Recipe

Brined Grilled Carrots with Cilantro-Yogurt Sauce

by Sasha Marx

By now (I hope) we’ve all experienced firsthand how brining can transform lean, easy-to-overcook cuts of meat and poultry into juicy, well-seasoned showstoppers. Great—now that we’ve got that covered, it’s time to brine your vegetables. Seriously. I love grilling whole young carrots (and asparagus, too!) and serving them at a barbecue or a fancy dinner, but let’s face it: They are really tricky to season evenly. Dusting raw carrots with salt is like throwing a tennis ball at a garage door—it just bounces right off. You can coat them in fat to give the salt something to stick to, but that seasoning will only be skin deep.
Enter brining. Just 45 minutes in a salty bath (I found that an 8 percent salt solution worked best) changes the vegetable-grilling game. Unlike with meat, where we brine to add water, increase tenderness, and season, our goal here is primarily seasoning (though the carrots do soften slightly in the brine so they’ll cook a bit faster). The salt diffuses into the carrots, so instead of a layer of intense salt surrounding a bland interior, we get carrots that taste more like themselves. Not salty. Carrot-y. After they come out of the brine, I grill them quickly over a hot fire to develop char and smoky flavor without sacrificing crunch. Drizzled with a bright, slightly spicy cilantro-yogurt sauce and sprinkled with peanuts and fresh herbs, these carrots might just become your new favorite side dish to bust out during grilling season. Want more salt? Discover its hidden complexities in our feature, Salt Life.

Photography by Steve Klise

Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
680 g young carrots, unpeeled, tops removed and reserved
900 g water
72 g kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
120 g Greek-style yogurt
36 g plus 12 g dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse, divided
35 g jalapeño chile (1 chile), stemmed, seeds reserved, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
16 g plus 4 g coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems, divided
16 g plus 4 g carrot tops, washed and chopped coarse, divided
15 g ice (1 ice cube)
6 g finely grated fresh ginger
6 g garlic (1 clove), cut into ¼-inch pieces
1 g ground coriander
1½ pounds young carrots, unpeeled, tops removed and reserved
4 cups water
½ cup kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1 cup plus ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and stems, divided
1 cup plus ¼ cup carrot tops, washed and chopped coarse, divided
½ cup Greek-style yogurt
3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse, divided
1  jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and cut into ¼-inch pieces
1  ice cube
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1  garlic clove, cut into ¼-inch pieces
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
Essential Equipment
Instructions
    • 680 g young carrots, unpeeled
    • 900 g water
    • 72 g kosher salt 
    Rinse and scrub carrots to remove any dirt. Whisk water and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Submerge carrots in brine and let sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes or up to 1 hour. Transfer carrots to paper towel–lined plate and pat dry. Discard brine.  
    • 120 g Greek yogurt 
    • 36 g dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse 
    • 35 g jalapeño chile (1 chile), stemmed, seeds reserved, and cut into ¼-inch pieces 
    • 16 g fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped coarse 
    • 16 g carrot tops, washed and chopped coarse 
    • 15 g ice (1 ice cube) 
    • 6 g finely grated fresh ginger 
    • 6 g garlic (1 clove), cut into ¼-inch pieces 
    • 1 g ground coriander 
    • Kosher salt
    Meanwhile, process yogurt, 36 grams peanuts, jalapeño, 16 grams cilantro, 16 grams carrot tops, ice, ginger, garlic, and coriander in blender on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. Taste for spiciness; if desired, add more spice by blending in reserved jalapeño seeds. Season with salt to taste. Transfer yogurt sauce to small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. 
  3. For a Charcoal Grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts [2000 grams]). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

    For a Gas Grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
  4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place carrots on grill (directly over coals if using charcoal) and cook, turning occasionally, until carrots are well charred on all sides and just beginning to soften on exteriors, 3 to 5 minutes for very small carrots and 5 to 7 minutes for larger ones. Transfer to serving plate. 
    • 12 g dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse 
    • 4 g fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped coarse 
    • 4 g carrot tops, washed and chopped coarse
    Drizzle yogurt sauce over carrots, then sprinkle with 12 grams peanuts, 4 grams cilantro, and 4 grams carrot tops. Serve. 
Instructions
    • 1½ pounds young carrots, unpeeled 
    • 4 cups water 
    • ½ cup kosher salt
    Rinse and scrub carrots to remove any dirt. Whisk water and salt in large bowl until salt is dissolved. Submerge carrots in brine and let sit at room temperature for at least 45 minutes or up to 1 hour. Transfer carrots to paper towel–lined plate and pat dry. Discard brine. 
    • 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped coarse 
    • 1 cup carrot tops, washed and chopped coarse 
    • ½ cup Greek yogurt 
    • 3 tablespoons dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse 
    • 1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeds reserved, and cut into ¼-inch pieces 
    • 1 ice cube 
    • 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger 
    • 1 garlic clove, cut into ¼-inch pieces 
    • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander 
    • Kosher salt
    Meanwhile, process 1 cup cilantro, 1 cup carrot tops, yogurt, 3 tablespoons peanuts, jalapeño, ice, ginger, garlic, and coriander in blender on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping down sides of blender jar halfway through processing. Taste for spiciness; if desired, add more spice by blending in reserved jalapeño seeds. Season with salt to taste. Transfer yogurt sauce to small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use. 
  3. For a Charcoal Grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts [4½ pounds]). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. 

    For a Gas Grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
  4. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place carrots on grill (directly over coals if using charcoal) and cook, turning occasionally, until carrots are well charred on all sides and just beginning to soften on exteriors, 3 to 5 minutes for very small carrots and 5 to 7 minutes for larger ones. Transfer to serving plate. 
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems, chopped coarse
    • ¼ cup carrot tops, washed and chopped coarse
    • 1 tablespoon dry-roasted peanuts, chopped coarse
    Drizzle yogurt sauce over carrots, then sprinkle with ¼ cup cilantro, ¼ cup carrot tops, and 1 tablespoon peanuts. Serve. 
Close

Cook’s Science Newsletter

Sign up for our newsletter and be the first to learn about new stories, get behind-the-scenes looks at our research and testing, and score exclusive recipes.

Welcome to the community!

Keep an eye on your inbox for the sauce recipes and for our regular newsletter. Thanks for joining us!