Gordon Ramsay’s carrot salad is bright, crunchy and Moroccan-inspired. Grated carrots get tossed with orange zest, toasted cumin seeds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, then dressed in a honey-mustard vinaigrette with fresh mint and coriander. It serves 4 and takes about 15 minutes.
In Ultimate Home Cooking, he calls it “a salad that gets better for standing around a bit,” which means you can make it up to 2 days ahead. He also has a bolder version in Quick and Delicious with rose harissa and preserved lemon.
Toasting and grinding the cumin seeds is what lifts it. Whole seeds give a warmer, smokier flavour than pre-ground cumin because the heat releases the essential oils fresh, so you get that deep Moroccan warmth instead of the dusty taste from a jar.
Gordon Ramsay Carrot Salad
Course: SaladCuisine: MoroccanDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes210
kcal15
minutesEasy
A Moroccan-inspired grated carrot salad from Gordon’s Ultimate Home Cooking with toasted cumin, orange and a honey-mustard dressing. One of the few salads that improves overnight. Around 50p per serving.
Ingredients
5 carrots, peeled and grated
Zest and juice of 1 orange
75g (2½ oz) pumpkin seeds
50g (1¾ oz) sunflower seeds
1½ tsp cumin seeds, toasted
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp runny honey
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 to 4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp torn coriander leaves
2 tbsp torn mint leaves
Sea salt
Directions
- Mix the base: Toss the grated carrots in a large bowl with the orange zest, orange juice, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
- Toast and grind the cumin: Grind the toasted cumin seeds with a little sea salt using a pestle and mortar, then stir them into the carrot mixture. This releases the oils and gives a much deeper flavour than pre-ground cumin.
- Make the dressing: Combine the mustard, honey, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Add the torn mint and coriander leaves, then taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Dress and serve: Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well. You can eat this straight away or leave it in the fridge for up to 2 days, where the flavours will only get better.
FAQs
What should I serve this carrot salad with?
Ramsay says to serve it with grilled meat or fish, and the Moroccan flavours pair naturally with lamb. A lamb burger or lamb curry would be my first choices because the cumin and orange in the salad echo the spices in the meat.
For something lighter, it works well alongside grilled salmon or a simple roast chicken where the sweetness of the carrots balances the savoury main.
Can I make this ahead of time?
This is one of the rare salads that actually improves with time. Ramsay says it “gets better for standing around a bit,” and it keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days because raw grated carrot doesn’t wilt or release water the way leafy greens do.
That makes it ideal for meal prep, picnics, or making the day before a barbecue so you’ve got one less thing to worry about on the day.
Can I use pre-ground cumin instead of seeds?
You can, but the flavour won’t be as warm or complex. Whole cumin seeds release their essential oils when you toast and grind them fresh, which gives that deep smoky Moroccan warmth. Pre-ground cumin from a jar loses those oils over time, so it tastes flatter and dustier.
If you only have ground cumin, use about 1 teaspoon and dry-toast it in a pan for 30 seconds before adding it to bring back some of the aroma.
What is the difference between Ramsay’s two carrot salad recipes?
The Ultimate Home Cooking version uses raw grated carrots with orange, toasted cumin seeds and a honey-mustard vinaigrette. It’s gentle, sweet and designed to sit in the fridge and improve.
His Quick and Delicious version is bolder: blanched carrot rounds dressed with rose harissa, preserved lemon, chilli and garlic. He calls it Moroccan Carrot Salad and says the dressing doubles as a dip for flatbreads. Both are worth trying, but the UHC one is the easier everyday option.
Do I need to peel the carrots?
For this recipe, yes, because the grated carrot needs to look clean and bright. But in the Quick and Delicious version, Ramsay actually says you don’t need to peel them at all because “a lot of the goodness is just under the skin.” Give them a brisk scrub instead and you’ll save time without losing flavour. For more of his simplest cookbook salads, start here.
