Make Ahead

Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa

by:
October 16, 2009
5
1 Ratings
  • 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. —Cordelia

Test Kitchen Notes

As Cordelia 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

Ingredients
  • 10 carrots
  • 2 tablespoons Harrisa
  • 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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10 Reviews

LL May 15, 2018
This very quickly became a favourite in our vegetable recipe rotation. So delicious and quick.
Ami December 9, 2013
The recipe talks about home made harissa. Can anyone give me the recipe?
sexyLAMBCHOPx December 29, 2013
its on this site just do a search for the cooks name and/or harissa.
Monsieur S. June 12, 2013
Could anyone give me an idea in weight of the amount of carrots needed? Ten carrots is really vague, depending on their size, innit?
carswell June 10, 2013
I've made a version of this for years - I got the recipe from a North African vegetarian cookbook. My version uses fresh lemon juice and parsley and finishes the salad by adding black olives. Mmmmmmm.
Kalil D. February 11, 2013
Harissa is Tunisian of origin.
aligthang January 14, 2012
Made this with a mix of different colored carrots from my local farmer's market - was a bit suspicious of the preserved lemon but the overall taste was great: tart, spicy and fresh: http://epifurious.tumblr.com/post/15724364614/moroccan-salads
kgaines May 15, 2010
Tried this - had great luck with it. I was using a blend of beautiful orange and purple carrots, and in Shanghai, I haven't ever found the right ingredients for Harissa, so I substituted a chipotle in adobo. I also added some black mustard seeds that I fried up. A very nice recipe to play with! We ate it both as a salad and as a vegetarian pita stuffing with some feta cheese and lettuce. We'll definitely be making this again. Thanks Cordeliah!
amelinda January 12, 2010
Tried this, but substituted lemon zest and juice for the preserved lemon and vinegar - so delicious! I'm always looking for new ways to prepare carrots (one of my fiance's favorite veggies) and this is definitely a keeper (he finished off the batch immediately). Thanks!
pauljoseph November 1, 2009
good recipe