Tunisian Market Sandwich
The Tunisian Market Sandwich is one of the best sandwiches that the Mediterranean has to offer! Filled with Harissa, carrot salad, tuna confit, potatoes, hard boiled egg, and Mechouia (a Tunisian charred vegetable dish), the sandwich is complex and flavor-packed. Use an olive oil with a ripe fruity flavor. Find the video, recipe, and printable recipe PDF below!
Yield: 4 portions
Method
For the Carrot Salad: Using the large holes of a grater, grate carrots into a bowl. In a mortar, pound garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir in the caraway, cumin, lemon juice and harissa, mixing well, then the olive oil. Beat with a fork or a small wire whisk to amalgamate and immediately pour over the grated carrots. Set aside at room temperature for about 30 minutes to develop flavors.
For the Mechouia: Preheat a 450°F oven.
Roast the tomatoes and onions on a baking sheet in a hot oven or under the broiler until the peel is charred, but the flesh is still firm. Remove from the heat. Let sit until cool enough to touch. Remove the peels. Julienne the onion. Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and julienne the tomatoes.
Combine the roasted peppers and chiles, onions and tomatoes.
Add the parsley and toss to mix well.
In a separate bowl, Whisk together the oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Add to the pepper mixture and adjust the seasoning.
To Assemble: Cut the bread in half. Remove some of the dough in the middle.
Slather harissa all over the inside of the bread. Stuff in the potatoes, mechouia, lemon, olives, capers and tuna a little at a time, ending with the tuna. Sprinkle on enough olive oil to drizzle down inside. Serve immediately.
Source: Adapted from Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author, The Essential Mediterranean
Ingredients
Tunisian Carrot Salad
5-6 ea. Carrots, medium, peeled, large grated
1 ea. Garlic clove, chopped
as needed, Sea salt
1 tsp. Caraway seed, ground
¼ tsp. Cumin seed, toasted, ground
1 Tbsp. (+ more as needed) Harissa (recipe here)
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
Mechouia
2 ea. Red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, julienned, reserve juices
2 ea. Green peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, julienned, reserve juices
1-2 ea. Jalapenos roasted, peeled julienned, reserve juices
4 ea. Tomatoes, medium
2 ea. Onions, small, unpeeled
½ cup Parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
3 Tbsp. Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
as needed, Sea salt
as needed, Ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. Cilantro, fresh, minced
To Assemble
4 ea. Crusty bread rounds or crusty bread
1 ea. Potatoes, yellow-fleshed, medium, boiled, peeled, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. Capers, rinsed
2 ea. Eggs, hard-boiled, coarsely chopped
1.75 oz. Tuna, confit (recipe here)
1 ea. Preserved lemon peel, chopped
½ cup Black and green olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
As needed, Baby greens or salad to serve with
This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of the International Olive Council.
