Ommek Houria

Ingredients

The carrots

• 1 kgcarrots
• peeled and cut in chunks
• water, to boil
• salt

The dressing

• 2 tablespoonsharissa
• or to taste
• 4garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoonground caraway
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• juice of 1 lemon
• 4 tablespoonsolive oil
• salt

The topping

• 1 tintuna in oil
• drained and flaked
• 2boiled eggs, quartered
• black olives
• capers, optional

To serve

• with bread
• as a starter

Directions

1. Warm vegetables absorb dressing readily. Cold ones simply sit in the dressing. Warm carrot takes up the oil and lemon. Dressing it cold gives a duller result. Use caraway where the recipe says so. Peel the carrots and cut them in chunks. Cut them all into even chunks. About three centimetres works well. Put them in a pot of salted water. Bring it right up to a full boil.
2. Let them boil for about twenty minutes. Judging them takes a fork test. Cook them on if they resist at all. Drain all of the carrots thoroughly. Wet carrot makes a sloppy salad. Let them steam dry for a minute. Return them to the hot dry pot. Let the residual heat dry them off. It is worth the one extra minute.
3. Mash them with a fork or masher. Leave all of it a little coarse. Some pieces should stay visible. Crush the garlic to a paste with salt. Salt gives the blade something to work against.
4. Use the flat of a large knife. Combining it is straightforward enough. Mix the harissa and garlic together. Add the caraway and coriander to them. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Start with less than you think. Pour the dressing over the warm carrots.
5. Mix it through them thoroughly. Do this while they are still warm. Warm carrot absorbs the dressing. Cold carrot only gets coated by it. Taste it and adjust the seasoning. It should be spicy, sour and garlicky.
6. Adjust all three of them to taste. Carrots take a good deal of salt. Let it cool to room temperature. It is served cool rather than hot. Make it ahead of time if you can. Spread the carrot into a shallow dish. Scatter the flaked tuna over it. Arrange the egg quarters around. Add the olives and the capers. Use a good olive oil for that.
7. Serve plenty of bread alongside. It keeps three days refrigerated. Add the topping fresh each time. Let it come back to room temperature.

Technique

• Dress the carrots while they are still warm: warm carrot absorbs the oil and lemon so the whole salad tastes seasoned through, where cold carrot only gets coated. That timing is genuinely important rather than a detail.
• Crush the carrots with a fork or masher rather than a blender, which gives a baby-food texture — some pieces should stay visible. Drain them very thoroughly and return them to the hot dry pot for a minute to steam off the remaining water, since wet carrot makes a sloppy salad.
• The name translates as your mother the mermaid and its origin is not certainly known; various explanations are offered. Food names often have uncertain origins and confident stories are frequently invented later, so the atlas records the name without inventing one.

Substitutions

• Harissa strengths vary considerably, so start with less than you think and stir more in.
• Crush the garlic to a paste with a little salt using the flat of a knife, which disperses far better than chopped pieces.

Variations

• Caraway is central to Tunisian cooking and is not cumin — it is sharper and more aniseed-like. The atlas’s ojja uses the same harissa and caraway base.
• The tuna, egg and olives are arranged on top rather than mixed in, and that composed look is expected.
• It improves after an hour or two as the flavours settle, so make it ahead; serve it at room temperature rather than fridge-cold.

History

A standard Tunisian starter whose name means your mother the mermaid; carrots are boiled, crushed and dressed while still warm.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ommek Houria?

Ommek Houria is a salad & side from Tunisia: mashed carrots with harissa, caraway and lemon, topped with tuna and egg. A standard Tunisian starter whose name means your mother the mermaid; carrots are boiled, crushed and dressed while still warm.

How long does Ommek Houria take to make?

Ommek Houria takes 20 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Ommek Houria?

Yes, within limits. Harissa strengths vary considerably, so start with less than you think and stir more in. Crush the garlic to a paste with a little salt using the flat of a knife, which disperses far better than chopped pieces.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ommek Houria?

Adjust all three of them to taste. Carrots take a good deal of salt. Let it cool to room temperature. It is served cool rather than hot. Make it ahead of time if you can. Spread the carrot into a shallow dish. Scatter the flaked tuna over it. Arrange the egg quarters around. Add the olives and the capers. Use a good olive oil for that.