Roasted Spring Carrots and Fennel with Orange Blossom Honey

Sweet Spring Carrots Deserve the Spotlight

The key to this dish is starting with the smallest, freshest carrots you can find—preferably from the farmer’s market. Young spring carrots are sweeter, more tender, and so flavorful that peeling them almost feels like a waste. Just give them a good scrub under cold water and they’re ready to roast.

Paired with fennel, warm spices, orange zest, and a drizzle of floral honey, this dish feels bright, layered, and deeply springy. The pistachios add crunch, Maldon salt sharpens everything up, and the whole platter lands somewhere between rustic and elegant.

Ingredients (serves 4–6)

1½ pounds (680 g) small spring carrots
1 large fennel bulb
2 tablespoons (30 g) avocado oil
Kosher salt, to taste

Spice Blend
1 teaspoon coriander seed
½ teaspoon caraway seed
¼ teaspoon cumin seed
¼ teaspoon fennel seed
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
Zest of ½ orange

To Finish
2 tablespoons (40 g) honey
1 teaspoon orange blossom water (or substitute orange blossom honey for both the honey and orange blossom water)
½ cup (60 g) unsalted pistachios
Flaky Maldon salt

Method

Preheat the broiler on high and position a rack near the top of the oven.

Wash and scrub the carrots well. If they are small and tender, there’s no need to peel them. Slice the carrots in half lengthwise from root to tip. If any are particularly large, quarter them so everything cooks evenly.

Trim the stalks from the fennel bulb, reserving some fronds for garnish if desired. Slice the fennel in half vertically through the root end, trim away the core, then slice into roughly ¼-inch thick vertical slices.

Place the carrots and fennel on a sheet pan and toss with avocado oil and salt.

In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, lightly crush the coriander, caraway, cumin, and fennel seeds. Toss the crushed spices and orange zest with the vegetables until evenly coated.

Broil for about 10 minutes, tossing once or twice if needed, until the vegetables are tender and lightly charred around the edges.

While the vegetables cook, whisk together the honey and orange blossom water.

Lightly toast the pistachios in a dry skillet until fragrant, then roughly chop once cool enough to handle.

Arrange the roasted vegetables on a platter. Drizzle with the orange blossom honey, scatter over the pistachios, and finish with a generous sprinkle of flaky Maldon salt. Garnish with fennel fronds if desired.

Serving Suggestions

Serve warm alongside grilled lamb, roasted chicken, or as part of a spring vegetable spread. This also works beautifully on a brunch table with whipped feta or labneh nearby.

Storage

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot oven to refresh the texture before serving.

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