Chef's pick
Tuna, cannellini, and red onion salad with rustic bread
If there is one dish in the Italian repertoire that proves you don't need to cook to eat like a king, it is tonno e fagioli. A can of tuna, a can of cannellini beans, half a red onion sliced thin, a splash of olive oil, a twist of pepper. Six minutes from cupboard to plate, and somehow it tastes more Italian than some of the dishes that took us four hours to make. Served with a thick slice of rustic country bread to mop up the oil and the tuna juice, it is one of the great arguments for laziness as a culinary virtue.
We discovered the full power of this dish on a solo trip to Liguria during university, when we had rented a tiny studio flat with a kitchenette that consisted of one electric hob, a shallow sink, and a single cupboard above the fridge. No oven. No toaster. Nothing sharper than a butter knife. We lived on tonno e fagioli for ten days straight, experimenting with variations: red onion versus white, parsley versus basil, lemon juice versus vinegar, cannellini versus borlotti. By the end of the trip we could have written a treatise. By the end of the first week we had already forgotten we were supposed to be studying, and we were lying on the beach telling strangers about the correct ratio of onion to bean.
A few honest tips. First, tuna in olive oil, not brine. This is not negotiable. The oil is half the dressing. Second, soak the red onion slices in cold water for ten minutes if you want to take the aggressive bite out; otherwise you'll taste onion for the rest of the afternoon. Third, do not skimp on the olive oil. The oil is not a dressing here, it is an ingredient, and pouring it on like you mean it is the difference between a meal and a snack. Eat this with cold white wine or a cold beer, sitting by an open window, ideally one that overlooks something.
- Prep 10 min
- Serves 2
- Cost €
Method
- 1
Slice the red onion as thin as you can. Soak the slices in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to take the sharp edge off.
10 min
- 2
Drain the cannellini beans into a sieve, rinse under cold water, shake dry, tip into a wide bowl.
2 min
- 3
Drain the tuna, keeping a spoonful of its oil. Flake the tuna over the beans in generous chunks, don't break it to bits.
2 min
- 4
Drain the red onion and add it along with the parsley (and the celery if using).
1 min
- 5
Dress with the olive oil, the reserved tuna oil, the vinegar, a good pinch of salt, and plenty of black pepper. Toss gently.
1 min
- 6
Let the salad sit for 5 minutes before eating so the flavors meld. Stir once more just before serving.
5 min
- 7
Serve alongside thick slices of rustic bread, or pile the salad onto the bread like a rough crostone.
1 min
Variations
Add a few sun-dried tomatoes chopped fine for sweetness. A teaspoon of Dijon whisked into the dressing makes it punchier. Swap cannellini for borlotti or chickpeas. Fresh mint instead of parsley is unexpectedly good in summer. For a more decadent version, crumble a boiled egg on top. The salad keeps 2 days in the fridge but the onion gets milder, which is either good or sad depending on your preference.