Make Ahead

Moroccan carrot salad with Harissa

by:
June  9, 2021
4.4
16 Ratings
Moroccan carrot salad with Harissa
  • Serves 8-10
Author Notes

Classic Moroccan salad, zesty and tangy. It is best when you use not too spicy home made Harissa (Moroccan chili paste) and home made preserved lemons. But if you don't have the lemon you can cut a lemon with peel to small pieces and cook it for one minute in a little water in the microwave. —Cordeliah

Test Kitchen Notes

As Cordeliah notes, this salad is all about tang and fragrance. It's one of those dishes that really wakes up your tongue: the garlic keeps on giving (in the best possible way); the harissa lends both sweetness and heat (you can control the latter by choosing a milder or more spicy harissa); and the perfume of the preserved lemon lingers after each bite. We love the plump little rounds of carrot, which grab onto just the right amount of dressing. And yes, it is even better the next day. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 10 carrots
  • 2 tablespoons Harissa
  • 4 tablespoons chopped preserved lemon (about one lemon)
  • 5 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 1/4 bunch cilantro
  • salt & pepper
Directions
  1. Cut the carrot to rounds about 1/2 cm thick.
  2. Boil 4 cups of water and add salt.
  3. Boil the carrot for 10 min until soft but still have some bite to it. Drain, let dry and cool.
  4. Mix the carrot with the rest of the ingredients and let it sit in the fridge at least over night.
  5. Before serving check and see if the salad needs more salt or vinegar.
  6. Serve at room temperature.
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21 Reviews

brushjl
brushjl December 31, 2023
Fantastic dish. Great way to get all those vitamins out of carrots.
 
titi
titi September 3, 2022
beautiful & delicious. The carrots were done at 8 mins, so it's worth checking them early as they are easily to taken to mushy town if cooked a minute too long.
 
Anusha R.
Anusha R. October 1, 2021
Really beautiful recipe. I was surprised by how good the flavours were given how simple the recipe is!
 
Mariond.
Mariond. August 20, 2021
I've been a little shy about the harissa because mine is very potent but I shouldn,'t have. I also thrown some yellow beets I had too. Beautiful recipe, very simple and tasty. Will redo for sure !
 
Beth L.
Beth L. June 9, 2021
Super good! Even the carrot phobic ate it. Definitely going into rotation.
 
Tammy R.
Tammy R. April 4, 2021
This was excellent! I used half the amount of harissa that was called for as I was serving for Easter and didn’t want it to be too hot for anyone. Will definitely make again
 
Sevanti J.
Sevanti J. September 15, 2019
Looks delish, haven’t made it yet and wanted to comment that it could also be tagged VEGAN😄
 
Nelle
Nelle November 28, 2016
This was delicious, made for a potluck with friends. I had mild harissa on hand, but I'll purchase spicier harissa next time. Also, my purple carrots turned green-blue during the boil. If you care about presentation, stick to orange carrots.
 
Gillian M.
Gillian M. March 3, 2016
It is VERY yummy. But very tiny. There is no way that this serves 8 humans with any kind of appetite!! I used Harissa powder (it's what I had on hand) and just mixed with some olive oil. Otherwise made as stated and very tasty (and garlicky... reduce if you're not that keen on garlic, but we are!)
 
Darcie S.
Darcie S. December 12, 2014
So I think I added too much harissa. This isn't a problem for me, the spicier, the better I always say. However I am bringing this to a dinner party and I think it may too hot for most of the guests. Anyone have a trick to lessen the spice? I was thinking about adding more lemon juice. Thought? Ideas?
 
Anne B.
Anne B. September 18, 2014
This is fantastic. I only used a Tbls of harissa b/c I don't like it really hot. I put it on a bed of arugula and ate it with some tinned anchovies and a little mozerella. Great flavors.
 
tulip549
tulip549 November 10, 2013
This is pretty tasty. I used my own homemade harissa sauce and added some greek yogurt as well. It was quite delicious.
 
SparkleDiana
SparkleDiana April 13, 2012
Ok, the tip about microwaving lemon when you don't have preserved lemon on hand is ingenious! I wish I knew that trick years ago. The garlic and harissa get stronger each day, and I loved the full-flavored, pungency. I bought clusters of purple, orange and yellow carrots - so pretty with the green flecks of herbs and red ribbons of dressing.
 
HeatherM
HeatherM April 12, 2012
Finally made this last weekend after lusting after it for months. I still didn't have any preserved lemon on hand, but used Cordeliah's tip and just microwaved about a lemon's worth of sliced peel - it worked great! I'm sure it was missing a little something but I certainly didn't miss it. I also subbed fresh parsley as I was cooking for a cilantro-hater. Will definitely make again.
 
MotherWouldKnow
MotherWouldKnow February 6, 2012
Made this salad for a Middle Eastern brunch. It was delicious. I cut the garlic to 3 cloves, and that was plenty. I only had 1 preserved lemon and that was enough. Maybe it says something about how fantastic it was, but 4 of us finished a good part of the salad that is supposed to serve 8-10. I'd say it serves 6. Yum!!!
 
borntobeworn
borntobeworn December 31, 2011
I finally just made this last night and am eating it now for lunch! Love it! I preserved my lemons months ago and made the Harissa 2 weekends ago because I couldn't find any locally. Thanks for the recipe!
 
mzmecz
mzmecz March 22, 2011
So, if "homemade" is possible for preserved lemons, how about a recipe?
 
Stockout
Stockout March 22, 2011
I just preserved four of them for 1 month and now they are ready to use. You need spring lemons with thin skins. Cut them into 8 wedges and roll them in sea salt or kosher if that is all you have. Pack them into a glass container. After 4 weeks they will be tender enough to cook with. Make sure you remove the insides and only cook with the skins. I rinse mine to get off the excess salt. Make sure you use a non metal container...meaning a glass lid and bottom with a plastic sealer. NO METAL. Walmart sells them as well as any good Kitchen Store.
 
susan G.
susan G. January 10, 2011
I'm happy that nutcakes asked a question about this on Foodpickle. I was fortunate that all ingredients were on hand. Loved it!
 
deborah W.
deborah W. November 22, 2009
I've got tamarind paste, and I've got meyer lemon marmalade. what do you think of substituting either or both for the preserved lemon, which I don't have.
 
chinagirl
chinagirl November 11, 2009
This looks absolutely wonderful, and I look forward to making it later on this week. Anything with preserved lemons in it perks me up with anticipation. I wonder whether a bit of fresh mint would be good in it instead of, or alongside, the cilantro?