Salad of Dutch Carrots, Hummus and Soft-Boiled Eggs
Enjoy the creaminess of this Dutch carrot salad without the use of any dairy. The combination of the hummus and the oozing soft-boiled eggs provide for a velvety alternative. Add in the crunch of the pistachios and you have a delectable side salad.
Why You’ll Love These Dutch Carrots
Roasted Dutch carrots or glazed Dutch carrots with honey and butter is probably one of the more common ways to enjoy these vegetables. So if you love these carrots but wanted to try them in a different recipe, this salad is for you!
It is essentially only 4 main ingredients too. Dutch carrots, pistachios, soft boiled eggs and hummus.
We also used store-bought hummus for this recipe, so there is no need to make your own if you don’t want to.
In fact, I used Costco hummus for this recipe as I had quite a few friends over and needed to get a big tub, and the leftover was used to make this Dutch carrot recipe. Or you can use it to make Maple Hummus Dressing or Easy Vegan Falafel Salad with Hummus.
You’ll also love it because it is creamy, nutty and everything just blends in so well together as the oozy yolk of the soft boiled eggs just helps to bind all the ingredients together in one perfect morsel! An easy dinner recipe for any day of the week.
What Are Dutch Carrots?
Most people believe that Dutch carrots are the same as baby carrots. I beg to differ. In fact, I think they are so different!
My definition of baby carrots is that they are small and stump looking and resemble the shape of your thumb or index finger. They usually come in a plastic punnet without its green tops. They are great as a snack, just like cucumber cukes or qukes and good to use as crudites.
Dutch carrots, on the other hand, are long and thin. They start out as their thickest at the top where the green tops are, and they gradually become thinner and taper off towards the root ends. They are usually sold in a bunch with the green tops still on.
Why Are They Called Dutch Carrots?
It would appear that the early forms of carrots were originally purple, black or red. Then, in the 17th century, the Dutch developed the orange carrot, which is what we associate carrots with today. This was done by developing a denser orange carotene from the yellow varieties.
Some historians also believe the Dutch farmers did this as a tribute to William of Orange, who led the struggle for Dutch independence.
Gosh, I love learning how things came to be! Good on you, William! LOL.
Can You Eat Unpeeled Dutch Carrots?
Just like the regular carrots, they don’t need to be peeled. Just give them a good wash to remove all the dirt and debris and eat away!
How To Make The Perfect Soft-Boiled Egg?
If you Google “how to make the perfect soft-boiled egg”, you’ll get a return of a crazy number of articles giving you all sorts of advice. All the culinary heavyweights put in their 2 cents worth, and everyone has their own way to do it.
The bottom line is, there is no one way to make the perfect soft-boiled egg. Everyone has their own little magical method, and inevitably, most of them do work.
I am, however, going to share with you my method, which I worked out for myself over the years as I love a good soft-boiled egg. And this works for me every single time without fail.
I like my white on the firmer side as I’m not a fan of the translucent, slimy egg white. I like my yolk a little runny but not watery. So that is the consistency I am after, and if you are too, then this will work for you.
Always choose a good quality egg. It really does make a difference. I always go free-range, and I always choose the large ones.
It is also important to use eggs at room temperature and not straight out of the fridge. I have found that the eggs tend to crack when they are introduced to such hot temperatures after being in the cold fridge.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. With a slotted spoon or ladle, immerse the eggs. You need to do this very slowly. I actually hover above the water for about 10 seconds to allow the egg to adjust to the heat.
Once I see beads of water on the shell, I lower the eggs gently. Place them at the bottom of the saucepan. Don’t just let it drop to the bottom as they will crack. Put no more than 4 eggs at any given time.
Using a timer, I time the eggs at exactly 5 ½ minutes. Anything more and it is no longer a soft-boiled egg. Remove them when the time is up with a slotted spoon. Don’t just pour it out of the saucepan as they will crack as it hits the sink or bowl.
Typically for salads, I allow the eggs to cool before serving. I place them in an ice water bath as I need the cooking process to stop and to ensure the egg stays soft and runny.
To remove the eggshells, I crack the egg at the ends. In most cases, every time I start cracking them in the middle, the whole egg breaks in half. As I want the egg to be intact, I have learnt to crack the ends first.
Then very gently, I crack the egg all around as it makes peeling it so much easier. So satisfying when the membrane catches on the shell, you just pull and the whole shell comes away easily.
The egg should feel quite soft to hold after peeling. A great sign that it is not hard boiled. I then cut it in half when I’m ready to serve.
This sounds like more work than it really is. It just takes a little bit of practise!
Recipe Overview
Flavour/Texture: The Dutch carrots are slightly crunchy with a slight char. The hummus is soft and creamy, and the pistachios provide crunch while the soft boiled eggs bind all the components together.
The chickpea flavours from the hummus work really well with the sweetness of the Dutch carrots. This is a very savoury side salad and great for those who don’t enjoy the tart and tangy flavours of some salads.
Ease: The trickiest part of this salad is the soft boiled eggs. We do want it runny as the soft yolk mixed through with the rest of the ingredients is a game changer. The Dutch carrots are easy to prepare.
Time: This recipe will take you 20 minutes if you’re able to work the Dutch carrots and soft boiled eggs simultaneously. Make sure you take your time to peel the soft boiled eggs so that you don’t break them.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you need for This Dutch Carrot recipe.
Dutch carrots: Just grab 2 bunches of Dutch carrots or at least 16 of them to allow for 4 per person. Be sure to select firm ones, and the green tops are still bright and fresh.
For more Dutch carrots recipes, have a look at our Roasted Rainbow Carrots with Pearl Couscous and Roasted Maple Carrots Salad and Stracciatella.
Eggs: This recipe allows for 2 soft boiled eggs, so half per person. It is there as a binder of all the components rather than the feature. You can obviously increase the number of eggs you would like.
Pistachio kernels: Much easier to get pistachios that are already shelled to save some time.
Hummus: Just select a hummus that you like. We often use the Aldi hummus or the Costco hummus, especially when we’re feeding many people. Flavoured hummus would work well, too, if that is your preference.
Variations and Substitutions
Dutch carrot substitute: If you’re not able to find Dutch Carrots, you can use regular carrots. Just cut them up in thinner slices. You can also use baby carrots, as in the short, stumpy kind. If they are too thick, you can cut them in half lengthwise otherwise, just cook them as they are.
Roasted Dutch carrots: If you have the oven on already for your dinner, you can make roasted Dutch carrots instead of boiling and sautéing.
Just coat Dutch carrots with some olive oil, place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and place in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200°C or 400°F. Check at the 20-minute mark to ensure they don’t overcook.
Type of hummus: You can buy flavoured hummus if that is your preference, e.g. garlic, lemon or paprika. The Aldi hummus or the Costco hummus is pretty good value, especially if you consume a lot of it.
More eggs: If you love your eggs, by all means, make more. This recipe calls for half an egg per person as it’s just a side salad rather than a meal.
Hard boiled eggs: If you’re not a fan of soft boiled eggs, cook them for longer to get to the consistency you like. Hard boiled eggs are definitely good to have with this Dutch carrot recipe.
Nut free option: For a nut free recipe, omit the pistachios.
Instructions
Step by step instructions for how to make this Salad of Dutch Carrots.
How To Prepare Dutch Carrots
Bring a pot of water to the boil.
Whilst this is happening, we can prepare the Dutch carrots. The first thing you need to do is to cut off the leafy stalk but leave 2cm on the top, so you get a peek of green.
Next, cut off the root at the end, leaving a small bit so it doesn’t look like you hacked at it like you would a typical carrot.
Peel them all. I find that because they are so thin, they are not as sturdy to hold. So I put the carrot flat on a chopping board or just on the bench, and then I peel, placing all the pressure downwards. And I turn the Dutch carrot as I go.
Give them a good wash once you’re done.
As Dutch carrots come in varying sizes, you want to cook them at different times so the smaller ones don’t get too soft.
Add the large pieces, which take about 10 minutes, medium sized ones at 8 minutes and if you have really small ones, just 6 minutes. Essentially, you’re just gradually adding them as the time goes on.
When cooked, drain them and place them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
Heat up your grill pan with no oil. Add the Dutch carrots and cook them until they are slightly charred on all sides. Those dark lines across the carrots make them look so fantastic! Remove from the grill pan and set aside.
How To Make Soft Boiled Eggs
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. You can do this simultaneously with the carrots to save on time.
Ensure your eggs are at room temperature. Place them on a slotted spoon or ladle and slowly immerse them into the boiling hot water.
Boil for exactly 5 ½ minutes for the perfect consistency. You want the eggs to be slightly runny, not over or undercooked.
Remove from the heat, use the slotted spoon, carefully remove the egg from the saucepan, and place in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process. Peel the eggs and set aside.
Read above excerpt on how to make the perfect soft-boiled egg for an in-depth explanation.
Chop the Pistachio Kernels
You can buy pistachio kernels easily from the supermarket. No need to get the ones still in their shell. Too much unnecessary work extracting them!
Just chop them up. Have some slightly bigger pieces and some smaller pieces to mix it up a bit.
How To Assemble The Salad
For this salad, you will need a flat plate or platter. Smear the hummus evenly across the plate with care taken to ensure it reaches the sides.
Sprinkle ½ the chopped pistachio kernels on the outer rim of the hummus. Don’t put any in the middle only because the carrots will cover the middle part of the plate and is a waste of pistachios from a presentation perspective.
Place the Dutch carrots haphazardly on top of the hummus. And by haphazardly, I don’t mean throw or just chuck it on. I mean place them without worrying about a certain pattern or that it all has to face one direction. We’re aiming for a rustic, messy presentation.
Sprinkle ¼ of chopped pistachio kernels on top and season with salt and pepper.
Cut the eggs in half and place them on top of the Dutch carrots.
Sprinkle the remaining pistachio kernels on top of the eggs and add small droplets of olive oil around the outer part of the plate on the hummus. Serve straight away.
Great Mains for This Salad
What to serve with Dutch carrots? Try these delicious main dish recipes.
Chicken souvlaki is a great dinner option. Chicken breast in skewers would work so well with the hummus. For fish lovers, you can try brown butter salmon with capers and sundried tomatoes or if you love a good roast for Sunday dinner, you can’t go past braised pork roast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cut off the green tops about 1 or 2 cm from the Dutch carrot. Cut off the root end as well. If you choose to keep the skin on, you can just give it a gentle scrub in water. If you choose to peel the Dutch carrots, just give them a quick wash after you peel them.
Dutch carrots are a little softer than regular carrots, but they should still be firm when you buy them.
If they start to look a little limp, they are still edible although you won’t get a big crunch. Dutch carrots a few days past their crunchy prime are definitely still edible.
Dutch carrots go soft and limp when they don’t have enough moisture. You should first cut off the green tops as they tend to suck all the moisture out of the carrot. Don’t wash the carrots either as this causes the growth of unwanted mould. Keep in a dry, cool place.
If you wish to store peeled carrots, the best thing to do is to place them in a container of water and put them in the refrigerator.
When the water turns murky in about 4-5 days, replace the water in the container. Your Dutch carrots can last about 2-3 weeks using this method,
It’s amazing how 4 simple ingredients can create a salad recipe that is so delicious.
This healthy hummus recipe pairs well with a lot of main courses, and as mentioned, it makes for a fantastic second side dish if you’re preparing a feast for your next dinner party.
The hummus is deceptively filling, so don’t think there isn’t enough when you’re making it. If any is left on the plate when the Dutch carrots have been devoured, use your bread to mop up the rest! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as my family and I do!
That’s all!
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Salad of Dutch Carrots, Hummus and Soft-Boiled Eggs
Ingredients
Click on the toggle below for conversion to US Cooking Units.
Instructions
Salad
- Cut off the stalk of the Dutch carrots, leaving 2cm on the top for presentation. Cut of the long stringy root at the bottom. Peel the carrots.
- Bring water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the Dutch carrots. Larger ones will take about 10 minutes whilst the smaller ones will take 8 minutes. Less for the really tiny ones. When cooked, drain the Dutch carrots and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- On a grill pan with no oil, char the Dutch carrots on medium to high heat.
- In a small saucepan, bring water to the boil. Slowly immerse room temperature eggs with a slotted spoon into the saucepan. Boil for exactly 5 ½ minutes. Remove from the boiling water and run under cold water to stop the cooking process. Peel the eggs and set aside.
- Roughly chop pistachio kernels.
Assembly
- On a flat plate, smear all the hummus to cover the whole surface.
- Sprinkle ½ the chopped pistachio kernels on the outer rim of the hummus. Don’t put any in the middle.
- Place charred carrots haphazardly on the plate to create a “messy’ look.
- Sprinkle ¼ of chopped pistachio kernels on top and season with salt and pepper.
- Cut the eggs in half and place on top of the carrots. Season with pepper only.
- Sprinkle the remaining pistachio kernels.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- If you’re not able to find Dutch Carrots, you can use regular carrots. Just cut them up in thinner slices. You can also use baby carrots, as in the short, stumpy kind. If they are too thick, you can cut them in half lengthwise otherwise, just cook them as they are.
- If you have the oven on already for your dinner, you can make roasted Dutch carrots instead of boiling and sautéing. Just coat Dutch carrots with some olive oil, place on a parchment paper lined baking tray and place in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200°C or 400°F. Check at the 20-minute mark to ensure they don’t overcook.
- You can buy flavoured hummus if that is your preference, e.g. garlic, lemon or paprika. The Aldi hummus or the Costco hummus is pretty good value, especially if you consume a lot of it.
- If you love your eggs, by all means, make more. This recipe calls for half an egg per person as it’s just a side salad rather than a meal.
- If you’re not a fan of soft boiled eggs, cook them for longer to get to the consistency you like. Hard boiled eggs are definitely good to have with this Dutch carrot recipe.
- For a nut free recipe, omit the pistachios.
Nutrition
*Disclaimer: Nutritional information provided is an estimate only and generated by an online calculator.
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The salad looks so pretty and I’m sure tastes just as delicious as it looks.
Thank you! It’s a nice and easy side dish to have for mid week meals.
I recently learned about Dutch carrots so it’s such an interesting coincidence that I see this post a few days later! This salad sounds really good!
Haha! Love it when that happens. A good sign you’ll have to give Dutch carrots a go. They are so sweet and delicious.
Love the look of these carrots! And pairing them with hummus and pistachios is brilliant! Can’t wait to try.
Thank you! Do check back in and let us know how you went and what you thought of the recipe!