Tuna and White Bean Salad
A no-cook store-cupboard lunch of tinned tuna, cannellini beans, red onion and a sharp lemon dressing.
This is the lunch to know when there is nothing in the house. Two tins, an onion and a lemon make a bowl with thirty grams of protein and enough fibre to hold until dinner. The one technique involved is soaking the sliced onion in the lemon juice for ten minutes, which takes the harshness out of it and lightly pickles it at the same time.
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How to make Tuna and White Bean Salad
Ingredients
Quantities scale automatically. Cooking times stay the same.
Salad
Lemon dressing
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Fine grater
- Sieve
Method
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1
Tame the onion
Put the sliced onion in a small bowl with the lemon juice and leave it 10 minutes. It turns pink, softens and loses the raw bite that would otherwise dominate the bowl.
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2
Rinse the beans well
Rinse the beans under cold water until the water runs clear and no foam remains, then drain them properly. The starchy tin liquid tastes metallic and makes the dressing cloudy.
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3
Make the dressing
Whisk the lemon zest, olive oil, Dijon, garlic, salt and pepper into the bowl with the onion and its lemon juice until thick and emulsified.
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4
Dress the beans first
Add the beans to the dressing and turn them gently, then leave them 5 minutes. Beans are bland on their own and need that head start to absorb anything.
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5
Fold in the rest
Add the tuna, tomatoes, celery, capers and parsley and fold once or twice with a spatula, keeping the tuna in flakes rather than breaking it into paste.
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6
Serve on greens
Pile over the rocket or spinach and finish with another pour of olive oil and a grind of pepper. Serve at room temperature rather than fridge-cold, which flattens the flavour.
Cook’s tips
- Buy tuna in olive oil rather than brine. The texture is better and the oil can go into the dressing instead of down the sink.
- Dress the beans before anything else goes in. It is the difference between a seasoned salad and a seasoned surface.
- Ten minutes of lemon on the onion is not optional unless you like raw onion; it is the step that makes this taste considered.
Variations
- Swap the tuna for tinned salmon, sardines or two tins of chickpeas for a vegan bowl.
- Add a jar of roasted peppers, or a handful of olives and torn mozzarella if dairy is not an issue.
- Spoon it over toasted sourdough rubbed with garlic and serve it as bruschetta.
Storage and make-ahead
Keeps 3 days in the fridge and tastes better on day two once the beans have taken on the dressing. Add the greens and parsley only when serving, and do not freeze.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 352 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 30 g |
| Carbohydrates | 26 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fibre | 9 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Sodium | 580 mg |
Nutrition is estimated from ingredient averages and will vary with brands and portioning.
