Carrot Pear Salad with Miso Vinagrette
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 2 Tbsp white miso paste see notes 1
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup oil any neutral-tasting oil works
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or more as needed
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 shallots medium size, finely minced or use 1/2 small red onion
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt to taste if needed
For the salad :
- 450 g carrot peeled (about 4-6 medium-size carrots)
- 300 g pear firm but ripe, about 2 small pears
- 2 stalks scallions finely sliced
Instructions
Prepare the dressing: (can be prepared the day before)
- Whisk the miso, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Miso paste can be a bit hard to mix at the beginning, but just keep whisking. Add oil, black pepper and whisk again. Add the minced shallots and ginger. Cover and let it "marinate" in the fridge to allow the flavor to meld. The dressing should taste tangy, savory, with just a hint of sweetness. Adjust the taste to your preference
- If you make ahead, you can store it in a jar. The vinagrette will separate as it sits, give it a simple shake before pouring it onto the salad
Prepare the carrots and pears:
- Shred half of the carrots with a large-holed grater and slice the other quarter of the carrots into thin coins and the rest into dice. This is mainly for presentation and a bit of texture play. You can shred all of them if you prefer to do so
- You don't need to peel the pear. Just half the pear, remove the stem, the core and the seeds. Cut into thin slices. I soak my pear slices in 1 cup of water with 1 Tbsp of lemon juice for 5 minutes. This helps to slow down the browning or up to about 8 hours. Then remove and pat them dry
Assembling:
- Put the carrots, pears, and scallions in a large salad bowl.
- Give the dressing a whisk or a shake (if you keep it in a jar). Pour the dressing over them. Use a tong to gently toss the salad to make sure the dressing coats everything evenly
Serve immediately:
- Once you add the dressing, the salad need to be serve immediately. The longer it sits, the "watery" it may become and the pears may not look as good anymore too
Notes
Different brands of miso paste can have different sodium content. Some can be saltier than the others. I used 2 Tbsp of white miso paste, but you can start with 1 Tbsp first (you can always add more if needed). I don't recommend using red miso paste as it can be a bit too salty. If you choose to use red miso paste, start with 1 Tbsp first.
