good! I could eat it with a spoon. Plus, now I have a jar of dressing I WILL USE instead of pickled carrots that I will not.
Spicy Carrot Ginger Dressing
The carrots in escabeche are an essential part of the recipe for canned pickled jalapeños, for flavor, adding a some carrot-y sweetness and helping to balance the spiciness of the peppers. They are not just cheaper filler for the can as I thought before researching this! This dressing recipe is adapted from one by Andrew Zimmern. His is made with cooked carrots, not escabeche ones. Missed a trick, Andrew.
Ingredients
4 oz or 112g carrots in escabeche
1/3 cup or 80ml olive oil
1/4 cup or 60ml rice vinegar
3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 shallot, chopped
1-2 teaspoons sugar (to taste, I added just one)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Method
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
We like a thicker dressing but you can add a little water to thin it, if you prefer. Serve over your favorite salad! Or use the thicker dressing for dipping faux baby carrots.
Enjoy!
It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing some of our favorite carrot recipes. Many thanks to our host, Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories. Check out the links below.
- Carrot Cake Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Carrot Pudding from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
- Carrot Fries from Mildly Indian
- Carrot Roulade from Sneha's Recipe
- Grilled Carrots from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Nomato Soup - a Faux Tomato Soup with Carrots from A Messy Kitchen
- Roasted Carrots with Burrata from Amy's Cooking Adventures
- Spicy Carrot Ginger Dressing from Food Lust People Love
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.
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