This tuna and cannellini bean salad, with its fresh flavours and zesty dressing, is so delicious, and addictive!
Many, many years ago I went to a girlfriend’s place for lunch. She’s of Italian background and so I knew I was going to have something amazing, but I never expected this tuna salad. I watched her make it – a bit of this and a bit of that – all done in fewer than 10 minutes. Then we sat at an outdoor table and spooned it onto crusty bread to eat.
The salad was so memorable that when I returned home I tried to recreate it myself. And, all these years on, I still make it regularly for my family. You can play around with the seasonings and the proportion of ingredients as you like – this recipe is pretty forgiving. But I find the amounts below work pretty well. Thanks, Irene, for a fabulous lunch that day and I still think of you every time I make it.
WINE PAIRING: Try a crisp white wine, dry rosé, or a light-bodied Pinot Noir. Any of these will balance the rich, savoury tuna and the earthy beans without overpowering the delicate flavours in the dish.
4-6
servings10
minutesEnjoy this tuna salad spooned onto slices of crusty bread as a light lunch or starter. I usually just place a big bowl of the salad in the middle of the table, along with a plate of sliced bread and then let everyone serve themselves. But you can always top the bread slices with the salad yourself and serve it like you would bruschetta.
Stop your screen from snoozing (zzz)
Ingredients
1 400 g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 l emon, juiced
1 425 g can tuna in brine, drained
Salt, to taste (see notes)
Black pepper, to season
1 bunch parsley, leaves picked
C rusty Italian-style bread slices, to serve
Method
- Place the cannellini beans and onion in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Flake the tuna into the bowl and stir gently to combine (you don’t want to break up the tuna too much).
- Season with salt, to taste, and a good sprinkle of black pepper. Coarsely chop the parsley and fold through the tuna mixture.
- Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- Salt is really important in this salad as it really enhances all the flavours. There is already salt in the tuna, so keep this in mind when adding your table salt or sea salt flakes to the mix. Taste it and adjust the seasoning as you like before adding the parsley.
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