A Perfect Salad for the Start of Spring!
A Perfect Salad for the Start of Spring!
Using one of my favorite fish from a jar...bonito!
My friends,
On Monday I wrote about the many reasons I love tinned fish…yesterday on my podcast I also talked about my love of conservas, and today I have an easy salad for you to make with one of my favorites: Bonito!
Bonito is the line-caught albacore tuna from the Cantabrian Sea off the north coast of Spain that you’ll find packed in tins or glass jars filled with olive oil. Bonito is so delicious you could eat it straight from the jar on its own but it’s even better in this Ensalada Campera.
A classic Spanish country salad, the Campera is made from tender butter lettuce, blanched green beans, oil-packed tuna, hard boiled eggs, briny olives, and boiled fingerling potatoes. Now…this combination may seem familiar to you because, well, it is a lot like France’s Salad Niçoise. But I’m pretty sure the Spaniards invented the idea…or at least perfected it.
It’s a salad that can go in different directions depending on who is making it, with a different fish or maybe a different variety of vegetables. For instance, I like to add piparras to this salad, pickled green peppers from the Basque Country with a little heat and a lot of electricity (if you get a jar and have a few extra, you should know that they are great in Bloody Marys too…!)
We’ve had this Campera Salad on my menu at Jaleo for a long time now; it’s definitely a favorite and I hope it becomes one of yours too. It’s healthy, beautiful, and easy to make at home. Serve it with a loaf of nice bread for lunch with a bottle of Albariño or cold beer if you have friends coming over.
Campera Salad
Serves 2 for lunch