Despite being one of the world’s preeminent cuisines, Morrocan cuisine always been sort of under my radar. I don’t really have a good reason for why, it’s just something that I don’t cook often. But recently I’ve been trying the change that and expand my recipe repertoire by making more Moroccan dishes at home. And today I want to share with you a recipe that I lave fell in love with, Moroccan carrot salad.
Like a lot of traditional Moroccan recipes, There are a lot of variations for Morrocan carrot salad. Some use cooked carrots, while others leave the carrots raw. Some add vinegar, while some use lemon juice. And some use spices like sesame seeds, and coriander, while others use cumin and chili powder. But at its heart, the dish is simply carrots lightly tossed is a mixture of herbs & spices. It’s super flavorful and best of all really simple to make, so let’s get to it.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- While you can serve this dish hot it is typically served at either room temperature or even cold. Which is great news because that means that you can make this salad ahead of time and serve it when it’s needed. In general, it will stay good in your fridge for at least 3 days.
- The spices used in Moroccan carrot salad can vary depending on the recipe. Some add sesame seeds, some coriander powder, and you can even go with a Morrocan style spice blend like our recipe for ras al hanout. So feel free to play around with the blend of spices to make this dish your own.
- This goes great with either some saffron rice, or couscous, along with our Moroccan spiced lamb chops.
Moroccan Carrot Salad Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1½ Lb of Large carrots, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
2 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 Teaspoon of salt
1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
1 Teaspoon of paprika
½ Teaspoon of ground ginger
½ Teaspoon of chili powder (optional)
1 Tablespoon of flat leaf parsley, minced
1 Tablespoon of cilantro, minced
Juice from ½ a Lemon
Instructions
- Boil the carrots: Get out a large pot and fill it halfway up with water. Place this pot over high heat and let it come to a boil. Toss in the carrots and let them cook until they are tender and can be pierced by a fork easily (roughly 25 to 30 minutes). Strain the cooked carrots through a colander and set aside.
- Make the garlic, herb & spice dressing: Get out either a large walled pan or a skillet, pour the 3 tablespoons of olive oil into it and place it over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot toss in the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Then toss in the spices, and continue to stir for another 30 seconds. Finally, toss in the fresh herbs and continue stirring for another minute.
- Finish the dish: Quickly toss in the carrots, followed by the lemon juice, and mix all of the ingredients together. Continue to sautee everything for another two minutes. Finally taste and add more salt if needed.
- Enjoy your Morrocan carrot salad.
Moroccan Carrot Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ Lb of Large carrots peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
- 3 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Cloves of garlic minced
- 1 Teaspoon of salt
- 1 Teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 Teaspoon of paprika
- ½ Teaspoon of ground ginger
- ½ Teaspoon of chili powder optional
- 1 Tablespoon of flat leaf parsley minced
- 1 Tablespoon of cilantro minced
- Juice from ½ a Lemon
Instructions
- Boil the carrots: Get out a large pot and fill it halfway up with water. Place this pot over high heat and let it come to a boil. Toss in the carrots and let them cook until they are tender and can be pierced by a fork easily (roughly 25 to 30 minutes). Strain the cooked carrots through a colander and set aside.
- Make the garlic, herb & spice paste: Get out either a large walled pan or a skillet, pour the 3 tablespoons of olive oil into it and place it over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot toss in the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Then toss in the spices, and continue to stir for another 30 seconds. Finally, toss in the fresh herbs and continue stirring for another minute.
- Finish the dish: Quickly toss in the carrots, followed by the lemon juice, and mix all of the ingredients together. Continue to sautee everything for another two minutes. Finally taste and add more salt if needed.
- Enjoy your Morrocan carrot salad.
