This salad is a nostalgic favourite of mine. It was the only form of vegetables that my Aunt provided on a regular basis when I (and many of her godchildren) would spend part of the school holidays by her. From young I enjoyed the contrast in textures between the smooth creamy mayonnaise, and crunchy carrots… and the occasional burst of sweetness that the raisins provided? Heaven!

So imagine my shock when I came across a recipe for this salad of my youth in my copy of The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1000 Classic American Recipes. Apparently my fave salad was interational in origin. Who knew? This recipe replicates the flavours I remember well, and even ups the ante through its inclusion of slivered almonds.

Grated Carrot and Raisin Salad
Source: The Good Home Cookbook: More Than 1000 Classic American Recipes
Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

6 cups grated carrots
1 cup raisins
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tsps salt
black pepper

METHOD:

1. Combine the carrots, raisins, and almonds, if using, in a salad bowl
2. Mix together the mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Pour over the carrot mixture and toss with 2 forks
4. Season to taste with pepper
5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend before serving

This post was originally published February 12, 2009. It has been updated once since then.

About Sarina

Passionate foodie, founder of Trinigourmet and Caribbean Lifestyle Maven. Author of "Glam By Request: 30+ Easy Caribbean Recipes"