Blackened Carrot Lardons

Our cheeky Rabbit friend is delighted to show you the detail of his giant carrot, packed with vitamin A and beta-carotene, which you can’t see under his magnifier. His gigantic carrot will soon become a delectable blacked morsel, one part of today’s Blackened Carrot Lardons recipe.

A lardon, sometimes called a lardoon, is typically a small piece of fatty bacon or pork fat used to add rich, salty flavor to food, however, for this, we are using healthy carrots. The blackening spice may be doubled or tripled and used with other foods like roasted cauliflower or tofu steaks.

Serve these carrot lardons as you would bacon bits, such as on a green salad, over sliced tomatoes, or in potato salad. As you can clearly see, the possibilities are endless. Thanks for your help, Rabbit.

Blackened Carrot Lardons

Make the blackening powder – Mix the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. 

Make the carrot lardons –  In a skillet over medium heat, add the diced carrots. Whisk the canola oil, tamari, and blackening powder together and pour over the diced carrots. Simmer the carrots for 30 minutes, stirring often until deeply browned and tender. Drain off extra oil, then drain on paper towels. 

Optional – Dehydrate the carrot lardons for 12-15 hours at 115˚ or bake in the oven for one hour at 250˚ for crispier lardons.

Store in a jar in the refrigerator for 1 week. Serve with a cobb salad, over sliced tomatoes, or anywhere you might want extra smoky flavor.

makes about one cup

BLACKENING SPICE 

  • 2 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp pink sea salt
  • ¼ tsp  dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

CARROT LARDONS 

  • 1.5 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into ¼” dice
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 3 tbsp tamari
  • blackening powder (see above)