Fresh fish is a tasty and healthful addition to your diet. It is full of omega 3 fatty acids and high in many important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, which may help prevent depression, diabetes, and even cancer.
This week’s recipe for white bean and tuna salad makes for a cool meal on a hot summer day. It was sent to CCSA as part of a series of emails from our resident chef, Dr. Linda Doody. She has been sharing her extensive collection of favorite recipes with friends, family, and the CCSA team as a means of maintaining connections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
– J.R.R. Tolkien
White Bean and Tuna Salad
Adapted from The TIME-LIFE International Cookbook, Editors of Time Life Books, (1977)
Ingredients
- 4 cups canned cannellini or other white beans (2 one-pound cans) (Cannellini beans work well)
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup finely chopped scallions
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, preferably the flat-leaf Italian type
- 1 seven-ounce can tuna fish, preferably packed in olive oil, broken into chunks but water-packed also works
- (The original recipe consists only of the ingredients above. See more suggestions below)
- Adaptations
- Baby spinach, plus other greens if desired
- Radishes, sliced thinly
- Lemon vinaigrette (Shake together lemon juice and vegetable oil [some can be olive oil] 1:2, smashed garlic cloves, dried oregano, and salt and pepper to taste)
Instructions
- Drain the beans in a colander, wash in cold water, then drain again and spread on paper towels to dry before transferring to a small to medium bowl. Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pour over beans. Add scallions and parsley, and gently mix together.
- To make the salad, add spinach and radishes to a salad bowl, and dress with lemon vinaigrette. Plate the dressed greens on a serving platter or individual plates and mound the beans and tuna on the top. If desired, Kalamata olives, avocado, halved boiled egg, fresh tomatoes, etc. (depending on the season) can be arranged decoratively around the edges of the salad. Serve with warm sourdough or French bread (recommend La Brea Bakery) and sweet butter.
- Serves 4–6