Pantry Tuna Salad

Easy weeknight dinner using up all of your pantry staples

There are few things more glorious, in my humble opinion, than making dinner out of “nothing”. Out of a fridge that’s so empty and sad, you’d rather not look inside it at all. A quick look in your pantry though may make things a little easier.

It’s been unbearably hot around here for the past few weeks and I’ve maintained a solid diet of tomato and mozzarella salad which has kept us fed in 36 degree weather. It turns out though that the other night we were out of tomatoes, which would make life a little more complicated, what with missing 50% of the ingredients for our meal. What’s more, I think we had become a little, dare I say, bored (gasp!) by caprese and I felt like something a little meatier to sink our teeth into.

Behold, the pantry tuna salad. I like to think it’s what would happen if the niçoise and the caprese had a very yummy baby. Ingredients couldn’t be simpler: roast baby potatoes, canned tuna, roasted peppers (and I beg you not to skip them), fresh mozzarella and basil. The vinaigrette is also as simple as can be: olive oil, lemon, mustard, honey and, if you so fancy, a crushed garlic clove. It all comes together in half an hour, out of which 25 minutes are needed for the potatoes to roast.

From here, the pantry is your best friend: olives would go well here, so would pickled onions. Fresh vegetables would all work and add a little extra fiber to the mix. Switch the basil up for another soft herb, add some fresh chilli on top for that extra kick. Do as I did and be creative with this salad, after all, this is more a suggestion than a recipe. And I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the salad

• 400g baby potatoes, scrubbed well, cut in half if on the large side

• 1 tin best quality tuna you can find, as it is the star of the show

• 1 tin roasted peppers, you can find them in the antipasti isle or make your own

• 1 ball fresh mozzarella (I’m sure feta or even ricotta would also work well)

• fresh basil for garnish

Vinaigrette

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 tsp mustard

• 1 tsp runny honey

• 1/2 tsp salt (adjust to your preference)

• pepper

Begin by roasting the potatoes: in a baking tray set the potatoes in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and chilli flakes, if you dare) and drizzle with olive oil. Massage them with the marinade and roast in a preheated oven at 180 degrees C until soft inside and crispy on the outside. Alternatively, should you have some leftover roasted potatoes from the night before or so, feel free to skip this step and use those. The salad will be just as delicious, just make sure to bring them at room temperature first.

Meanwhile, make your vinaigrette. In the bowl you’ll be serving the salad in, add the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey, salt and pepper and whisk well. It should emulsify. Prepare your other ingredients, flake the tuna, cut the roasted peppers into strips, tear the mozzarella into large chunks.

Once the potatoes are cooked tip them into your salad bowl and coat them in the vinaigrette. Doing so while they’re warm will make them absorb the sauce better. Let everything cool down for a few minutes then add your other ingredients, leaving the cheese for last.

Garnish with more pepper, basil, fresh chilli if you have it. Dig in and marvel at the delicious dinner you’ve just created out of thin air!

Let me know if you make it and subscribe for more mouthwatering recipes!