Best Tunisian Salad Recipes

TUNISIAN CARROT SALAD WITH CUMIN, CORIANDER AND CARAWAY

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add carrots and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, set aside a bowl of ice water. Transfer cooked carrots to the ice bath and chill.
• Drain carrots, and cut into disks about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a bowl and add olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin, caraway, and coriander. Add harissa or hot sauce, and mix gently. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.

TUNISIAN CARROT SALAD

Steps:

• Cook carrots in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Stir oil, cumin and cayenne in heavy large skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add carrots, then 1/2 cup water and vinegar. Simmer over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Cool. Mix in cilantro. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

TUNISIAN BELL PEPPER, TOMATO, TUNA AND EGG SALAD

Steps:

• Char peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Wrap in paper bag and let stand 10 minutes. Peel and seed peppers; cut into strips.
• Preheat broiler. Place tomatoes on baking sheet. Broil tomatoes until skins begin to split and blacken in spots, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Cool. Peel tomatoes. Cut into wedges. Arrange peppers, tomatoes and eggs on platter. Sprinkle with tuna and capers. Mix oil and lemon juice in small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over salad.

TUNISIAN GRILLED SALAD (SELATA MISHWIYA)

Steps:

• Combine olive oil, garlic, harissa, ras el hanout, ground chile pepper, salt, and pepper in a mortar; mash into a paste with a pestle.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place tomatoes, green bell peppers, onion, and green chile peppers on the baking sheet.
• Cook under the preheated broiler, turning occasionally, until skins have blackened and insides are soft, about 10 minutes. Cool until easily handled, about 5 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop into small pieces.
• Place tomato mixture in a large bowl. Stir in garlic paste mixture slowly with a wooden spoon. Spoon onto a serving platter. Garnish with tuna, eggs, and olives. Squeeze 1 lemon wedge over platter. Arrange remaining wedges on the sides.

TUNISIAN CARROT SALAD

Steps:

• Cook carrots in medium saucepan of boiling, salted water until crisp-tender, about 8 minutes; drain well.
• Stir oil, cumin and cayenne in heavy large skillet over medium heat until aromatic, about 30 seconds.
• Add carrots, then 1/2 cup water and vinegar.
• Simmer over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Remove from heat; cool.
• Mix in cilantro.
• (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving).

TUNISIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Peel and chop apples and vegetables very fine.
• Mix dressing and pour over salad.
• Let stand at least 2 hours before serving.

SALAD MECHOUIA (TUNISIAN SALAD)

Steps:

• Prepare a grill to medium-high heat.
• Thread garlic cloves onto a metal skewer. Put garlic skewer, tomatoes, onions, peppers, chile, and eggplant on grill rack. Grill, turning occasionally, until tender and lightly charred all over, 6-7 minutes for garlic and tomatoes; 10 minutes for eggplant; 15 minutes for peppers and chile; 20 minutes for onions.
• Place peppers and chile in a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap and let stand 15 minutes.
• Coarsely chop tomatoes and eggplant. Peel and coarsely chop onions. Peel garlic cloves. Peel, seed, and coarsely chop peppers and chile.
• Place all vegetables in a food processor, along with oil, pulsing until pureed to desired consistency. Transfer to a large bowl. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

TUNISIAN CARROT SALAD WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add the carrot and cook until tender. Drain and transfer to a bowl.
• In a small bowl, combine the parsley, cumin, olive oil, vinegar and garlic. Season with harissa, salt and pepper to taste. You can double the harissa if you like things hot and spicy! Pour over the carrots and mix gently to combine.
• To serve, place the carrots in a serving dish and garnish with the olives and eggs.
• NOTE: if the carrots aren't sweet, you can add a touch of honey to the dressing.

TUNISIAN-STYLE ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH HARISSA

Steps:

• NOTE*: If using yams or potatoes, scrub well, remove skin and cut in half or thirds depending on size.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In small non-reactive bowl combine the salad dressing ingredients and whisk well. Set aside.
• In a large shallow pan, toss the cut up beets lightly with the olive oil to coat. Transfer the beets to a large baking sheet and cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake the beets for about 30 minutes or until the beets are very tender when pierced with a fork.
• Remove from oven, set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• Then cut beets into 1/2" cubes.
• Place the prepared beets into a large salad bowl and toss lightly but thoroughly with the salad dressing to combine.

TUNISIAN MASHED CARROT SALAD

Steps:

• Boil the carrots in water with salt until they are tender. Mash the carrots, or puree them with a blender or food processor.
• Add the olive oil, vinegar, garlic and spices, and chill.
• Place in a serving dish and garnish with the olives. Serve with bread.
• *If you don't have harissa, you can substitute with paprika (not smoked) and a pinch of cayenne pepper.

TUNISIAN COUSCOUS SALAD WITH GRILLED SAUSAGES

Steps:

• In a large frying pan with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic, couscous, cumin, cayenne, and ½ teaspoon of the salt to the pan.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the couscous starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in tomato juice and water. Bring to a simmer.
• Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the couscous to a platter or large glass bowl to cool.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Coat the sausages with ½ tablespoon of the oil.
• Broil the sausages, turning occasionally, until completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them into thin slices.
• Toss the cooled couscous with the lemon juice and the remaining oil, salt and tomato. Top with the sausages and cilantro.

TUNISIAN EGGPLANT (AUBERGINE) SALAD

Steps:

• Roast eggplant in the oven until the skin is charred.
• Allow to cool and peel off charred skin; cut the eggplant into 1 inch cubes.
• Arrange with green pepper in 2-quart shallow casserole dish.
• In a glass jar with lid, combine garlic, oil, vinegar, oregano and salt; shake well.
• Pour over eggplant mixture. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Drain marinade and reserve for other use. Toss marinated vegetables with tuna and tomato.
• Spoon in to salad bowl lined with crisp greens.
• Enjoy!

TUNISIAN TUNA AND EGG SALAD

Steps:

• Combine vinegar, olive oil, mint and harissa in a large bowl.
• Add pepper, fennel, onion and tomato with dressing and toss to combine.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon salad onto plates or a serving dish.
• Top with tuna, egg, capers and olives.

TUNISIAN POTATO SALAD WITH CUMIN

Steps:

• Steam or boil the potatoes until tender-about 15-20 minutes. I *very* slightly undercook the potatoes for best results. *After the potatoes have cooked, refresh under cold water, drain and cut into cubes. *Note: when I made this potato salad recipe I drained the potatoes, placed them in a bowl to cool until just warm and proceeded with the recipe. After the potato salad had cooled in the refrigerator then the fresh cilantro was stirred in just before serving. I wanted to avoid "cooking" the fresh herbs.
• Combine the remaining ingredients except for the herb(s) in a large bowl and mix well. Add the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the dressing. Can serve warm; or chill and serve (depends on time of year).
• Stir in the herbs just before serving.

PAN-ROASTED STRIPED BASS WITH TUNISIAN CHICKPEA SALAD AND YOGURT SAUCE

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup of the chickpeas in a mixing bowl. Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher until they are smashed but still have some texture. Add the remaining chickpeas, the onion, cucumber, cilantro, celery, cumin, harissa, olive oil, and vinegar; season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate overnight. Return to room temperature before serving.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Put a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and coat with the canola oil. Pat both sides of the fish dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, lay the fish skin side down in the pan. Sear for 4 to 5 minutes without moving the fillets. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the fish is opaque, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully flip the fish over with a flat spatula, so the skin side is now up; it should be brown, crisp, and make a sound when you tap it. Let the fish sit in the hot pan for a minute to sear the bottom side.
• To serve, pool 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce on each of 4 plates, place the fish skin side up on top of the sauce, and pile the chickpea salad next to it.
• Yogurt Sauce
• In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and oil; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the yogurt sauce to a container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, for up to 7 days.

TUNISIAN POTATO & OLIVE SALAD

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a pot with water to cover; add 1 teaspoon salt and the sugar.
• Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
• Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan and shake in the dry pan for a few minutes, until thoroughly dry.
• Cut the potatoes into thick slices, several per potato, or into quarters.
• Place in a bowl and toss with the cumin, paprika, cayenne, garlic and olives.
• Dress with the olive oil, lemon juice and salt; refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve at room temperature.

TUNISIAN CARROT SALAD WITH CUMIN, CORIANDER AND CARAWAY

Steps:

• 1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and add carrots and 1 teaspoon salt. Boil until almost tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, set aside a bowl of ice water. Transfer cooked carrots to the ice bath and chill. 2. Drain carrots, and cut into disks about 1/4-inch thick. Transfer to a bowl and add olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin, caraway, and coriander. Add harissa or hot sauce, and mix gently. Season with lemon juice and salt to taste. Serve at room temperature.

TUNISIAN FENNEL SALAD (BESH BESH)

Steps:

• Slice fennel bulb in two pieces and clean. Remove finger-like sprouts from the top of the fennel, leaving only the bulb.
• Slice the fennel into thin pieces (I like to slice down the side to make moon-shaped pieces).
• Drizzle oil, vinegar, salt and pepper on top and toss thoroughly.
• Enjoy!

TUNISIAN WINTER SQUASH SALAD

Steps:

• Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Then add the squash, salt and the garlic clove. Lower the heat and simmer until the squash is very tender.
• Remove the squash to a mesh strainer, and squeeze the garlic out of its skin into the strainer. Mash the two together to help get rid of excess water.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the harissa, salt to taste, the coriander, lemon juice and olive oil. Taste, adjust the seasonings, then serve.

SLATA TUNISIYA - TUNISIAN SALAD

Steps:

• Take the seeds out of the tomatoes and green peppers, and dice them so they are all the same size. Cut the onions into quarters, then into very thin slices. Salt it all.
• Cut the mint into tiny pieces, add this to the mix, then add the lemon juice. Mix it all up.
• Put this mix in the middle of a large serving plate or platter. Garnish the plate with lettuce leaves, arranged nicely around the edge of the plate. Garnish also with hard boiled egg, and radish. Slice the tomato at the end of the recipe, and arrange the slices around the edge of the plate, or quarter them, and similarly arrange them.
• Arrange the tuna on top of the vegetables in the center of the plate. Add the feta and scatter the olives around the plate. Drizzle the whole dish with olive oil.
• This should be eaten at room temperature.