White Bean and Tuna Salad Recipe (2024)

• 1/2 red onion (about 4 ounces; 116g), cut into 1/8-inch thick slices

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) Champagne, white wine, or red wine vinegar plus extra for drizzling

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 cups (1 pound 6 ounces; 625g) cooked dry white beans, drained, or two (15-ounce; 425g) cans low-sodium white beans, drained and rinsed (see note)

• 5.6 ounces (160g) olive oil-packed tuna (from two 3.88-ounce (110g) cans), preferably ventresca (tuna belly; see note), drained and gently flaked into 2-inch pieces

• 1 medium garlic clove (5g), minced or finely grated

• 1 tablespoon (15ml) bean cooking liquid, from a pot of beans cooked from dry (see note if using canned beans)

• 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for drizzling

• 1/4 cup (1/2 ounce; 16g) finely chopped fresh parsley leaves and tender stems

1. In a small bowl, combine red onion and enough ice water to cover. Using clean hands, gently scrunch and squeeze the onion slices, taking care not to crush or break them. Let onion slices sit in ice water for 15 minutes, then drain and discard ice water, and return red onion to now-empty bowl. Add vinegar and 1/4 teaspoon (1g) salt and toss and gently massage onions to evenly coat with vinegar and salt. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow onion slices to marinate.

2. Meanwhile, combine beans and tuna in a large bowl. Once onions have marinated for 5 minutes, squeeze onion slices to release moisture into the bowl that they marinated in, then transfer onion slices to large bowl with beans and tuna; set large bowl aside.

3. There should be at least 1 tablespoon (15ml) of vinegar-onion juice liquid left in the small bowl. Add garlic, bean cooking liquid (or, if using canned beans, 2 teaspoons (10ml) water plus 1 teaspoon (5ml) Dijon mustard), and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, and whisk to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Stir in parsley and season to taste with salt.

4. Transfer dressing to large bowl with bean-tuna mixture, using a rubber spatula to scrape all of the dressing into the large bowl. Gently toss salad to evenly coat with dressing, taking care not to crush tuna or beans in the process. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide salad between individual serving plates or one large serving platter, drizzle lightly with olive oil and a splash of vinegar, and serve.

Notes

Because this dish is comprised of just a few ingredients, it's at its best when made with high quality products. Cooked dried beans (and their cooking liquid) have much better flavor and texture than canned beans, so we highly recommend using them in this recipe, if possible.

The quality of the tuna you use will make a difference here. We recommend oil-packed ventresca tuna, which comes from the richer, fatty belly; it's moister and more flavorful than other canned or jarred tuna. We like the ventresca from both Ortiz and Tonnino.

If using canned beans, substitute bean cooking liquid with 2 teaspoons (10ml) water and 1 teaspoon (5ml) Dijon mustard. The flavor of the dish obviously won't be exactly the same, but mustard provides similar emulsifying properties as the bean cooking liquid for the dressing.

Make-Ahead and Storage

This salad is at its best the day it's made, but can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.