It’s summer and there’s a desire for light and fresh dishes. Some great reasons to add tuna salad to your list of favorite recipes, are that it’s easy to prepare, quick and very versatile. You can choose the classic recipe or go for delicious alternatives prepared with typical summer vegetables, such as peppers and fresh zucchini, which are also excellent eaten raw. Discover the tuna salad in all its variations.
Which tuna to choose
In the pantry it’s always useful to keep a few packs of canned tuna, as they come in handy when you're in a hurry. Natural tuna, compared to tuna preserved in oil, has fewer calories. Those who live by the sea or have a fish market can go for fresh tuna, low in calories and rich in beneficial properties like the fatty acid Omega 3 which is important for the prevention of cardiovascular and neuro-degenerative diseases. If you use canned tuna, remember to drain it first: the natural version has a lower calorie content, although salt is present in the same quantities.
The basic recipe for tuna salad
How do you make a tasty tuna salad? Cut ripe tomatoes into slices or cubes, rich in lycopene and thanks to their antioxidant action important for well-being. Cut into thin slices, the onion which will add an unmistakable aroma. Furthermore, eating raw onions is good for the heart and circulation, stimulates the immune system and works as a disinfectant force. Add as much lettuce as you want, tender valerian and a handful of fresh rucola, which can be chopped up on the salad. Extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of balsamic vinegar or fresh lemon juice can be used as a dressing. Among the most delicious dishes in summer is in fact the salad "alla nizzarda", which combines the taste of tuna with the intense aroma of black olives, green beans, eggs, peppers and spring onions.
Tuna recipes to try
One of the simplest and oldest recipes for tuna salad is onion and beans, two typical ingredients of the poorest cuisine. This dish can be done by mixing the ingredients together with extra virgin olive oil and apple or balsamic vinegar, and is an important source of protein. Are you on a diet? Use natural tuna, to which you can add fresh beansprouts and lots of seeds, for example flax, poppy or sunflower seeds, rich in mineral salts and able to help you fight fatigue. Typical of Sicily is the delicious citrus fruit salad: in this case you can add oranges cut into thin slices, to fennel and tuna, to which you can also add olives, black or green. Among the plant crops available during the summer are peppers and zucchini, sweetly aromatic and rich in purifying properties. But that's not all, those who want to transform the tuna salad into something a little more exotic can add avocado, cut into pieces which is excellent seasoned with fresh lemon juice. Versatile and rich in nutrients, tuna also becomes the right ingredient for a pasta salad, flavored with freshly picked basil.