This beautiful Spicy Carrot Salad it the perfect accompaniment to any main meal. Spicy harissa paste is combined with the sweetness of shredded carrots and the brine of the olives to form a beautiful, elegant and super easy salad.
After making my Detox Carrot Soup recipe the other day, I had quite a few leftover carrots.
Needing a side dish for my Spicy Bay Scallops, I knew that my surplus of carrots had to be involved.
For the record, it is very rare that Mr. Grumbles and I throw away food.
I recently saw an article that stated that close to a third of the world's food production is wasted each year, accounting for roughly 1.3 billion tons and nearly $990 billion dollars.
In the United States alone, Americans waste $160 billion of that total, which is nearly 30 to 40 percent of the entire U.S. food supply.
THAT IS ABSOLUTE CRAZINESS!!!
So, not wanting to be part of the problem, I decided to look for some carrot salad recipes online.
The 2 most popular recipes were a French Carrot Salad which comprises of cold shredded carrots with honey and dijon mustard. Sounded interesting enough but since Mr. Grumbles does not love Dijon mustard, I wasn't sure it would be a big hit at our house.
Next, I noticed a lot of recipes for a Moroccan Carrot Salad that is a spicy cooked carrot salad. I absolutely loved the idea of combining the sweetness of the carrots and the spiciness of Harissa paste but didn't really like the fact that the carrots had to be cooked.
I have made Caramelized Oven Roasted Carrots that I could eat EVERY day, I didn't have the time or the energy for the whole "cooking" concept.
So, what's a girl gonna do?
That's right...create her own recipe.
In true "my crash test life" fashion, I decided to take a" little of this and a little of that" and create my own Spicy Carrot Salad recipe.
What ingredients do I need to make this carrot salad?
- carrots
- olive oil
- harissa paste
- garlic
- parsley
- lemon
- pumpkin seeds and olives (optional)
How to make Spicy Carrot Salad
- shred the carrots
- combine the Harissa Paste with the remaining sauce ingredients
- stir the sauce into the carrots
- add olives, pumpkin seeds and cheese (if using)
What is Harissa Paste
- A North African spicy red sauce, consisting of simple ingredients like red chilies, garlic, vinegar, and spices. It is the perfect ingredient for adding smokiness and heat to dishes like hummus, lentil chili, pasta sauce, and more.
Where can I buy Harissa Paste
I actually found mine at Trader Joe's but I have seen it everywhere, including Walmart.
What level of heat does Harissa Paste carry?
- Harissa can certainly be blow-your-head-off spicy but it takes its time and tends to have an earthier flavour rather than the immediate whack of heat you'll get from fresh chilli or flakes.
Can I make my own Harissa Paste?
You sure can! I bought the first jar of Harissa Paste since I had no idea what it was supposed to taste like. Eventually, I want to make my own but wanted a reference point of what Harissa Paste really was. With that in mind, if you want to make your own, I suggest you head over to The Minimalist Baker for her quick and easy recipe.
Tips and Substitutions for this Spicy Carrot Salad recipe
- use a food processor to shred your carrots otherwise consider this recipe as an arm workout!
- make the salad 1-2 days ahead of time as I really enjoyed it after the flavours had time to blend.
- use any type of seed or nut to add a little earthiness to the dish. You can completely eliminate the nuts or seeds completely as well
- don't like olives...don't use them!
- if you are not on a Paleo or Whole30 diet, add some crumble blue cheese, goat cheese or feta cheese. I did this on my second day of eating the salad and it was absolutely amazing!
If you like this Spicy Carrot Salad recipe, you may also like the following:
- Bacon-Wrapped Brussels Sprouts and Onion Skewers (Whole30, Low Carb)
- Curry Sweet Potato Fries (Whole30)
- Beautiful Potato Bacon Roses (Whole30)
- Ham and Potato Casserole (Whole30, Dairy-Free)
- Quick and Easy Parmesan Roasted Broccoli
- Caramelized Oven Roasted Carrots (Whole30)
Spicy Harissa Carrot Salad
Easy and delicious, this Spicy Harissa Carrot Salad is Whole30 approved as well as Vegan.
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs carrots, shredded
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup black olives
- ¼ cup green olives
- ½-1 tablespoon Harissa paste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- juice of ½ lemon
- ½ cup parsley
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp ginger powder
- OPTIONAL - Crumbled blue cheese or feta and pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Mix the olive oil, harissa paste, garlic, lemon, curry powder and ginger. Stir to combine.
- Add all the ingredients to the carrots in a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Place in the fridge overnight (or at least a couple of hours) to allow the flavours to blend.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sides
- Cuisine: Whole30, Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 79
- Sugar: 4.3 g
- Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.9 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
Danielle says
A very nice salad. Great balance of flavors.