Tuna and White Bean Salad

This recipe is one that I have had flagged for a while now. It comes from a little salad book that I have had for eons called, Food Made Fast, salad. It's a great little book, chock full of tasty salads that are really quick and easy to knock together.



I always have tuna in my larder and tins of all sorts of beans. This recipe calls for tuna packed in oil, which I did use. I like to buy good quality tuna in oil. You may pay a bit more, but it's well worth it in flavour and taste.



When you are making something such as this salad where the flavour of the tuna will shine, you want a really good tuna.



The original recipe called for frying the bread crumbs in olive oil, but I thought where the tuna had already been packed in oil, I just didn't want the extra calories and so I simply roasted them, with a spritz of oil. It worked out really well in my opinion and I save a bit of fat in the process.



It's hearty and flavourful, perhaps not really colourful, but that was ok with me. The taste more than made up for any lack in that area!



It made a very tasty and filling lunch! (And I didn't really have to heat up the kitchen much!)



*Tuna and White Bean Salad*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

A deliciously hearty salad with tuna and white beans, in a fresh lemon vinaigrette served on top of salad greens and crowned with homemade toasted bread crumbs!

3 fluid ounces of olive oil, plus 1 TBS
1.5 ounces of fresh bread crumbs
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
the juice of one lemon
2 tsp whole grain mustard
a small handful of flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1 can (470g/15 oz) cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
2 stalks of celery, trimmed and chopped
1/2 small red onion, peeled and slivered lengthwise
2 tins (185g/6 oz) tuna packed in olive oil, drained and flaked
4 cups of mixed salad greens

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F, gas mark 7. Spread the bread crumbs out onto a baking sheet. Place the 1 TBS of olive oil into a spritzer bottle and spritz the crumbs with some oil. Season lightly with salt and black pepper, and stir in the garlic. Roast for about 10 to15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Whisk the lemon juice, mustard, 1/4 tsp of salt and a pinch of black pepper together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining olive oil until smooth.

Add the parsley, beans, tuna, celery and onion to the vinaigrette, tossing to coat all evenly.

Divide the salad greens between 4 chilled plates. Top with the tuna and bean mixture. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs and serve immediately. Delicious!