Tunisian Salad
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: September 15, 2026
This wonderful Tunisian salad has all the freshness and crunch of the Mediterranean in every delicious bite. Tangy tomatoes, crisp green peppers and cucumber are married with soft, flaky tuna, creamy boiled eggs and salty olives. It’s the perfect mix.
There are many, many Mediterranean-style salads that I cook all year long, and one treasure new to my fold is this colourful Tunisian salad. It’s a chopped salad—one of my favourite kinds—and a complete meal in itself, too. This might just be my salad of the summer (and all the other seasons, for that matter!).
Tunisian salad is quick, easy and well-rounded in both flavour and ingredients. With eggs, olives and tuna arranged amongst crunchy vegetables, it reminds me of a French Niçoise salad in many ways. I love that salad for lunch all year round, so discovering a new dish that is, in many ways, even simpler to make was a welcome addition to my healthy-eating repertoire.
You’ll love this salad because it’s quick, easy and pairs well with so many mezze-style dishes. It’s also perfect on its own as a light lunch or dinner. It’s part of my ever-expanding Mediterranean Collection and also my Mediterranean Salad Hub, where you'll find many like-minded recipes.
What's Ahead?
What is Tunisian Salad
Tunisian salad, or slata tounsia, is a fresh chopped salad made with tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion and herbs, tossed in a simple lemon and olive oil dressing. Harissa adds a distinctly Tunisian warmth, while traditional garnishes of tuna, hard-boiled eggs and olives turn it into a satisfying meal. Unlike slata méchouia, which uses grilled vegetables, this salad is served fresh and crunchy. Colourful, healthy and quick to prepare, it’s enjoyed as a light meal, a side dish or as part of a larger mezze-style spread.
Why You'll Love My Recipe
- Communal salad or a meal for one - every delicious flavour base is covered as well as a harmonious combination of ingredients that can act as an entire meal.
- It's quick - when I feel like a home-spun lunch or quick dinner, this is such a great option. You can prep all the ingredients in the time it takes for the eggs to boil!
- It's healthy - when I want a lighter meal, which even greedy me opts for on occasion, this is such a light relief.
Ingredients You'll Need
At its heart, it's a very simple combination of fresh ingredients - the tuna, olives and eggs are actually seen as an extra garnish, so you decide which you'd like to include. Personally, after many variations, I like all these ingredients the best - it's a splendid combo.
- Tomato - It's hard to narrow it down to the key ingredient, but tomato is definitely a star player, with all its sweet tanginess. I've found that a firm truss tomato or Roma tomato work the best. (I remove the seeds too, for a cleaner dice)
- Green pepper - is traditional to this salad and brings its savoury flavour and wonderful crisp texture.
- Cucumber - is another key ingredient with its crunch and cooling quality (I remove the seeds for a better dice)
- Red onion - plays a supporting role in the salad with its sweet flavour and crunchy texture.
- Herbs - fresh parsley brings a grassy freshness and dried mint its unique fragrance and flavour.
- Dressing - a simple marriage of olive oil, lemon and harissa paste introduces an unmistakable Tunisian flavour.
- Garnishes - traditionally, boiled eggs, flaked tuna (in water) and olives (green or black) are added to this salad - I've experimented with and without and can confirm, I'm all for it and advocate for all three!
Step by Step
As with most salads, it's not really about cooking–more assembling. That makes this super quick and easy to prepare. The only bit of organisation you'll need is to boil up a few eggs in advance.
- Step 1 - Deseed the pepper, tomatoes and cucumber and create dice (as big or as small as you prefer, I like mine around 1-2cm)
- Step 2 - Combine the pepper, tomato, cucumber, finely diced onion, parsley and mint.
- Step 3 - Make the dressing by whisking together the lemon juice, olive oil, harissa paste and a little salt & pepper. Pour this over the salad and mix well.
- Step 4 - Tumble the salad onto a platter and decorate with tuna, quartered boiled eggs and a scattering of olives, then serve!
Things I've learned
I've eaten this salad in many variations and improvised on occasion with different additions.
- Green apple - a traditional inclusion in some Tunisian recipes. Personally, it wasn’t for me, but feel free to give it a try.
- Radishes - I often add a few of these, diced up, as they have a wonderful peppery flavour and crisp crunch to them
- Green chilli - adds a little heat, if I'm feeling like a little chilli hit
- Capers - are an excellent addition as they deliver little pops of briny flavour throughout
- Baked flatbread - although not traditional, I like to use Lebanese Fattoush Salad as my inspiration and bake some flatbreads until crisp, then roughly break up into large pieces and toss throughout the salad to create a more substantial offering.
Serving & Storage Suggestions
- Fridge - The salad can be pre-prepared and then kept covered in the fridge for a few hours. Leftovers will be fine for 1-2 days in the fridge. It's not suitable for freezing.
- Serving - As far as serving goes, this salad can work as a meal in itself, which is how I most often serve it. It's also great alongside meats and fish (I'll typically not include tuna if I'm serving as a side dish like this).
- Mezze - It also works excellently as a salad served alongside Mediterranean small plates (mezze), where you can pick-and-mix all your favourite flavours - discover all my favourite mezze dishes, all of which would play well with this Tunisian Salad.
Ready to get Started?
You'll just love how all these fresh and vibrant ingredients come together to form a well-rounded and accomplished salad, that has layer after layer of flavour. It's a relatively new favourite of mine, that after a few experimentations, has reached my site-ready version. I know you'll all love it too...
More Fresh Mediterranean recipes
If you liked this recipe, I'm sure you'll love more of my best Mediterranean recipes.
FAQ
Have a question? Let me know in the comments.
Is Tunisian salad traditionally served with tuna and eggs?
The core salad is a simple combination of finely chopped tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion and herbs. Tuna, hard-boiled eggs and olives are traditional garnishes rather than essential ingredients. After trying several variations, I prefer the salad with all three—they make it more substantial and turn it into a complete meal.
Is Tunisian salad the same as slata méchouia?
No. Tunisian salad, often called slata tounsia, is made with fresh, finely chopped vegetables. Slata méchouia is a different Tunisian salad in which peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic are grilled before being peeled and chopped. Both may be garnished with tuna, eggs and olives, but their flavours and textures are quite different.
How spicy is this Tunisian salad?
My recipe has a gentle warmth from the harissa rather than an intense chilli heat. Harissa varies considerably between brands, so start with a small amount and taste the dressing before adding more. You can leave it out for a mild salad or add chopped green chilli if you enjoy something hotter.
Can I prepare Tunisian salad in advance?
Yes, although its texture is best when freshly assembled. You can chop the vegetables and boil the eggs a few hours ahead, then keep everything covered in the fridge. Add the dressing, tuna, eggs and olives shortly before serving. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 1–2 days, but the vegetables will gradually soften and release liquid.
Why do you remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cucumber?
Removing the watery seeds helps the vegetables hold a cleaner dice and prevents the dressing from becoming diluted. I’ve made the salad both ways, and deseeding produces the fresher, crisper result. It isn’t essential, though—if you’re short on time, you can simply chop everything and serve the salad immediately.
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Ingredients
Salad ingredients
- 1 green bell pepper (deseeded and diced)
- 3 tomatoes (deseeded and diced)
- 1 cucumber (deseeded and diced)
- ½ small red onion (finely diced)
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 1 tsp dried mint
For the dressing
- ½ tsp harissa paste
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ lemon (juice of)
- Salt and black pepper
Other ingredients
- 1 small can tuna (in water) (drained - around 100g / 3.5oz)
- 2 hard-boiled eggs quartered
- ⅓ cup pitted black or green olives
Instructions
- Combine the diced green pepper, tomato, cucumber and red onion with the parsley and dried mint and set aside.
- Whisk together the harissa paste, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, then pour over the diced vegetables. Stir well to combine.
- Tip onto a large serving platter and arrange the tuna, quartered eggs and olives over the top.
Notes
- Vegetables: Remove the watery seeds from the tomatoes and cucumber for a cleaner dice and crisper salad.
- Harissa: Brands vary in heat, so begin with a little and add more to your taste.
- Garnishes: Tuna, boiled eggs and olives are traditional additions but can be included or omitted as you like.
- Variations: Try adding diced radish, green chilli, capers or green apple.
- Make ahead: Chop the vegetables and boil the eggs a few hours in advance. Keep them refrigerated and add the dressing and garnishes shortly before serving.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for 1–2 days. The vegetables will soften over time. The salad is not suitable for freezing.
- Tuna - I prefer tuna in water because it has a lighter flavour and contains less oil.
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