Slata Tounsiya (Tunisian Salad)
Tunisian salad, also called Salad Tunisienne or Slata Tounsiya, is a traditional chopped salad from Northwest Africa’s Mediterranean coast. The fresh chopped salad is traditionally served in a large ornamental bowl with the toppings placed in a visually interesting pattern to mark individual portions. This simple salad a big hit at a summer gathering, but it’s just as popular family dinner. Serve with crusty bread for a refreshing, nutritious meal.
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of ½ – 1 lemon
For The Salad
- 8 Roma tomatoes
- 2 English cucumbers
- 3 green bell peppers, finely diced
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely diced
- A big handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped (or subsitute with 1 tablespoon dried mint)
- ½ – 1 red onion, finely diced
- 5 hard boiled eggs, quartered
- ½ cup whole black olives (like Niçoise, Kalamata, or oil-cured black olives)
- ½ cup whole green olives (like Castelvetrano)
- 1 (5 ounce) can oil-packed tuna, drained and flaked
- Crusty baguette (optional), for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing. Add the olive oil, vinegar, parsley, salt, pepper, and the juice of ½ of a lemon to a screw top jar. Seal and vigorously shake until emulsified. You can also just whisk this together in a bowl. Add more lemon juice to taste if needed.
- Prepare your vegetables, fruit and herbs. Slice the tomatoes and cucumbers in half and use a metal spoon to scrape out the seeds. Then finely dice.
- Mix and dress. In a large serving bowl, mix the finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, apple, and mint. Stir in the dressing.
- Add onion to taste. Mix in half the onion, taste, and add more onion to your liking. I usually end up using all of it but it really depends on personal taste. Remember that its tanginess will be tamed by the lemon juice and olive oil in the dressing.
- Finish the salad. Before enjoying, transfer the salad to a large serving bowl and top it with 6 wedges of hard boiled eggs, olives and tuna. You can use as much as you like of any of these depending on your taste preference and hunger level. Serve the remaining egg quarters on the side.
- Serve. Serve with a side of fresh crusty baguette slices, which can even be used as a vessel instead of the fork.
Notes
- Removing the seeds from the tomatoes and cucumbers prevents the salad from becoming watery. If you don’t want to discard the juicy seeds, they make a nice addition to a soup, like our gazpacho or a green drink, like our green juice.
- Chopping is Tunisia’s national sport. Dice everything very finely, in as similar sized cubes as possible. It will take some time but it’s important so that the flavors can combine in every bite. To finely chop everything, use a freshly sharpened knife and start with the tomatoes, working the onions last so you don’t have to wash the knife in between the veggies.
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