This harissa carrot salad makes the perfect side dish this summer. It's great with barbecued food as well as with other salads or in sandwiches. It's healthy, hot and spicy as well as dairy free and vegan.
I have to admit to having a slight love affair with harissa. I just can't resist it and have been using it in so many recipes recently. It's great as a salad dressing, in a marinade as well as just dolloped on the side of the plate. I love it so much that harissa has become a very regular item on my shopping list.
Harissa goes brilliantly with carrots!
One of the vegetables that I feel goes brilliantly with harissa is carrots. In this carrot salad the sweetness of the freshly grated carrots along with the heat of the harissa is a perfect pairing. I also love to add some sliced onion and lemon juice. It is DELICIOUS!
It only has 4 main ingredients which makes it such a simple side dish to make. I don't know about you but these are ingredients which I almost always have at home so I don't even need to go shopping to make it. It's the kind of side salad I can make if I'm running out of food but still want to whip up something tasty. By the way, if you like spicy carrot recipes then do check out my air fryer carrot salad as well.
What ingredients do you need for harissa carrot salad?
To make this simple harissa carrot salad you'll need:
- A lemon - I prefer to use a fresh lemon and squeeze the juice out but if you need to you can get away with using bottled lemon juice in this recipe because of the strength of the harissa
- Seasoning - I add just a little salt. You could also add a little black pepper.
- Onion - You can use a red or brown onion for this recipe
- Carrots
- Harissa - Use your favourite brand. I use rose harissa but any harissa will be great.
How to make harissa carrot salad
There is a full recipe card further down the post but it is a very simple recipe. Basically you need to prepare the onions first. Slice them thinly and squeeze over the lemon juice. This lightly pickles the onion and stops the flavour from being quite so harsh.
Then mix everything together. Taste and add extra harissa or lemon juice if you feel it needs it.
How can you adapt the recipe?
You could add extra ingredients to the basic salad. Why not add some thinly sliced red or white cabbage? Or use spring onions instead of ordinary onions? How about a few radishes?
I kept this recipe vegan but I quite often stir a spoonful of yoghurt and harissa into a coleslaw and you could do exactly the same here. Or even just harissa and mayonnaise.
Sometimes salads keep better without the dressing and often at home I make a basic grated carrot and cabbage salad and then everyone can add whatever dressing they want to the portion on their plate.
If you don't have any lemons, then use vinegar. Cider vinegar, white wine or red wine vinegar are all great as substitutes.
What to serve with harissa carrot salad?
This harissa carrot salad is a great side dish. It's ideal for keeping in the fridge and serving as a simple side dish with all kinds of grilled meats, tarts and quiches. It's delicious with a bbq meal or as part of a buffet meal too.
A great salad for preparing in bulk
I hate food waste and always try to use up everything I've bought. With this carrot salad recipe you can make a larger batch and it keeps well in the fridge for about three days.
I always try to cook (or prepare in this case!) in batches. It makes life so much easier and means I have more time for other things if I've already got a fantastic meal with leftovers waiting in the fridge. If you'd like more Cook Once Eat Twice recipe inspiration then do visit my recipe collection.
More harissa recipes
I cannot get enough of harissa recipes and here are just a few that you can find here on Searching for Spice:
- Harissa Chicken Traybake
- Harissa Marinated Lamb Salad
- Roasted Vegetable and Harissa Pasta
- Spicy Margherita Pizza
Recipe
Harissa Carrot Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 small onion peeled and sliced
- 260 g carrot grated
- 1 tablespoon harissa
Instructions
- Put the lemon juice and salt in a bowl and add the onions. Stir them around and leave for 10 minutes.
- Grate the carrots coarsely and put in a bowl. Add the harissa and the onions along with the lemon juice they were in. Stir well. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin this for later
Keep in touch
Do let me know if you make this harissa carrot salad or any of my other recipes. I love to get feedback from readers.
You can also stay up to date by following on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Angie | Fiesta Friday
Nice, simple recipe, Corina! But so flavorful with the harissa. I love that! Thanks for linking up to #fiestafriday
Corina Blum
Thanks Angie! And thanks for hosting Fiesta Friday - I will try and join in whenever I can!
Jenny@dragonflyhomerecipes
I need to get more familiar with harissa! This salad looks so bright and cheerful, and I bet it's packed with flavor. I like that it only has 4 ingredients--sometimes the simple dishes are the best! Thank you for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Corina Blum
I'm so pleased you like it Jenny! I do love harissa at the moment and even have another recipe on the way with it in. Thanks for hosting!
jenny paulin
I love how simple this is to make , and I also love its colour. perfect summer BBQ side food x
Corina Blum
Thanks Jenny! I just hope we get some bbq weather soon x
Becky
I love that this only has 4 ingredients - simple is always the most tasty in my opinion 🙂
Corina Blum
Exactly! I love using harissa to flavour food with at the moment!
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder
I don't think I would put harissa and carrots together but actually it sounds delicious! I loved the look of your gorgeous sandwich on IG with your carrot salad in it and new I had to check it out! One to try for sure! x
Corina Blum
Thanks Jo! I have been putting harissa on all sorts of things recently. I tend to have a spoonful of the side of my plate to dip things in and now that I'm eating more salads I've discovered just how well it goes x
Arjhon
This is one of the best ways to enjoy carrots. perfect for a side dish so healthy and delicious.
Corina Blum
Thanks Arjhon! Let me know if you try it.
Mandy
I really love harissa as well although I don't think I've ever had it with carrots - just sounds amazing!
Corina Blum
It is good and so easy too! I am using harissa a lot at the moment as it's so versatile.
Pam Greer
I am obsessed with Harissa too! I love it. This salad is going on my list, I can see it easily becoming my go to side dish this summer!
Corina Blum
Thanks Pam! I know I'm going to be making this a lot more often too.
Beth
I don't believe I have ever had harissa! It sounds amazing and I know I am adding it to my shopping list! I just got a spiralizer too, so when I saw this recipe come to my email, I had to check it out. I think it will pretty with spiralized carrots, as well!
Corina Blum
I think this would be brilliant on spiralized carrots too! I've got a spiralizer but haven't used it for ages - I need to get it out of the cupboard.
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Ooh what a fab recipe - I've not seen a carrot and harissa salad before, but I can really see how that would work. I do love something new and a bit different! 😀 Eb x
Corina Blum
Thanks Eb! I'm going through a bit of a harissa phase at the moment - I keep putting it in everything! x
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook
Corina, this salad looks so vibrant and delicious! And I love anything with harissa. Thanks for sharing!
PS: Maybe you'd also like to party with Angie's Fiesta Friday party. 🙂
https://fiestafriday.net/
Corina Blum
Thanks Jhuls! I would love to link up to Fiesta Friday and I know I have done a few times. I will try and remember but it's one of those linkys that I tend to forget about as I do most of my blogging Monday to Thursday. Thanks for the reminder though!
Priya Joshi
ohh this sounds delicious! I'm always on the lookout for new and exciting salad recipes! I'll definitely be trying this one 🙂
Corina Blum
I hope you like it - It's really versatile as a side dish!