A great quick and easy salad loaded with crunchy carrots, chickpeas, and lots of flavor, this Moroccan Carrot Salad is a great option when you are after something a little bit different. Great to bring along to a potluck, to enjoy alongside a nice piece of grilled chicken or fish, or to stuff inside a wrap.
Easy Moroccan Carrot Salad
I have been making this Moroccan Carrot Salad recipe a lot lately, so I thought it fitting to float it to the top of the recipes pile this week.
You are going to need:
- Carrots (lots of them)
- Dates
- Red onion
- Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- Green onions
- Corriander (cilantro)
- Lime juice and zest
- Cumin
- Nutmeg
- Turmeric
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Feta, salt, and pepper for garnish
It may seem like a lot of ingredients at first glance, but a lot are spices that give the salad that great Moroccan flavor.
Simply combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, give it a good mix, add the dressing and toss to combine and you are good to go.
How To Shred Carrots For Salad
There are a few options here depending on what you have on hand.
You can use:
- A handheld grater
- The grater attachment in a food processor
- A mandolin set to the finest setting
Each device will yield a slightly different result.
If you use the grater you will have thinner shreds of carrot that will get soggy more quickly, so it is best to eat the salad straight away if this is the option you use. If you are planning on bringing it to a potluck then hold off on dressing the salad until you get there to keep the carrots as crunchy as possible. There is nothing worse than soggy salad.
If you use the grater attachment on a food processor or the mandolin, you will have thicker shreds of carrot which will hold up a lot better in this type of salad and will allow for the crunch of the carrots to hang around for longer, even after the carrot salad is dressed.
How To Serve Moroccan Carrot Salad
As this recipe is so easy to put together and requires no cooking at all, it is the perfect salad to enjoy for a casual backyard BBQ when you want to enjoy nice food but you don't want to be in the kitchen for hours.
I have brought it along to a few potlucks over the years and it is always well received as it really is so very different from your average salad.
You don't need to tell anyone how easy it is to make!
Although it does have quite strong flavors from the cumin and turmeric it does pair well with a lot of other foods, such as:
- Grilled chicken
- Grilled fish
- Meatballs
- In a wrap for lunch
- Loaded with feta and extra pumpkin seeds for a meal all by itself
Use your imagination and enjoy this exotic carrot salad in whatever way you see fit.
Extra Tips For The Best Carrot Salad
To make this Moroccan carrot salad even easier to bring together here are a few tips:
- If you don't have the time to grate the carrots you could always buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots. They usually have these in the fridge in the veggie section as the store.
- The dates are a lot easier to cut if you pop them into the fridge for about 20 minutes before using, otherwise, they can be a bit sticky and clump together.
- If you are bringing this along to a function or you want to prepare in advance, make the dressing separately and just pour over when you are about to serve, otherwise, you will end up with soggy salad, and no-one wants that.
- To transport the salad, make sure that it is wrapped tightly with clingwrap or it is in a bowl with a well-fitting lid, otherwise, the carrots will go a brownish color which does not look appealing.
In Need Of Some More Salad Recipes? Check These Out:
- Sticky Tofu and Vietnamese Noodle Salad from Mrs. Jones Kitchen
- Quinoa Veggie Bowl with Basil Hummus Dressing
- Super Simple Avocado and White Bean Salad
- Warm Winter Vegetable Salad
- Moroccan Cauliflower and Pumpkin Couscous Salad
Happy Eating.
xx
Recipe
Marrakesh Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups grated carrots see notes
- 1 can garbanzo beans rinsed and drained chickpeas
- 7 medjool dates pitted and chopped
- ½ a small red onion minced
- 4 green onions white and light green parts only, finely chopped
- ½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
- 2 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Zest of 1 lime and juice of 2
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- Crumbled feta cheese for garnish optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the carrots, garbanzo beans, dates, red onion, green onions and cilantro
- In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, zest and juice of the limes, cumin, nutmeg, turmeric, salt and pepper
- Pour the dressing over the carrot salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle on the pumpkin seeds and feta cheese if using. Serve or cover and chill in the fridge until ready to use
chefkreso says
Looks and sounds refreshing and tasty, I really like the combo of flavors!