Moroccan carrot salad
Moroccan carrot salad is boiled carrot doused in hot spiced olive oil. Warm oil draws the aroma out of cumin and paprika far better than a cold marinade — and the carrot drinks it up as it cools.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Boiling the carrots 12 min
- Hot marinade 8 min
- Cooling 20 min
Step by step
0 / 4 doneBoil the carrots al dente
Cut the carrots into 5 mm rounds and boil in salted water for 10–12 minutes. They should be tender but hold their shape — test with a knife, it should meet slight resistance. Drain and leave in the colander.
Ingredients: 700 g carrots · 1000 ml water · 1 tbsp salt
TipOvercooked carrot falls apart when tossed with the marinade. Better a minute early than a minute late.
The knife meeting resistance is the sign to drain.Bloom the spices in oil
Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat, add the crushed garlic and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the cumin, paprika and chilli and stir for another 20–30 seconds, until the spices smell strongly — they must not darken, as scorched paprika turns bitter. Take off the heat at once.
Ingredients: 5 tbsp olive oil · 3 cloves garlic · 2 tsp cumin · 1 tsp sweet paprika · ½ tsp chilli flakes · 1 pcs lemon · 1 tsp honey or maple syrup · ½ tsp salt
TipSpices scorch easily, so squeeze the lemon beforehand. Poured into the pan off the heat, it cools the oil and stops the cooking.
Thirty seconds until fragrant — then straight off the heat.Combine while hot
With the pan off the heat, carefully pour in the juice of the whole lemon (it will hiss and may spit), add the honey and salt, stir and immediately pour it over the warm carrots. Toss gently so every round is coated.
Ingredients: 700 g carrots · 1000 ml water · 1 tbsp salt
Cool and season
Leave for 20 minutes at room temperature — the carrots absorb the marinade. Taste and adjust with salt or lemon; flavours seem weaker once cool. Scatter coriander and olives before serving.
Ingredients: ½ bunch coriander · 60 g olives
Before you start
Better the next day
After a night in the fridge the carrots are noticeably better. It keeps 3 days in a closed container in the fridge. Take it out an hour before serving — cold olive oil sets.
With harissa
Swap the chilli for a teaspoon of harissa added with the lemon juice. The salad becomes hotter and more aromatic.
Part of a mezze
Serve with other cold salads, such as aubergine zaalouk, with olives and bread — in Morocco several such salads are often served to start a meal.
