Tunisian salad is the fresh salad of Tunisian cooking: tomato, cucumber, green pepper and onion cut into tiny dice, dressed with olive oil, lemon and dried mint. It is often topped with tuna, boiled eggs and olives, which turns it into a complete starter.
I tasted it on 11 May 2026 at Royal Djerba in Phalsbourg, in a trio of salads with mechouia and a green salad, before merguez and lamb skewers, all followed by mint tea. It brought the perfect touch of freshness next to the grilled meat.
The recipe below is the traditional version, not the restaurant’s one. The only real secret is the knife work: the smaller and more even the dice, the better the salad. Take your time with the chopping and the rest takes care of itself.
The story of that day: 🇫🇷 Phalsbourg - Tunisian salad trio at the Royal Djerba
The recipe
Classic recipeThe traditional recipe for the dish, not the one from the restaurant where I tasted it.
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 firm tomatoes (about 500 g)
- 1 cucumber (about 300 g)
- 1 green pepper (about 150 g)
- 1 small red onion (80 g)
- 1 tsp dried mint
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
Topping
- 1 can of tuna in oil (140 g drained)
- 2 eggs
- 12 black or green olives
Method
- Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool them in cold water, peel and cut into quarters.
- Wash the vegetables. Quarter the tomatoes, remove the seeds and juice, then cut the flesh into small dice of about 5 mm.
- Peel the cucumber in stripes, halve it lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut it into dice of the same size.
- Seed the pepper and cut it into small dice. Peel the onion and chop it very finely.
- Put all the vegetables in a bowl. Add the salt, pepper, dried mint crumbled between your fingers, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss gently.
- Tip the salad onto a serving dish and arrange the flaked tuna, egg quarters and olives on top. Serve straight away, nice and cold.
Tips and variations
- Dress the salad at the last minute: salt makes the tomato and cucumber release water.
- In Tunisia, people sometimes add a small diced tart apple for a sweet note.
- Without the topping, the diced vegetables keep for 1 day in the fridge, undressed.
- For a vegetarian version, swap the tuna for a few capers and a little fresh cheese.
Recipe shared for guidance only, adapt it to your equipment: times and temperatures may vary. Check for allergens (gluten, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, nuts, sesame…) and make sure ingredients are fresh. Raw or undercooked fish, meat and eggs are not recommended for pregnant women, young children, elderly or vulnerable people. Take care with hot oil, flambéing and alcohol. I am not a health or nutrition professional.