Tuna and roasted vegetable salad (salata meshwiya)

Salata meshwiya literally means roasted salad, and is popular all along the North African coast, particularly in Tunisia. The country’s history with France means there’s a heavy influence of French cuisine in the food, which perhaps explains the meshwiya’s resemblance to the Niçoise salad, which includes eggs and canned tuna.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 5 yellow bullhorn capsicums (see Note)
• 5 small Lebanese eggplants 
• 2 red onions, peeled, halved 
• 80 ml (⅓ cup) olive oil 
• 4 large roma tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced 
• 1 large lemon, juiced 
• 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered 
• 425 g can tuna in brine, drained, broken into large pieces 
• 1 tbsp salted capers, rinsed, drained

Standing time 10 minutes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180°C. Place capsicums, eggplants and onions on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 25 minutes, turning halfway, or until softened and capsicums are blackened all over. Transfer capsicums to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Stand for 10 minutes to allow the skins to soften, then rub off charred skins and slice into thin strips.

Cut eggplant into 1 cm rounds, slice onions and place in a large bowl with capsicums, tomatoes, lemon juice and remaining 60 ml olive oil. Season and toss gently to combine. Spoon over a platter, top with eggs and tuna, and scatter with capers to serve.

Note

• Bullhorn capsicums, available from selected supermarkets and greengrocers, are red or dark green and are 15 cm long with a tapered shape, similar to that of a bull’s horn. Alternatively, use banana chillies. 

As seen in Feast magazine, Feb 2012, Issue 6. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.

Photography by Peter Georgakopoulos.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.