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Moroccan Carrot Salad with Oranges

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 -6
Author Margaret Bose Johnson

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon orange flower water also called orange blossom water
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice about 1 whole lemon
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups shredded carrots, lightly packed about 1 lb/450 grams (you'll need about 1¼ lbs/500gms if you peel them first)
  • 2 oranges plus another half an orange for the juice needed, above
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts or slivered almonds
  • sprinkle of cinnamon

optional, for garnish:

  • small handful of chopped parsley or mint leaves

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the honey, orange flower water, lemon juice, orange juice, cumin, and salt until well blended.
  • Scrub the carrots well if they are fresh, or peel them if they're older. Shred them and pack them lightly to measure them. Add them to the dressing in the salad bowl.
  • Cut a slice off the end of each orange to expose the fruit inside. Then use a very sharp knife to cut off the peel in strips from top to bottom, cutting off the outer membrane of the orange sections and exposing the orange fruit inside. Trim off all the peel and any white pith from each orange. Slice the oranges into pencil-thick slices, then cut each slice into 4 quarters. Add the orange pieces to the salad.
  • Toast the nuts in a small dry skillet or in the oven. If using pine nuts, they will only need 1 to 2 minutes - watch them carefully as they burn easily. Slivered almonds will take 5 to 6 minutes. Add the nuts to the salad.
  • Toss all the salad ingredients together, let rest for 10 minutes for the flavours to meld, and toss again.
  • Transfer the salad to a serving bowl, sprinkle lightly with cinnamon, and garnish with chopped parsley, if using.
  • Serves 4 to 6.

Notes

The flavour of the orange flower water will taste very strong at first, but after 15 minutes it will have absorbed into the carrots and mellowed with the other ingredients to provide a delightful, light floral complexity and freshness to the recipe.