Sweet & Sour Carrot Orange Salad

One glimpse of this Sweet & Sour Carrot Orange Salad recipe in a German cooking magazine and I had to try it. The original version is designed to be presented in individual glasses. Alternately, for my version, I chose to serve the salad in one large bowl. I also made minor tweaks to the recipe itself. 

The salad is a stunner in the looks department and has a big flavor. Furthermore,  it is a great alternative to a green salad for any summer party or meal. Also,  a winner at any summer pout luck party or barbecue.

It looks like there are beets in this salad. However, those are purple carrots. I am dazzled by the colorful carrots at the farmer’s market this time of year. This salad is a great way to show them off.  Throw some of those purple babies in for color. I added yellow and orange carrot varieties as well.

Roast the carrots in olive oil with fresh rosemary for extra flavor. Additionally, fresh orange fillets add sweetness to this Sweet & Sour Carrot Orange Salad. To learn how to fillet an orange, see this. I mangled a few sections before getting the hang of it. However, now it’s like riding a bike. Once you get it, you get it. 

Sometimes it’s just too hot outside to turn on the oven in summer. Consequently, I suggest pre-gaming this recipe. Roast the carrots the night before or early in the morning before the outside temperature gets unbearable.

Toasted almonds and mint add great flavor and crunch. The whole Sweet & Sour Carrot Orange Salad is tossed in orange juice, olive oil, and honey dressing. This is a lovely, flavorful summer salad and a great use of the fresh herbs in your garden.

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Sweet & Sour Carrot Orange Salad

Course Salad

Cuisine American, German

Keyword Carrot Orange Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 8

Author Lora Wiley-Lennartz

Ingredients

• 2+1/2 lbs carrots
• 1 teaspoon large grain sea salt
• 2+4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 sprigs rosemary stripped and chopped, plus one for garnish
• 4 oranges
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tablespoon honey or agave
• sea salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1 cup unblanched almond leaves plus a few for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves plus some for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Peel and/or scrub and trim the carrots. Cut them into coins and place them in a bowl.

4. In a small separate bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 2 tablespoons olive oil and the chopped rosemary.
5. Pour the mixture over the carrots and toss to coat.
6. Transfer the carrots to the baking sheet and roast in the oven for 40 minutes.
   
7. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
8. In the meantime, peel the oranges and filet them.
   
9. Mix the orange juice with the honey or agave, the remaining olive oil and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
10. Place the almond leaves in a naked frying pan and roast over a medium flame until they become slightly browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
11. Cut the carrots into coins or sticks, whatever, you prefer.
12. Toss the cut carrots in the orange dressing.
13. Add the orange filets, mint leaves, and almonds and toss.
14. Garnish with mint, almond leaves, sprigs of fresh rosemary and serve.

Like this Sweet & Sour Carrot Orange Salad? Also, try some of these other recipes:

HONEY CARROT SOUP

GOLDEN BEET HORSERADISH SALAD

CORIANDER ROASTED POTATOES