The Best Tunisian Grilled Salad — Salad Mechouia5 min read

If you’ve ever been to Tunisia, I guarantee that you have tried “Slata Mechouia”. It is one of the most iconic salads in Tunisia (along with Slata Tunsiya & Kafteji) Tunisia takes pride in the creation of this amazing and flavorful dish.

The Tunisian grilled salad, Salad Mechouia, also called Slata Mechouia, has simple ingredients: peppers, both sweet and spicy, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. That’s it! It is then seasoned with salt, coriander & caraway, lots of olive oil, and garnished with tuna chunks.

The traditional way of making the salad is by grilling all these ingredients on a “Kenoun” or a stovetop. Once cooled, the charred skin is removed, and then all ingredients are blended together. Some people cut the vegetables with a knife, others use a food processor, and the most time-consuming is using a mortar & pestle.

Regardless of the method, Slata Mechouia tastes amazing, especially with a warm fresh Tabouna or Baguette. There are also variations to the salad. Some people use red peppers instead of tomatoes to get the red color. The reason behind that is tomatoes have a lot of water which can make the salad go bad quickly, especially if you are batch cooking. Others use fresh garlic and add capers when seasoning.

For this recipe, I actually did not grill the onions and garlic. I kept them fresh to reap the maximum benefits of these superfoods. Cooking reduces the amount of many of the vitamins and minerals found in garlic and onions. Especially with COVID-19 taking over our lives, our health and immunity have never been more important.

Suggested Read: Tunisia’s Octopus Salad: The Best Tunisian Seafood Salad

Slata Mechouia is an excellent way to add more fiber and important nutrients. With all these Tunisian salads, it isn’t hard to make 50% of your plate vegetables.

Eat your veggies everyone!

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 sweet peppers (more if you want it to be sweet)
• 10 hot peppers
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• Olive oil
• Salt to taste
• Coriander & caraway to taste
• Tuna (optional)

RECIPE:

DIRECTIONS:

• Wash all the vegetables. Start grilling the peppers on a stove top while rotating every few minutes. The skin needs to be charred and the peppers soft. Do the same thing with the tomatoes. Let them cool.
• Once all the vegetables are cool, wear gloves and start to remove some of the skin and the seeds of the peppers. Set aside. For the tomatoes, remove the skin and squeeze any excess water.
• Cut the peppers and tomatoes into thin strips with a sharp knife. You can also blend the ingredients in a food processor.
• Cut the onion into thin slices and add to the bowl. Add the grated garlic cloves, olive oil, and spices. Mix well until everything is well combined.
• Serve on the side with freshly baked bread. Store leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

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This Salad Mechouia recipe is part of the #TasteTunisia initiative launched by Carthage Magazine. In search of Tunisian cuisine, through a series of articles/videos, Carthage Magazine offers a window to the Tunisian food, recipes and how they are prepared.

The Taste Tunisia initiative is supported by Carthage Magazine and led by international registered dietitians-nutritionists from Tunisia, making it the ultimate initiative that celebrates and promotes Tunisian cuisine.

#TasteTunisia Recipes:

• The Best Authentic Tunisian Rice Dish — “Rouz Jerbi”
• Tunisia’s National Dish: COUSCOUS
• Tunisian Mloukhiya, Your Grandma’s Favorite Dish
• Tunisian Stuffed Peppers: “Felfel Mehchi”
• Tunisia’s Seafood Pasta — A Tunisian Delicacy
• Mom’s Orange Cake — Tunisia’s Winter Dessert
• The Coziest Vegetable Stew – Tunisia’s Go-To Dish for the Cold Months
• Date & Walnut Bread — The Perfect Healthy Dessert
• Lablebi: One of Tunisia’s Most Popular Street Foods
• Assidat Zgougou — Tunisia’s Sweetness in a Bowl
• Tunisia’s Traditional Mini Doughnuts: Kaa’k Yoyo
• The Famous “Khobz Ch3ir” — Tunisian Barley Bread
• Tajine El Bey: Tunisia’s Finest Appetizer
• Omek Houria: Tunisian Mashed Carrot Salad
• Kafteji: a Healthy Version of your Favorite Tunisian Dish
• A Unique Pizza with a Taste of Tunisia: Harissa Infused Veggie Pizza
• Tunisia’s Octopus Salad: The Best Tunisian Seafood Salad
• The Traditional, Most Authentic Tunisian Pumpkin Shakshuka
• Tunisian Breakfast for Champions: “Zamit” with Pomegranate
• Tunisia’s Lentil Soup – Your Favorite Winter Warmer Dish
• All Tunisian food recipes.

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