It’s turned out to be an “empty your vegetable drawer” week. We started off with a Creamy Vegan Vegetable Soup on Monday, then Butter Braised Radishes on Tuesday. Today’s offering is a Tunisian Carrot Salad. This is a dish I’ve wanted to make for awhile, but kept putting it off for one reason or another. It’s great as a side dish or as an appetizer; with a bit of heat from the ground cumin and cayenne, a bit of tang from the vinegar, and a burst of fresh from the cilantro.
Carrots are unappreciated. This salad will change that.
Like radishes, carrots are an unappreciated vegetable. Sure, they’re great in salads, and who hasn’t carried some baby carrots tucked inside a baggie? But do we really appreciate their versatility? Carrots can be roasted, pureed, pan fried, pickled and steamed. I’m the first to admit I generally use carrots as salad filler or dip picker-upper.
Tunisian Carrot Salad is a break from plain old carrots. It’s delicious hot or cold. The first night we had them as a side for chicken. I added the leftovers to some browned ground beef and served them over spinach for a quick lunch. The flavor of the carrots was a welcome contrast to the meat. Like the Butter Braised Radishes mentioned earlier, Tunisian Carrot Salad is another dish that would be welcome at a potluck.
There are a lot of variation on this salad, I liked this one from Food.com.
Ingredients
- 2 cups carrots peeled and cut on the bias (about a pound)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar white balsamic will work, too
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or dutch oven, cook the carrots in salted water until crisp/tender. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet (or the same dutch oven used to cook the carrots), heat the oil and spices over medium high heat.
- Add the cooked carrots, water and vinegar.
- Simmer until the liquid is absorbed.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss with the cilantro.
- You can serve them right away, or allow them to cool before serving.
- If stored in the fridge, give them another stir before serving and add a little olive oil and/or vinegar to perk the carrots up if needed.
Are you a carrot fan? Give these recipes a try:
Hi Lydia,
Great recipe – I love carrots and they are so good for us. I agree that are an unappreciated vegetables. Have a healthy happy day.
You are right Lydia. Carrots are underappreciated. This sounds like a great way to dress them up for company. Carrots are easy on the budget so I always have them in the house. In fact, I eat so many that I think I am turning orange. LOL! I’ll be sure to share this with others. Thanks again for linking up with Let’s Get Real.
We usually use carrots in salad or as carrot sticks. I need some new carrot ideas…this is perfect! It looks wonderful and your picture is gorgeous! I did try something new the other day that looks like it was a hit, so I’ll try it again and maybe it will go on the blog. Anyway, I already pinned this earlier, but I wanted to come back to visit. Happy Friday!
Thanks Michelle! I’m looking forward to your new idea 🙂
I make a similar recipe and it is nothing short of spectacular! The cumin and cilantro make the flavors of the carrots pop. Thanks for sharing
I know what you mean. So fresh! 🙂
What a fun way to spice up your classic carrot side dish! Yummy!
I absolutely adore carrots – boiled, raw, baked, glazed, etc… 🙂 I can’t wait to try this recipe. It sounds absolutely devine! I may have to substitute lemon juice for the vinegar, however, because I always prefer lemons over vinegar. Thanks for the recipe,Lydia. Have a wonderful day!
Let me know how you like it 🙂
I love carrot salads! Particularly those with North African flavors. This looks wonderful — thanks.