Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa Vinaigrette

This Moroccan Carrot Salad with Harissa Vinaigrette is a little sweet, a little spicy, and packed with flavor. It’s the perfect dish to serve as part of a meze-style spread with couscous, olives, smoked eggplant, kebabs, dips and pita bread.

Moroccan raw carrot salad of course has roots in Morocco, hence the name. It is known throughout the region as “salatat al jazar” and is usually made with some variation of carrots, fresh herbs, dried fruit, lemon, and spices.

Versions of this dish, cooked or raw, are also found in Israeli cuisine. Carrot salad is enjoyed on the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, as representing a sweet and fruitful new year ahead. And one variation of the Israeli carrot salad is served over avocado with herbs or lettuce.

I like to serve Moroccan Carrot Salad as part of a spread, with other salads, roasted chickpeas and rice (or sub cous cous if you eat gluten, it’s more traditional Moroccan).

Serve Moroccan Carrot Salad with mezze

Recipe rundown… 

Variations of Moroccan Carrot Salad abound, but for my recipe we are using the following:

You can of course switch it up according to your preference or what you have on hand. But what makes this dish so delish is the combination of the sweet dried fruit with the spicy vinaigrette, the fresh herbs and crunchy nuts.

Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list, as this recipe is super-easy and is a quick 20-minutes to throw together.

The sweet & spicy makes this salad a flavor bomb!

The technique… 

First, you make the spice blend using smoked hot paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic, cayenne and salt. Or, you can buy harissa seasoning already made if you don’t have these spices on hand. Bonus! This spice blend is also great on roasted chickpeas.

Next, make the vinaigrette. This sweet & spicy vinaigrette has some of the harissa you just made, plus shallot, lemon juice and zest, honey, sesame seeds and olive oil. You just whisk it in a bowl and it’s ready to go!

Lastly, assemble the salad. Shred the carrots, chop the herbs and dates, then toss with some of the harissa vinaigrette and it’s ready to serve. And it can be enjoyed chilled or at room temp.

TIP: use a mandolin or julienne peeler to make freshly grated julienne carrots for best taste; if the carrots are shredded too thin they’ll disappear into the salad, and if they are pre-shredded (store bought) they will be dry

If you want to mix it up or adjust the recipe according to your liking, try any of the variations below. These ingredients are found in Moroccan cuisine, so you won’t be straying too far whichever combo you choose.

Dried fruit that works here: 

Medjool dates

Nuts that work well here: 

I like pistachios but other nuts work well

Herbs that work well here: 

And that’s a recipe wrap! I hope you like this simple yet flavor-packed salad as much as I do!

If you make this dish be sure to comment below or tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your creations!

If you like this recipe check these out…

Mujadara (vegan, GF)

Carrot Noodles with Chickpeas + Zhoug (vegan, GF)

Print Recipe

Moroccan Carrot Salad + Harissa Vinaigrette

Shredded carrots with dates, parsley, pisctahios and a spicy harissa vinaigrette with sesame seeds

Course

Appetizer, Lunch, Meze, Salad, Sides

Cuisine

Israeli, Moroccan

Keyword

anti-inflammatory, dairy free, diabetes friendly, fall/autumn, gluten free, grain free, healthy, kosher, low sugar, paleo, party food, raw, salads, spices and seasonings, spring, summer, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, Whole 30, winter

Prep Time

20 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

Harissa ingredients

• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne or other chile flakes
• 1/8 tsp fine sea salt

Vinaigrette ingredients

• 1 tbsp minced shallot
• 1 tsp honey sub agave for vegan
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp harissa from above save the rest for another use
• to taste sea salt + pepper

Salad ingredients

• 3 cups julienne shredded carrots about 2-3 large carrots
• 4 each medjool dates pitted and diced
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
• 1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios

Course Appetizer, Lunch, Meze, Salad, Sides Cuisine Israeli, Moroccan Keyword anti-inflammatory, dairy free, diabetes friendly, fall/autumn, gluten free, grain free, healthy, kosher, low sugar, paleo, party food, raw, salads, spices and seasonings, spring, summer, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, Whole 30, winter Prep Time 20 minutes Servings servings Ingredients Harissa ingredients 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp cayenne or other chile flakes 1/8 tsp fine sea salt Vinaigrette ingredients 1 tbsp minced shallot 1 tsp honey sub agave for vegan 1 tsp lemon zest 2 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds 1/2 tsp harissa from above save the rest for another use to taste sea salt + pepper Salad ingredients 3 cups julienne shredded carrots about 2-3 large carrots 4 each medjool dates pitted and diced 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped 1/4 cup roasted salted pistachios

Instructions

1. make harissa: in a small bowl mix spices and salt, set aside
2. make vinaigrette: in a small jar add all dressing ingredients and shake vigorously to blend, season to taste with salt & pepper; alternatively, whisk all ingredients in a small bowl *reserve remaining harissa for another use
3. assemble salad: in a large bowl mix carrots, dates and parsley, add desired amount of vinaigrette, top with pistachios, then drizzle a little more dressing
4. serve salad right away, chilled or at room temperature

Recipe Notes

Recipe serves 4 as a side, salad, mezze

Harissa makes 2 teaspoons *save left over for another use

Dressing makes 1/4 cup *can double if you like a lot of dressing

Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com