Starter Moroccan-inspired
Carrots with cumin, preserved lemon and mint
Vegan
Editorially prepared
A small Moroccan-inspired salad of lightly firm cooked carrots in a distinctly sharp dressing with cumin and preserved lemon rind. Fresh mint is added just before serving. Makes four small portions for a shared meal.
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Ingredients
4 servings · metric units
One serving is a small addition to a shared meal, about 40–50 g, rather than a full vegetable side portion. Increase the salad ingredients proportionally and use enough water for your saucepan. For larger quantities, use a wider cooling dish and allow longer for the water to heat and the salad to chill.
Substitutions
Substitute amounts are adjusted to your selected servings.
- Instead of salt-preserved lemon rindfinely grated fresh lemon zest
If preserved lemon is unavailable, add a little yellow zest from a thoroughly washed lemon to the dressing, then season with salt after mixing. Add it gradually: fresh zest is more intense and lacks the preserved flavour, so do not replace the rind gram for gram.
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You’ll need
kitchen scales and measuring spoons · vegetable peeler, knife and chopping board · small saucepan with a lid · sieve · small dressing bowl · wide, shallow bowl for cooling and chilling · lid or plate to cover the bowl · small serving bowl
Method
0/7 stepsPrepare the carrots
Wash and peel the carrots, then weigh out the required amount. Cut into rounds about 5 mm thick; halve any wider pieces. Put enough water in a small saucepan to cover the carrots once added.
Prepare the carrots Cook until lightly firm
Bring the water to the boil with the lid on, allowing about 6 minutes. While it heats, you can make the dressing in the next step. Add the carrots to the boiling water and let it return to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 6–8 minutes from this point. Towards the end, check a piece: a knife should meet slight resistance, and the carrot should have neither a hard, raw centre nor a collapsing texture. If still too firm, continue cooking and check every minute.
08:00Cook until lightly firm Mix the dressing
While the water heats, remove the flesh from the preserved lemon, briefly rinse the rind and pat it dry. Weigh out the required amount and chop very finely. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin and chopped rind. Do not add salt yet. The dressing should be distinctly sharp; leave the mint out at this stage.
Mix the dressing Dress the warm carrots
Once the carrots are cooked, drain them thoroughly in a sieve. Transfer them while still warm to a wide, shallow bowl and toss with all the prepared dressing. The pieces should be evenly coated with a thin layer of dressing, with no cooking water left at the bottom.
Dress the warm carrots Let the steam escape
Spread the carrots in a shallow layer and leave uncovered for about 10 minutes after mixing. They should stop visibly steaming, but do not need to become completely cold. Do not extend the cooling time on the worktop; continue cooling in the fridge.
10:00Let the steam escape Chill the salad
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, timed from when it goes into the fridge. Before serving, check that a piece from the centre of the bowl is cool; if not, leave the salad in the fridge longer. Towards the end of chilling, you can prepare the mint as described in the next step.
30:00Chill the salad Add the mint and serve
During the last few minutes of chilling, wash the mint leaves, dry thoroughly and slice into thin ribbons. Once the carrots are cool, mix in all the mint. Taste a piece with the dressing and add salt only if needed. Transfer to a small serving bowl and serve as four small portions alongside a shared meal.
Add the mint and serve
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Tips
- Cut the carrots into pieces of a similar thickness. Halve very wide rounds so the pieces cook evenly.
- Chop the preserved lemon rind very finely to distribute its salty, sharp flavour throughout the salad.
- You can prepare the dressed carrots the day before and refrigerate for 12–24 hours. This extra time is not included in the primary timing. Wash, dry and slice the mint just before serving.
- Do not automatically sweeten the sharp dressing. Once mixed, taste a piece of carrot together with a little dressing.
Storage
Keep the dressed carrots without the mint in a sealed container in the fridge at 4°C or below for up to 2 days. Refrigerate after briefly allowing the steam to escape; do not leave at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Add the mint just before serving. Do not freeze, as the carrots will lose their firm texture when thawed.
Timing
Hands-on: 22 min · Cooking: 15 min · Resting: 40 min
The total allows for tasks done in parallel. The individual times can overlap.
