Canned Tuna For Dinner Again?

I only eat canned tuna once a week, but I enjoy it. The stuff is healthy in moderation, easy to deal with and it's cheap. The best stuff seems to come from Italy (not so cheap), but an excellent inexpensive choice is out there: Genova Tonno in Olive Oil. It's quality yellowfin from Tri Union, the same people who bring us Chicken of the Sea. That means your supermarket can get it if they don't already carry it. At just over two bucks a can the stuff is a wonderfully cost-efficient indulgence: meaty, salty, rich and delicious. The olive oil is a perfect foil for the clean tuna flavor. It's good enough you can forgo the mayo on a sandwich; just drain and put the fish on a good sliced roll, like they do in Spanish cafes.

If you're feeling slightly more ambitious try this:


Salade Niçoise

This classic French recipe transforms a tuna salad into an elegant (and complete) meal. Like anything simple, the quality of the ingredients is the difference between good and great. If creamy new potatoes, fresh green beans and perfect salad greens are available at your local farmer's market they'd be the way to go. If you're at the mercy of your supermarket so be it, the result will still be delicious. This recipe serves two for lunch, but you can just add more stuff to make it substantial enough for a supper. A glass of white wine doesn't hurt, either.

For the salad:

6-10 small new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces
big handful of string beans, cleaned and broken into bite sized pieces
salad greens for two

For the toppings (tuna is a must, with any combination of the rest):

5 oz can quality tuna in oil, drained
hard-boiled egg, cut in half
2-4 anchovy fillets
Niçoise olives
cornichons
capers
chopped parsley

For the vinaigrette:

small clove garlic, finely chopped
pinch salt
ground black pepper, to taste
3-4 Tbs red wine vinegar
6-8 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Boil potatoes in lightly salted water. When they start to soften (test with a fork) add the green beans, cooking until potatoes are tender. Drain and cover with cold water for a couple minutes. Drain again and place potatoes and beans in the bottom of a salad bowl. Cover with salad greens and toppings. Mix together vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette just a little wetter than your taste, as the potatoes on the bottom will soak up some of the dressing. Serve immediately.


I promise to blog about something other than canned tuna next time.