Recipe: Light Tuna Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

Some days you just want a salad. Particularly on days when the heat index outside is 105 degrees and your Air Conditioner goes kaput. I woke this morning to a somewhat muggy house, only saved from heat stroke by the fact that I had set it to the polar setting before going to bed. But, it was my lucky morning after all, for lots of reasons- one being the A/C repair man was already at my neighbors. Yes, there is a God.  Turns out the unit was broken due to user error- Oh, I'm supposed to change the filter EVERY month?! Got it.  Anyhow, I left for a while and upon my return it was still mildly hot.  Turning on my mammoth stove for any reason whatsoever today was out of the question.  Tuna salad day it is.

I usually am not a fan at all of tuna salad... mayonnaise and fish? No, thank you.  My version is usually composed of what's on hand and it never ever includes mayonnaise.   I had a good trip to the farmer's market this morning which yielded vine ripened Creole tomatoes, small crisp cucumbers and a beautiful array of peppers.   I used white Albacore chunk tuna packed in water- it smells and tastes less of cat food.  Sherry vinegar is a favorite of mine, milder than balsamic and slightly sweet.  Today I used salted capers, normally when cooking with them I rinse them, but since the kitchen shop has been out of my precious salt de mer I tossed them straight in the bowl.

The salad is quite easy to assemble, use whatever vegetables you have on hand, arugula and celery would have complemented it well.  The dill in my garden went to seed so I pulled it out last week, it would have also been a very good addition.  I found little Creole onions at the market this morning, they are slightly sweet and spicy; red onion is what I normally use.  I like this salad a little tart so I used the juice of almost a whole lemon, I suggest you taste as you go.


Tuna Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette

1 large can white Albacore chunk tuna, packed in water.
1 lemon
1/4 cup Sherry vinegar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salted capers, about 1 tablespoon
1 Tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons Creole onion, minced

Tomato
Bell Pepper
cucumber

1. Drain tuna and place in a small mixing bowl, all vinegar, olive oil, parsley, and onion and mix well.
Add capers and freshly ground black pepper taste for flavor and add lemon juice as needed.

2. Slice tomatoes, peppers, and cucumber. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with additional lemon juice or vinegar and season with salt and pepper before placing tuna salad on top.