Our new charcoal grill has been the source of much inspiration this summer, from bean burgers to Spanish fare to salad greens. So when the carrots from our square foot garden were harvest ready, we knew just what to with them – toss them on the grill!
As expected, grilling brought out a lovely sweet flavor in the carrots (there doesn’t seem to be much the grill can’t improve!). Tossed with the lime juice, cilantro, and just a touch of cumin, they were an excellent treat! We ate them as an appetizer since their small size lent well to finger food; they would also be great as a side dish.
Check your farmer’s markets or the grocery’s organic section for carrots on the small, thin side (if none are available, you could use larger carrots and cut them in half lengthwise). And don’t worry if you don’t have a grill – roasting the carrots in the oven can achieve a very similar taste.
- 1 pound small carrots (or large carrots cut in half lengthwise)
- 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)
- A few pinches of cumin
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Preheat a grill to medium heat. (or, toss the carrots with olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper, and roast at 400°F for 20 minutes.)
- Wash the carrots and toss them with a bit of olive oil in a bowl. Place the carrots on the grill and cook until the carrots turn paler in color and a bit wrinkled; flip over and cook the same amount (around 8 minutes total for small carrots; the timing will depend on the thickness of the carrots). When fully cooked, the carrots can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Roughly chop the cilantro.
- When the carrots are done, place them in a bowl and toss them with juice from 1 lime, a few pinches kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, cilantro, and a few pinches of cumin.
Happy Cooking! ~ Sonja & Alex
14 Comments
Chrissie
July 7, 2011 at 11:08 pmThose look great! We’ve been loving the charcoal grill this summer too, these will definitely have to make our short list of things to try.
KatySheCooks
July 8, 2011 at 8:44 amSo lovely! Must make Tim try these next time he lights the grill.
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum
July 8, 2011 at 10:52 amThese are so pretty you guys! Can we come over again? :) Love it!
Sonja
July 9, 2011 at 6:13 pmAww, thanks! Yes, please come over pronto — we’ll have some grilled carrots waiting!! :)
anja
July 8, 2011 at 11:35 amI saw a similar recipe in a cooking journal recently and thought of doing it soon. lime and cilantro are the best details.
Steph@stephsbitebybite
July 8, 2011 at 1:41 pmI totally forgot about grilled carrots!! These (with the lime) sound so yummy!!!
Lisa
July 8, 2011 at 7:17 pmLove it! Especially with the cilantro lime – it totally screams summer!
Simone
July 9, 2011 at 3:50 amThat looks gorgeous! I recently made grilled carrots for the first time with goat cheese. Delicious too. Love the simple flavors!
Mama's Gotta Bake
July 9, 2011 at 12:00 pmNow that I like. I can’t wait to make them.
tami
July 9, 2011 at 5:48 pmI’m finally coming around to being a carrot fan…mostly because of recipes like this. Never thought of grilling them! Thanks for sharing :)
Sonja
July 9, 2011 at 6:12 pmIt took me a while to become a carrot fan too – it wasn’t until I started eating “real” carrots (and not the pre-peeled baby carrot bags!) that I realized they were actually quite delicious! Hope this recipe helps you enjoy them :)
Parsley Sage
July 11, 2011 at 8:44 amFantastic grilling side! Never thought of cilantro on a carrot before :) Buzzed!
Tammy D
April 4, 2012 at 5:08 pmRoasted carrots are the best, so I can imagine grilling them would be equally fabulous. I made a carrot, cilantro, cuman side dish similar to this (without the grilling) to eat with your Mexican lasagna. Mouth watering good.
Sonja
April 7, 2012 at 9:36 amOoo sounds delicious! How did you do it?