Almost Ran’s Perfect Moroccan Carrot Salad is filled with vibrant roasted carrots, perfectly tossed with olive oil, lemon, garlic, cumin, and fresh herbs.
As the weather gets warm, I begin making salads… lots and lots of salads; filled with herbs and dressings, bright citrus and fruity oils. When the weather gets really warm, I make (almost) Ran’s carrot salad. I make pounds of it. I love it, my husband loves it, my children love it, everyone in the world loves it… because…well…it’s just perfect.
My Moroccan carrot salad is inspired by our dear friend Ran and his famous carrot salad. Our families became instant friends when they moved to our town a number of years ago. His wife, Elise is the warmest of souls, with that effortless French accent that embraces you into a sense of ease…and can persuade you to do anything. Literally, anything. Ran, her Israeli/Egyptian husband, so quiet and calm, with bright eyes, is a most brilliant cook. He makes a carrot salad, just like his mom’s carrot salad, filled with herbs, raw garlic and simply dressed with lemon juice. The raw garlic is not overwhelming, but counters the acidity from the lemon juice. The sweetness from the carrots and burst of freshness from the herbs balances out the whole salad. Ran’s carrot salad highlights ingredients that are prepared simply and combined perfectly. This salad is very much like the chef himself, quiet and unassuming, yet brilliant.
I had to know how to make this salad… it is the stuff of dreams…MY dreams. “No problem,” he told me, “just some boil carrots, mix them with cumin, garlic, herbs and lemon juice and there you have it.” This was hardly a recipe.
Then one day, just like that, they moved. No more Elise and our vivacious coffee dates, no more Ran, no more….carrot salad. That summer, I made endless carrot salads to try and crack the code. But then, in my way of cooking, I began to slowly change the recipe. A recipe a way to to remember, but also to move forward. So did my memories, so did my carrot salad.
Why You’ll Love Almost Ran’s Perfect Moroccan Carrot Salad!
In my version of Ran’s salad, I roast the carrots whole instead of boiling them to bring out depth of flavor. There is an earthiness, a rich sweetness, that comes from roasting them. I also used multi colored carrots for flair and fun (of course regular orange carrots do just fine). My carrot salad includes a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for an extra luscious layer which mellows the sharp acidity in the lemon and raw garlic, leaving you with a balance of softness and bite all at once. This carrot salad is delicious eaten immediately, which I highly recommend, or can be tucked away in the fridge.
Almost Ran’s Perfect Moroccan Carrot Salad will become your go-to salad for everything; for every dinner, gathering, potluck, or quick lunch you keep tucked away in the fridge. Become the hero of your next block party BBQ or simply the most savvy meal prepper.
Ran, we miss you all, the times we had, the food we shared and of course, your carrot salad!
Here is my recipe for your perfect carrot salad….almost.
Almost Ran’s Perfect Moroccan Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 3 pounds carrots scrubbed and dried
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for roasting carrots
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup parsley cilantro, or a combination, minced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 415 degrees (410 convection roast, if you have that setting)
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Scrub and wash the carrots. Pat them dry and place them on the baking tray.
- Drizzle the carrots with a thin layer of olive oil and toss them to coat (a few tablespoons). Spread the carrots out on the baking tray and roast in the oven between 35 minutes to an hour, until the thickest section of the carrots can be easily pieced with a fork. The carrots should be very tender. (The cooking range depends on how thick your carrots are.)
- Remove the carrots from the oven and let cool until they are just warm. About 10-15 minutes.
- Cut off the carrot tops and the very tips and discard them.
- Slice carrots into 3/4 inch slices and place in a bowl. If your carrots are really thick, split them in half length-wise before slicing.
- Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, kosher salt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and cumin. Gently toss.
- At this point we require a bit of “jiggery pokery”. Taste test your salad. The salad should have some sharpness from the garlic and bright acidity from the lemon, without being puckering. If your salad does not include either of these tastes, you may opt to add a little more garlic (1/4 teaspoon) a touch more lemon juice and a pinch more salt (sometimes, the carrots suck up all the flavor very quickly).
- Add the minced parsley and/or cilantro and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately or chill in the fridge and enjoy later.
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