Rice salad is a dish of a thousand variations, ideal to serve as a first course or as a single main course. It’s prepared in advance and can be kept for up to two or three days. Perfect to take to the beach for a light but delicious snack. It can be topped with many ingredients, from fish to cheese or vegetables. We want to share the classic rice salad recipe with you, which can be enriched with various different flavors based on your taste.
Not just any rice for the perfect rice salad
Like many recipes, rice salad is a very simple dish, which becomes gourmet if the raw materials used are of excellent quality. This is especially true for rice. You can choose different types, from the most common Ribe, which is used for most parboiled rice, capable of holding without overcooking, to Carnaroli or Arborio rice, with fairly large and resistant grains, to the robust Baldo.
Doses and cooking water for rice salads
For each person you should calculate from 80 to 100 g of rice, which should be cooked in a lot of salted water equal to 5 times the amount of rice to boil. The amount of salt is about 8- 10 g per liter of water. The rice should only be thrown in when the water is boiling and left to cook for the time indicated on the package, or a few seconds less ("al dente" rice is preferable instead of overcooked). Once cooked, it should be drained and rinsed under running water.
Toppings: green light to the imagination!
Rice salad has several variations and each family, you might say, has its own recipe. The most common ingredients for a classic version are vegetables, cheese, ham, eggs, and tuna fish. You can choose between mortadella, cooked ham or wurstel. For the cheese to opt for a delicate taste go with fontina cheese, or for a stronger taste try emmental or provola. Vegetables include peas, which should be boiled, pickled gherkins, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, which should be added raw. Everything must be cut into small pieces. To this then add the tuna in oil and eggs, which need to be hardboiled. Slice each ingredient into small pieces, put everything in a large bowl and mix. Add the rice and just before serving season with extra virgin olive oil and salt. The salad is ready to be enjoyed.