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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
Midsummer means fresh albacore tuna, and this salad might be my favorite way to eat it on a warm August evening. If you cook the beans and tuna the day before, you can throw this recipe together quickly, and it works just as well with good canned albacore (but please don’t use canned beans; they just don’t have the flavor you get from cooking fried beans). You can mellow the bite of the raw onion by soaking the slices in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain before adding.
Recipe
2 cups cooked white beans
½ pound fresh albacore tuna, poached in olive oil*
1 small red onion, about 1 cup thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
3 stalks celery, preferably inner stalks with leaves, chopped
About ¼ cup fresh sage leaves, chopped
About ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
Dried oregano, preferably from Pantelleria
2 tablespoons capers, preferably salt-packed, soaked and drained
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
Kosher-style sea salt to taste
*Or a 6-ounce can or pouch of albacore tuna; look for locally canned albacore or check the Oregon Albacore Commission for direct-from-the-boat sales.
Use a fork to flake the albacore into bite-sized chunks. Combine it with the rest of the ingredients, taste and adjust the salt as needed. Best slightly chilled or at room temperature.
