Mechouia
One of Tunisia's most popular salads — the name simply means “grilled”. It is peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic charred until black, peeled and finely chopped, dressed with olive oil, lemon and tabil, a spice mix of caraway and coriander. Tuna, hard-boiled egg and olives go on top. Charring gives a smoky, sweet flavour — it is the heart of this salad. The vegetables must be charred really hard — the skin should be black, since it comes off anyway.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Charring the vegetables 25 min
- Steaming under cover 10 min
- Peeling 15 min
- Chopping and dressing 15 min
Step by step
0 / 8 doneChar the vegetables under the grill
Heat the oven grill to maximum. Lay the peppers, tomatoes, halved onion, garlic and chilli on a tray and char them 20–25 minutes, turning every few minutes, until the skins are black and blistered. Take out the garlic and chilli earlier, once soft.
Ingredients: 4 pcs green and red peppers · 4 pcs tomatoes · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled · 1 pcs hot chilli
Black skins — they come off anyway.Boil the eggs
Meanwhile hard-boil the eggs (10 minutes), move them to cold water and peel.
Ingredients: 120 g tuna in olive oil · 2 pcs eggs · 12 pcs black olives
Steam the peppers under cover
Put the hot peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate for 10 minutes. The steam lifts the skin from the flesh and peeling takes a moment.
Ingredients: 4 pcs green and red peppers · 4 pcs tomatoes · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled · 1 pcs hot chilli
Peel the vegetables
Peel the skins off the peppers, tomatoes and chilli, removing seeds and stalks. Strip the charred outer layer from the onion and squeeze the garlic from its skins. Do not rinse the vegetables under the tap — you would wash away the smoky flavour.
Ingredients: 4 pcs green and red peppers · 4 pcs tomatoes · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled · 1 pcs hot chilli
No rinsing — the smoke stays.Chop finely
Chop all the vegetables finely with a knife, almost to a coarse paste. In Tunisia they are often pounded in a mortar; a food processor easily makes them too smooth.
Ingredients: 4 pcs green and red peppers · 4 pcs tomatoes · 1 pcs onion · 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled · 1 pcs hot chilli
With a knife, finely — not a smooth purée.Dress with oil and spices
Mix the vegetables with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon juice, ground caraway and coriander and salt. Taste — mechouia should be smoky, slightly hot and refreshingly tangy.
Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil · ½ pcs lemon, juice · 1 tsp ground caraway · 1 tsp ground coriander seeds · 1 tsp salt
Spread on a plate
Spread the salad on a flat plate and smooth it with a spoon. It is best at room temperature or lightly chilled.
Ingredients: 4 tbsp olive oil · ½ pcs lemon, juice · 1 tsp ground caraway · 1 tsp ground coriander seeds · 1 tsp salt
Top with tuna, egg and olives
Arrange pieces of tuna, quartered eggs and olives on top and drizzle with the rest of the olive oil. Serve with bread as a starter or light lunch.
Ingredients: 120 g tuna in olive oil · 2 pcs eggs · 12 pcs black olives
Before you start
On a grill or over a flame
The best, smokiest flavour comes from charring over charcoal or directly over a gas flame. The oven grill is a convenient home substitute.
Tabil
Tabil is a Tunisian spice mix of coriander and caraway, sometimes with garlic and chilli. Toasting and grinding the seeds yourself gives a much stronger aroma.
Storage
The salad without toppings keeps 3 days in the fridge, always covered. Add the tuna, egg and olives just before serving.
