Ines Zahraoui

Ines Zahraoui is a Tunisian home cook and the co-founder of The Mediterranean Recipe, which she runs with her friend Rachel Mazza in the United States. She was born and raised in Mahdia, a coastal town in Tunisia, where everyday cooking was built on olive oil, seafood, semolina and whatever the market had that morning. She later lived in France, where she studied literature and picked up the French side of her cooking, and her kitchen took on a Moroccan accent after marrying her husband, Abdel Ali, whose family taught her the spice work — ras el hanout, preserved lemon, slow-cooked tagines — that runs through much of the site.She has been cooking and developing recipes since 2020. She is not a professionally trained chef: she teaches French for a living and cooks for her family, which is why the recipes here are written for home kitchens and ordinary home equipment rather than restaurant ones.Ines writes and tests the recipes published under her byline in her own kitchen in Tunisia. Nutrition figures on the site are calculated with the WP Recipe Maker nutrition calculator and are estimates rather than lab-verified values.

October 10, 2026March 2, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Look, I’m going to be honest with you. The first time I attempted citrus-glazed salmon with spring veggies was March 2023, and it was a disaster. I’m talking smoke-alarm-blaring, my neighbor Ravi knocking on the door asking if everything was okay kind of disaster. The glaze burned to the pan like cement, the asparagus turned … Read more

October 10, 2026March 1, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

I need to tell you about the time I served lemon garlic butter salmon to my mother-in-law Elena in June 2023 and she — bless her heart — just… stared at it. Didn’t say a word. Took one bite. Then another. Then she asked me for the recipe, which, if you know Elena, is the … Read more

October 10, 2026March 1, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Look, I’m going to be honest with you. The first time I tried making a spring risotto bowl with peas lemon & herbs, it was March 2022 and I ended up with what can only be described as lemony wallpaper paste. My friend Nadia — who has this uncanny ability to show up exactly when … Read more

October 10, 2026February 10, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Mediterranean lentil salad with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, herbs and feta in a dark bowl

Look, I’ll be honest with you — I used to think lentils were boring. Like, profoundly boring. The kind of thing your health-obsessed aunt brings to potlucks while everyone politely takes one spoonful. (We all know an aunt like that, right?) Then February 2024 happened. My doctor mentioned my cholesterol numbers were creeping up — … Read more

October 10, 2026February 6, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Vegan shakshuka in a cast iron skillet with turmeric tofu scramble, tomato sauce and cilantro

Okay, so… here’s the thing about my first attempt at vegan shakshuka. It was December 2023, and I thought I could wing it without kala namak. (Spoiler: I absolutely could not.) My partner took one bite, made that face—you know the one—and politely suggested we order pizza instead. But honestly? That disaster taught me everything. … Read more

October 10, 2026February 6, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Greek shrimp souvlaki bowl with rice, tzatziki, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta and red onion

Look, I’m going to be honest with you—I burned through approximately fourteen pounds of shrimp last April trying to perfect these Greek Shrimp Souvlaki Bowls. My husband Abdel Ali kept making these not-so-subtle comments about how we could’ve just ordered from that Mediterranean place on Fifth Street, which, honestly? Fair point. But here’s the thing—after … Read more

October 10, 2026February 5, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Gemista (Greek Stuffed Peppers) with golden potato wedges in rustic terracotta dish

Here’s my confession: the first time I made Gemista (Greek Stuffed Peppers) was August 2019, and honestly? It was a disaster of truly epic proportions. My stuffed peppers collapsed into sad little vegetable puddles. The rice was somehow both crunchy AND mushy. My Greek neighbor Katerina took one look, crossed herself, and whispered something that … Read more

October 10, 2026February 1, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Greek lemon rice with fresh dill, parsley and lemon zest in a white serving bowl

Greek lemon rice — pilafi me lemoni — is a fluffy, buttery side dish, bright with lemon and dill, where the grains stay separate instead of clumping together. Toasting the rice in fat before any liquid goes in coats each grain so it cooks up loose, and the lemon juice is added at the very … Read more

October 10, 2026February 1, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Skillet of creamy tomato basil chicken with tender chicken breasts in a rich tomato cream sauce

November 8th, 2018. I was hosting my first Thanksgiving (why did I volunteer for this?) and needed to test a chicken recipe for twenty-three people. My aunt Linda suggested I practice on something simple first. Enter: creamy tomato basil chicken. I made it four times that week – twice perfectly, once with way too much … Read more

October 10, 2026January 30, 2026 by Ines Zahraoui

Whipped feta crostini on toasted baguette slices with olive oil, honey and oregano

Look, I’m going to be honest with you. The first time I tried making whipped feta crostini was during my sister-in-law Maria’s engagement party back in March 2022, and it was an absolute disaster. Like, crumbly-feta-chunks-on-soggy-bread kind of disaster. My aunt Theodora (bless her heart) still brings it up at every family gathering. But here’s … Read more