Moroccan Carrot Salad

Sweet, caramelised carrots make the perfect partner to a sweet, spiced dressing. This Moroccan Carrot salad is a great side dish or mezze for many North African or Mediterranean themed feast.

This Moroccan inspired carrot salad is one of my favourite simple salads to put on the table. It's a doddle to put together - as simple as roasting a few carrots in the oven and dressing them in a spiced citrus dressing. It's the perfect salad to sit alongside other dishes on a Mediterranean or North African dinner table.

One of my favourite ways to eat is to have a small serving of meat or fish, usually simply grilled on the BBQ with an array of fresh salads and side dishes surrounding the meat. The salads take centre stage - focussing on textures and flavours that stand out on their own, while complimenting each other. A great way to ensure flavours compliment each other is to stay in the same geographical area - i'm not a fan of fusion food - you'll never find Asian mixed with Mediterranean, Mexican with Middle Eastern. There's a reason they're so far apart geographically!

What's Ahead?

The flavour profile of this salad ranges from North Africa to the Middle East, cumin used in plentiful amounts throughout this region and it's the perfect partner for carrots. The fragrant spiced earthiness of cumin works wonderfully alongside the condensed sweetness of roasted carrots. The dressing for this salad uses the earthiness of the cumin and marries with a sharp citrus, acidic hit of lemon juice and vinegar to counteract and balance the sweetness.

The pistachio nuts add a textural crunch and a fragrance and alluring flavour of their own. Let's face it, pistachios are up there with nut royalty, right? Love them. And the whole thing sprinkled with one of my favourite fresh herbs, mint!

Step by Step

This salad is all yours after two simple steps. Roasting then dressing in the simple, citrus dressing. Too easy.

• Step 1 - Roast the carrots for around 30 minutes on a baking tray until they've charred a little. Remove and set aside.
• Step 2 - Whisk together the oil, cumin, lemon and vinegar and pour over the carrots. Toss well to coat everything.
• Step 3 - Tip everything onto a large platter and scatter over the mint and chopped pistachio nuts and you're good to go. You can serve warm or at room temperature.

Serving & Storage Suggestions

• Serve - this simple salad is great alongside meats, fish and poultry. It's also perfect alongside other vegetable dishes as part of a larger spread. It pairs well with just about anything in the North African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines.
• Storage - Store this salad in the fridge for 3-4 days. I prefer to bring it up to room temperature before eating as the flavours are more pronounced than when straight from the fridge. Personally, I don't like to freeze this dish as the carrot can become mushy when defrosted. As ever, fresh is best!

Ready to get cooking?

I love to share all my favourite vegetable recipes, they're so important to me when I'm entertaning. Often these vegetable dishes become the star of the show, and this dish is no exception. It elevates the humble carrot to delicious new heights. Hope you enjoy the recipe.

More Moroccan recipes

You'll love this recipe and I just know you'll enjoy more of my favourite Moroccan recipes too...

• Moroccan Kefta Tagine
• Moroccan Matbucha – Tomato & Pepper Salad
• Moroccan Rice with Silverbeet
• Moroccan Matbucha – Tomato & Pepper Salad
  
• Moroccan Carrot Salad
  
• Moroccan Rice with Silverbeet
• Zaalouk (Moroccan Eggplant Salad)
  
• Freekeh Pilaf with Chickpeas
  
• Moroccan Blood Orange Salad
  
• Moroccan Fava Bean Dip with Mint & Harissa (Bessara)
  
• Roasted Cauliflower Couscous

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