Tuna Rice Salad

This Tuna Rice Salad is not your ordinary salad. Loaded with sweetcorn, black pitted olives, sun-dried tomatoes, cornichon pickles, baby capers, peas, bell pepper, parmesan cheese, parsley, free-range eggs and of course basmati rice and tuna. Elevate your salad by creating a fragrant, lemony dressing by mixing extra virgin olive oil with some of the sun-dried tomatoes oil, lemon juice, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Toss well and enjoy a simple, delicious and healthy meal.

 JUMP TO RECIPE

I get excited every time a recipe allows you to be spontaneous, creative, and get the most out of the ingredients you already have in your fridge or cupboard, the options are endless. Start from the main ingredient, the rice, then set your imagination free and add your other favourite ingredients. If you are curious to find my take on this and my tips, then keep on reading.

WHAT TYPE OF RICE SHOULD YOU USE?

Arborio or Carnaroli rice or any short-grain rice are perfect because they keep their shape and texture.

Basmati or red rice are also great options with the added bonus of their aromatic flavour. 

HOW TO COOK RICE?

Place the rice in a bowl and cover with cold water, rubbing the grains with your hands. You will notice that the water will turn into a milky colour and this is due to the starch from the rice. Drain and repeat this step until the water is clear. This helps it to have a better, more even texture, instead of drying out while the inside is not evenly steamed and fluffed.

Cook the rice in plenty of salty water following the packaging instructions.

Depending on the type of rice that you are using, the cooking time may vary. 10 – 15 minutes should be enough to get the rice al dente. 

When it’s ready, drain and run under cold water – this will stop it from cooking further and get lumpy.

CHOOSE YOUR INGREDIENTS WISELY 

The quality of the ingredients you choose will dictate the taste of this recipe as they will elevate the rice and transform it into an aromatic, full of flavour and tasty dish. 

For this recipe I used: cornichon pickles, black pitted olives, bell pepper, baby capers, parmesan cheese, peas, sweetcorn, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley and free-range eggs.

Create a salad dressing using extra-virgin olive oil, a little bit of sun-dried tomato oil, lemon juice and thyme, season with salt and pepper and toss well together with the salad. The result is mouth-watering, making this tuna rice salad ideal for a picnic, a gathering with friends and family in your garden, or a nutritious lunch meal for work.

Tuna Rice Salad

Yield: 8 Servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

This Tuna Rice Salad it's speedy, nutritious and so fragrant! Ideal over lunch or a healthy dinner.

Print

Ingredients

• For the salad:
• 100g frozen peas
• 3 free-range eggs
• 90g cornichon pickles
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 60g sun-dried tomatoes
• 80g sweetcorn
• 3 tsp baby capers
• 60g pitted black olives
• 250g canned tuna fish
• 240g basmati rice
• handful of parsley
• For the dressing:
• 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp oil from the sun-dried tomatoes\
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• thyme from 2 -3 stems
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Start by boiling the basmati rice, al dente, according to pack instructions. Then rinse and run the rice under cold water to stop it from cooking further and drain thouroughly.
2. In another pot place the eggs in their shells in cold water then bring to a boil. The cooking time for a hard boiled egg is between 8 - 12 minutes (from the moment that the water start to boil). When ready, peal and set aside.
3. Place the frozen peas in a shallow bowl and cover in hot water. After 3 - 4 minutes drain and set aside.
4. Chop the corichon pickles, orange bell pepper, sun-dried tomatoes and the parsley and add everything into a bowl. Also slice the black pitted olives and mix.
5. Drain the tuna, sweetcorn and baby capers and add to the bowl as well.
6. Finally, add the rice, the dressing and combine.
7. Place the sliced boiled eggs on top, season and serve.

For the dressing:

In a small bowl cobine the extra virgin olive oil, the sun-dried tomatoes oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice and the thyme. Mix together then pour over the salad and combine.