Summertime is the perfect season for simple suppers that require little effort and leave you feeling satisfied yet light. Salads for dinner meet these requirements and one of our family favorites is my Ensalada Española or Spanish Salad.
While living as an exchange student in Sevilla, Spain way back in 1994, I fell in love with the salad Pilar, my "Spanish mother", often made for dinner. Of course it tasted divine using Spanish olive oil and the highly flavorful canned tuna so readily available in Spain.
Luckily olive oil packed tuna has become commonplace in most US grocery stores since then and is absolutely worth the few extra cents in cost. But what won me over, being a lover of anything both savory and sweet, was the crisp pop of sweet corn kernels married with salty tuna and smooth olive oil. I brought this recipe home with me and shared it with my mother and sister who have also added it to their repetoire.
Luckily olive oil packed tuna has become commonplace in most US grocery stores since then and is absolutely worth the few extra cents in cost. But what won me over, being a lover of anything both savory and sweet, was the crisp pop of sweet corn kernels married with salty tuna and smooth olive oil. I brought this recipe home with me and shared it with my mother and sister who have also added it to their repetoire.
Now my three boys and my husband are also fans of this salad that brings me back to sunny summertime in Spain.
Be sure to add plenty of kosher salt to the salad. It really brings out the contrasting sweetness of the corn and the onion. Also, you may want to add more red wine vinegar than I have called for in the recipe. I simply put the bottle on the table and add more to my own plate to increase the zing.
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INGREDIENTS
1/2 head of Romaine or Green Leaf lettuce, chopped
1/2 of a Spanish onion, thinly sliced in rings
1 16 oz. can whole kernel corn, drained
1 tomato, cut in wedges
1 small can of tuna packed in olive oil, undrained (this is the key ingredient so do not substitute water-packed tuna)
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2-3 pinches of kosher salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
PROCESS
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Drizzle with oil and vinegar.
3. Toss just before serving.
Come join The Salad Social at TidyMom sponsored by The International Olive Council’s Add Some Life
This looks delicious Misty!! And so pretty too! :)
ReplyDeleteThis salad looks so good!! We appreciate you linking up with us!! It's so fun to see all of the great ideas and recipes! We hope to see you back again soon! -The Sisters
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