Tuna, roast pepper, tomato and white bean salad recipe

This is based on the classic Italian tuna and bean salad, but I’ve gone further. If you have time to toss the beans with the dressing a few hours before you want to assemble and serve, do it. The beans taste wonderful once they’ve marinated for a while. You can roast the peppers yourself or use ready-cooked ones from a jar.

The quality of the tuna and the anchovies is very important. I use jarred Ortiz tuna or canned Charles Basset (the latter isn’t as good but it’s cheaper). Waitrose also do very good own-label jarred tuna in olive oil. This means it’s not a cheap meal, though, as good canned tuna is expensive. When I need this to be a cheap and cheerful lunch, I use supermarket own-label tuna tinned in olive oil. You don’t have to be strict about the quantity of tuna; jars and tins vary a lot in the weight they contain. Get whatever you can find and use your judgment.

Prep time: 10 minutes

SERVES

Four

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated to a purée
• 1 x 400g tin of white beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ red onion, very finely sliced
• 2 red peppers, roasted and cut into thin strips
• 1 x 220g jar of good-quality tuna or a 160g tin, drained and broken up into flakes
• 10 anchovies, chopped
• 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 50g black olives, pitted and chopped
• 3 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
• Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

METHOD

1. Put the vinegar, olive oil and garlic, plus seasoning, into a serving bowl and whisk together.
2. Pat the beans dry with a tea towel (I know that seems mad, but if they still have water clinging to them it dilutes the dressing). If you’re going to leave the beans for a little while, season them, pour on the dressing and cover with cling film. Otherwise just add the rest of the ingredients. Toss everything very gently so as not to break up the beans or crush the tomatoes.
3. Seasoning is the key to this dish, so taste the salad and add whatever you think is missing. You might want more parsley, salt or lemon juice.