Salade tunisienneDiced tomato and cucumber salad
Every Tunisian table, from Tunis to Sfax, has a plate of slata tounsia on it, especially at lunch in summer and at iftar in Ramadan: tomato, cucumber, green pepper and onion cut into tiny, even dice and dressed with lemon, olive oil and dried mint. It is usually crowned with tuna and hard-boiled egg; this vegetarian version leaves out the tuna and uses a little more egg, plus olives and capers for the salty kick. A portion gives about 8 g of protein, so it is a side salad rather than a high-protein dish. The usual mistake is dressing it too early: the salt draws the juice out of the tomato and the salad swims, so dress it just before serving. Chef's tip: take the time to dice everything to the size of a chickpea; that fine, even cut is what makes it taste like Tunisia rather than a chopped salad.























