[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":391},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:salade-mechouia":3,"recipe:country:tunisia":188},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"pronunciation":7,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":77,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":85,"ingredients":91,"instructions":146,"nutrition":171,"images":176,"keywords":180,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"salade-mechouia","Slata Mechouia (Tunisian Grilled Pepper and Tomato Salad)","سلاطة مشوية","SLA-ta mesh-WEE-ya","tunisia","Cap Bon","🫑","Peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic charred black over a flame, peeled, then chopped by hand with olive oil, caraway and lemon. Topped with tuna, egg and olives as a starter.","Mechouia simply means grilled, and that is the entire technique: green peppers, tomatoes, onion and unpeeled garlic held over a flame until their skins blacken and split, then peeled, drained and chopped on a board with olive oil, caraway, coriander seed and lemon. The result is smoky, sweet-sharp and loose rather than creamy — it should look chopped, never blended. It arrives at the start of almost every Tunisian meal, spread on a flat plate with tuna, hard-boiled egg and olives on top and bread to scoop it up.","Every Mediterranean country that grows peppers has a version of this, and comparing them tells you a lot about each kitchen. Serbian ajvar is cooked down long and slow into a thick preserve. Moroccan zaalouk builds on aubergine and stays in the pan. Mechouia is the least cooked of the family after the charring: nothing is simmered, nothing is emulsified, and the texture stays deliberately coarse because Tunisian cooks chop it with a knife or crush it briefly in a mortar rather than reaching for a machine.\n\nThe seasoning is the tell. Caraway and coriander seed, ground together, are what mark it as Tunisian rather than generally North African, and the garlic goes onto the flame with everything else so it turns sweet and soft instead of sharp. On Cap Bon, where much of the country's chilli crop grows, the salad is often made with a proportion of hot green peppers rather than only sweet ones, and it is not unusual for a plate of mechouia to be hotter than the main course that follows it.\n\nIt belongs to kemia, the spread of small plates that opens a Tunisian meal, and it is also standard sandwich filling — a fricassé or a baguette with mechouia, tuna and harissa is lunch across the country. Traditionally the vegetables go directly onto charcoal or the tabouna oven wall, which is where the smoke comes from. A gas ring, a hot grill or a very hot oven will get you most of the way there, though anyone who has eaten it made over embers will tell you what is missing, and they are right.",[15,16,17,18],"Charring directly over a flame rather than roasting in oil, so the salad tastes of smoke instead of tasting stewed.","Chopped by hand to the texture Tunisians actually serve — a food processor turns it into dip and loses the whole character.","Drains the vegetables properly before dressing, which is why this version does not sit in a pool of pink water.","Better on day two, so it is a genuine make-ahead starter rather than something rushed before guests arrive.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Char the vegetables far past the point that feels comfortable. Skins should be black and split over at least two thirds of the surface, or the smoke never arrives.","Steam the peppers under a covered bowl for 15 minutes after grilling — the trapped moisture lifts the skin off in sheets instead of in flakes.","Never rinse the peeled peppers under the tap. Water carries away the smoke you just spent twenty minutes creating; pick off stray flecks of skin by hand instead.","Salt the chopped vegetables and let them sit in a sieve for ten minutes, then discard the liquid before dressing. This is the single biggest difference between a good mechouia and a watery one.","Grind the caraway and coriander fresh. Pre-ground caraway loses almost all its aroma within a few months and the salad tastes flat without it.","Dress it while still slightly warm so the olive oil soaks in rather than sitting on the surface.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Charcoal or open gas flame","Oven grill on its highest setting, or a dry cast-iron pan","Both blister the skins well. Turn the vegetables every few minutes and expect a little less smoke than a live flame gives.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Green peppers","Half green, half red peppers","Sweeter and prettier, but less true to the Tunisian version, which relies on the slight bitterness of green peppers to balance the oil.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Tuna and egg topping","Nothing at all, or a spoonful of capers and preserved lemon","The salad is complete on its own — the toppings turn a dip into a starter course, and leaving them off makes it vegan.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Mechouia with harissa","A teaspoon of harissa worked into the dressing for households that want the heat without adding fresh chillies to the grill.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Sandwich mechouia","Chopped finer and drained harder so it can be spread inside a baguette or fricassé without soaking the bread.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Mechouia bil karnoun","Made with grilled artichoke hearts folded through the peppers, served in spring when artichokes are cheap in Tunisian markets.",[50],"Flatbread or baguette, brik, olives and a bowl of harissa as part of a kemia spread before the main course.","Covered with a film of olive oil in a sealed container, mechouia keeps 4 days in the fridge and genuinely improves for the first two as the smoke and garlic spread through. Add the tuna, egg and olives only when serving, since they do not keep as well as the vegetable base. It can be frozen for 2 months without the toppings, though the texture loosens slightly on thawing — stir in a little fresh olive oil to bring it back.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"Can I use a food processor to save time?","You can, but pulse two or three times at most. Mechouia is defined by its rough, hand-chopped texture, and a processor takes it to a smooth purée in seconds — at which point you have made a dip that tastes right but reads wrong on the plate.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why is my salad watery?","Tomatoes and peppers release a lot of liquid after charring. Drain the peeled peppers in a colander, seed the tomatoes before chopping, and salt the mixture and let it sit in a sieve for ten minutes before you dress it. Any liquid that collects afterwards should be poured off rather than stirred back in.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"How spicy is mechouia supposed to be?","It varies by household and region. Made with sweet green peppers alone it is not spicy at all; on Cap Bon, cooks often include several hot green chillies and the plate can be genuinely fiery. Start with one chilli, taste after dressing, and remember it is usually eaten alongside harissa anyway.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"Do I have to peel the tomatoes as well as the peppers?","Yes, and after charring the skins slip off easily. Tomato skin does not soften in a raw salad and ends up as unpleasant curled strips throughout. Squeeze out and discard the watery seed pockets at the same time.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"Can I make mechouia the day before a dinner?","It is better made a day ahead. Prepare the vegetable base, dress it, and refrigerate under a layer of olive oil. Bring it back to room temperature before serving — cold from the fridge, the olive oil is thick and the smoke flavour is muted — and add the tuna, egg and olives at the last minute.",[69,70,71,72],"Gas burner, charcoal grill or oven grill","Tongs","Large bowl with a lid or plate for steaming","Sharp knife and a big board",6,25,15,"easy",[78,79],"side","appetizer",[81,82,83,84],"pescatarian","gluten-free","dairy-free","nut-free",[86,87,88,89,90],"bell-pepper","tomato","garlic","olive-oil","tuna",[92,96,101,104,108,112,116,120,123,127,131,136,139,143],{"ref":86,"qty":73,"unit":93,"name":94,"group":95},"piece","green peppers","For the grill",{"ref":97,"qty":98,"unit":93,"name":99,"optional":100,"group":95},"green-chili",2,"hot green chillies",true,{"ref":87,"qty":102,"unit":93,"name":103,"group":95},4,"ripe tomatoes",{"ref":105,"qty":106,"unit":93,"name":107,"group":95},"onion",1,"onion, unpeeled, halved",{"ref":88,"qty":109,"unit":110,"name":111,"group":95},5,"clove","garlic, unpeeled",{"ref":89,"qty":109,"unit":113,"name":114,"group":115},"tbsp","extra virgin olive oil","For the dressing",{"ref":117,"qty":106,"unit":118,"name":119,"group":115},"caraway","tsp","caraway seeds, freshly ground",{"ref":121,"qty":106,"unit":118,"name":122,"group":115},"coriander-seed","coriander seeds, freshly ground",{"ref":124,"qty":125,"unit":93,"name":126,"group":115},"lemon",0.5,"lemon, juiced",{"qty":128,"unit":129,"name":130,"group":115},null,"to taste","salt",{"ref":90,"qty":132,"unit":133,"name":134,"group":135},120,"g","canned tuna in oil, drained","To top",{"ref":137,"qty":98,"unit":93,"name":138,"group":135},"eggs","eggs, hard-boiled and quartered",{"ref":140,"qty":141,"unit":133,"name":142,"group":135},"olives",60,"black olives",{"ref":144,"qty":106,"unit":113,"name":145,"optional":100,"group":135},"capers","capers, rinsed",[147,151,154,159,162,165,168],{"title":148,"text":149,"tip":150},"Char the vegetables","Set the peppers, chillies, onion halves and unpeeled garlic directly over a live flame or under a very hot grill. Turn them with tongs every 3–4 minutes for about 15 minutes, until the skins are blistered and black across most of the surface and the flesh has slumped inwards.","The garlic cloves are done first, in about 6 minutes, when the papery skin browns and the clove feels soft through it.",{"title":152,"text":153},"Char the tomatoes separately","Add the tomatoes to the flame for the last 6–8 minutes only, turning until the skins split and lift away and the flesh starts to sag. They collapse far faster than the peppers, so giving them the full time turns them to pulp.",{"title":155,"text":156,"timerSeconds":157,"tip":158},"Steam and peel","Pile everything into a bowl, cover tightly with a plate, and leave 15 minutes. Then peel the peppers and tomatoes with your fingers, pulling the skin away in strips, squeeze the garlic out of its skins, and pull off the onion's charred outer layers.",900,"Work over a colander so the juices drain away instead of collecting under the vegetables.",{"title":160,"text":161},"Seed and drain","Tear the peppers open and scrape out the seeds and pale ribs, and squeeze the watery seed pockets out of the tomatoes. Leave the flesh in a colander for 10 minutes, pressing lightly, until it stops dripping.",{"title":163,"text":164},"Chop by hand","Pile the peppers, tomatoes, onion, chillies and garlic on a board and chop with a heavy knife, sweeping the pile back together and chopping again, until the pieces are the size of small peas. Stop while the mixture still looks like chopped vegetables rather than paste.",{"title":166,"text":167},"Dress and rest","Scrape into a bowl and fold through the olive oil, ground caraway and coriander, lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Taste — it should be smoky, faintly bitter from the green peppers and clearly sour. Let it sit 20 minutes before serving.",{"title":169,"text":170},"Plate it","Spread the salad flat on a wide plate rather than mounding it in a bowl, and arrange the tuna, egg quarters, olives and capers over the surface. Pour a last spoonful of olive oil across the top just before it goes to the table.",{"calories":172,"protein":173,"carbs":174,"fat":75,"fiber":102,"sodium":175,"estimated":100},210,9,11,430,[177],{"src":178,"alt":179},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsalade-mechouia\u002Fhero.svg","Flat plate of chopped charred green pepper and tomato salad topped with flaked tuna, egg quarters and black olives",[181,182,183,184,117,185],"slata mechouia","grilled pepper salad","tunisian salad","kemia","smoky","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":189,"total":196,"page":106,"limit":286,"hasMore":390},[190,214,240,261,281,306,323,330,350,372],{"slug":191,"title":192,"nativeName":193,"countrySlug":8,"region":194,"baseServings":102,"prepMinutes":195,"cookMinutes":196,"difficulty":197,"course":198,"diet":200,"mainIngredients":201,"images":203,"keywords":207,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"tunisian-brik","Brik à l'Oeuf (Tunisian Crisp Pastry with a Runny Egg)","بريك بالبيض","Tunis",20,10,"medium",[79,199],"street-food",[81,83],[90,137,144,202,105],"parsley",[204],{"src":205,"alt":206},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-brik\u002Fhero.svg","Golden half-moon brik pastry torn open with a runny egg yolk spilling over the tuna and parsley filling",[208,209,210,211,212,213],"brik","brik a l'oeuf","malsouka","tunisian pastry","tuna and egg","fried appetiser",{"slug":215,"title":216,"nativeName":217,"countrySlug":8,"region":218,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":219,"cookMinutes":220,"difficulty":197,"course":221,"diet":223,"mainIngredients":224,"images":230,"keywords":234,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"tunisian-couscous","Couscous bil Hout (Tunisian Fish Couscous)","كسكسي بالحوت","Sfax and the Sahel",35,80,[222],"main",[81,83],[225,226,227,228,229],"white-fish","couscous","chickpeas","quince","harissa",[231],{"src":232,"alt":233},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-couscous\u002Fhero.svg","Platter of red-tinted couscous topped with fish steaks, chickpeas, carrots, quince wedges and green peppers",[226,235,236,237,238,239],"fish couscous","tunisian couscous","harissa broth","couscoussier","maghreb",{"slug":241,"title":242,"nativeName":243,"countrySlug":8,"region":194,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":219,"cookMinutes":195,"restMinutes":244,"difficulty":197,"course":245,"diet":247,"mainIngredients":248,"images":251,"keywords":255,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"fricassee-tunisien","Fricassé (Tunisian Fried Roll with Tuna and Potato)","فريكاسي",100,[199,246],"snack",[81,83],[249,90,250,137,140,229],"flour","potato",[252],{"src":253,"alt":254},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ffricassee-tunisien\u002Fhero.svg","Split fried Tunisian fricassé roll packed with tuna, crushed potato, egg slices, black olives and red harissa",[256,257,258,259,260,229],"fricasse","tunisian sandwich","fried roll","tuna sandwich","street food",{"slug":262,"title":263,"nativeName":264,"countrySlug":8,"region":194,"baseServings":102,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":265,"restMinutes":266,"difficulty":76,"course":267,"diet":270,"mainIngredients":271,"images":273,"keywords":277,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"lablabi","Lablabi (Tunisian Chickpea and Bread Soup)","لبلابي",85,480,[268,269],"soup","breakfast",[81,83],[227,88,272,137,89,90],"cumin",[274],{"src":275,"alt":276},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Flablabi\u002Fhero.svg","Deep bowl of chickpea broth over torn bread topped with a poached egg, harissa, capers, olives and olive oil",[262,278,279,280,229,272],"chickpea soup","tunisian breakfast","stale bread soup",{"slug":282,"title":283,"nativeName":284,"countrySlug":8,"region":285,"baseServings":286,"prepMinutes":287,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":288,"difficulty":197,"course":289,"diet":291,"mainIngredients":293,"images":297,"keywords":301,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"tunisian-makroudh","Makroudh (Kairouan Date-Filled Semolina Diamonds)","مقروض","Kairouan",24,40,30,[290,246],"dessert",[292,83,84],"vegetarian",[294,295,296,89],"semolina","dates","honey",[298],{"src":299,"alt":300},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-makroudh\u002Fhero.svg","Stacked honey-glazed semolina diamonds cut open to show the dark spiced date filling inside",[302,303,294,304,296,305],"makroudh","date pastry","kairouan","tunisian sweets",{"slug":307,"title":308,"nativeName":309,"countrySlug":8,"region":194,"baseServings":102,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":74,"difficulty":76,"course":310,"diet":311,"mainIngredients":312,"images":314,"keywords":318,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"ojja","Ojja Merguez (Tunisian Eggs in Spicy Pepper Sauce)","عجة مرقاز",[222,269],[83],[313,137,87,229,86],"merguez",[315],{"src":316,"alt":317},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fojja\u002Fhero.svg","Skillet of red tomato and pepper sauce with merguez slices and softly set eggs stirred through, parsley on top",[307,313,319,320,321,322],"tunisian eggs","harissa tomato sauce","one pan dinner","chakchouka",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":76,"course":324,"diet":325,"mainIngredients":326,"images":327,"keywords":329,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},[78,79],[81,82,83,84],[86,87,88,89,90],[328],{"src":178,"alt":179},[181,182,183,184,117,185],{"slug":331,"title":332,"nativeName":333,"countrySlug":8,"region":194,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":195,"cookMinutes":141,"restMinutes":196,"difficulty":197,"course":334,"diet":335,"mainIngredients":336,"images":339,"keywords":343,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"tunisian-tajine","Tajine Malsouka (Tunisian Baked Egg and Cheese Casserole)","طاجين ملسوقة",[222,79],[84],[137,337,338,202,105],"chicken","gruyere",[340],{"src":341,"alt":342},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-tajine\u002Fhero.svg","Golden baked Tunisian tajine cut into squares showing shredded chicken, parsley and melted cheese in set egg",[344,345,346,347,348,349],"tunisian tajine","tajine malsouka","baked eggs","chicken casserole","frittata","make ahead",{"slug":351,"title":352,"nativeName":353,"countrySlug":8,"region":354,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":195,"cookMinutes":355,"difficulty":197,"course":356,"diet":357,"mainIngredients":358,"images":361,"keywords":365,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"tunisian-chorba-frik","Tunisian Chorba Frik (Freekeh and Lamb Soup)","شربة فريك","Tunis and the interior",95,[268],[83],[359,87,229,360,202],"lamb","mint",[362],{"src":363,"alt":364},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-chorba-frik\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of thick red freekeh soup with pieces of lamb, chopped parsley and a lemon wedge on the rim",[366,367,368,369,370,371],"chorba frik","freekeh soup","lamb soup","ramadan","tunisian soup","iftar",{"slug":373,"title":374,"nativeName":375,"countrySlug":8,"region":9,"baseServings":376,"prepMinutes":195,"cookMinutes":109,"restMinutes":288,"difficulty":76,"course":377,"diet":379,"mainIngredients":381,"images":382,"keywords":386,"publishedAt":186,"updatedAt":186,"authorSlug":187},"tunisian-harissa","Tunisian Harissa (Sun-Dried Chilli Paste)","هريسة",16,[378],"sauce",[380,292,82,83,84],"vegan",[88,117,121,89],[383],{"src":384,"alt":385},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Ftunisian-harissa\u002Fhero.svg","Deep red harissa paste in a small jar under a layer of olive oil, with dried chillies and caraway seeds beside it",[229,387,117,388,389,239],"tunisian chilli paste","dried chillies","north african condiment",false,1787360056293]