Carrots with Ginger & Orange
Submitted by StefJoy
Raw grated carrot salad with orange segments, fresh ginger, garlic, honey, mint, and walnuts in a citrus dressing. A no-cook Moroccan-inspired side dish that rests for two hours to develop flavor.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
0 minREADY
2 hrsThis is a carrot salad with serious depth, and it never sees a stove.
Grated carrots get tossed with orange segments, fresh ginger, crushed garlic, honey, lemon juice, and olive oil. Two sprigs of mint steep in the dressing for two hours, infusing the whole salad with a cool, herbal fragrance before being pulled out and replaced with fresh torn leaves at serving time.
The oranges do double duty. Zest and juice from the first one go into the dressing. The other two get segmented with all pith and membrane carefully removed, so each piece is pure, juicy citrus that bursts when you bite into it.
Walnuts go in last for crunch, right before the salad hits the table.
Chef Tips
- Let the salad rest the full 2 hours. The grated carrots soften slightly in the dressing and absorb the ginger-citrus flavors. Skipping this step leaves you with a raw, underdeveloped salad.
- Remove the steeped mint before serving. It turns dark and limp. Fresh torn mint looks and tastes better.
- Chop the ginger as finely as possible. Large pieces create hot, sharp bites that overpower the delicate citrus dressing.
Variations
- Add a pinch of cinnamon or cumin for a more distinctly Moroccan flavor.
- Swap walnuts for pistachios or toasted almonds for a different crunch.
- Use blood oranges when in season for a stunning color and a slightly berry-like sweetness.
Ingredients
Directions
First make the dressing.
Finely grate the zest of 1 orange into a bowl.
Add its juice, the honey and lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil.
Peel ½ inch or so of ginger and chop it as finely as possible; then crush the small garlic clove.
Add both these ingredients to the bowl with a little salt and pepper.
Mix well then push 2 sprigs of mint into the liquid.
Scrub and scrape the carrots, or peel them if you insist, then grate them coarsely and add to the dressing.
Peel the remaining 2 oranges and cut into segments; be ruthless about cutting away all traces of pith and the membrane that divides one segment from the next.
Remove pips (seeds) with the tip of a knife and add the oranges to the salad bowl.
Mix all the ingredients together gently, then cover the salad and set it aside for 2 hours or a little longer to allow flavours to blend and develop.
Close to serving time, remove and discard the tired sprigs of mint, stir in the walnuts and scatter with fresh torn mint leaves.
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