I may have scared a bunch of you off just by mentioning tuna. I will be honest, I get reeeeeal weird about tuna fish. I loved it as a kid, but due to my mayonnaise, uh, aversion (like the sight of it makes me gag), I have not had a tuna fish sandwich in many, many years (like at least 25 years). And being the dictator that I am, seven years ago I out-lawed it in the house. It all started when I was newly married, pregnant with Pia and horribly, horribly sick all the time. Pete and I lived in a loft without any real walls or boundaries between rooms. I remember being upstairs in our open air sleeping area when the horrifying sound of a knife slopping around in a jar of mayonnaise was swiftly out grossed by the smell of the tuna fish and mayonnaise wafting up to where I was. Lets just spare you the details and say that I was sick for a week just thinking about that sandwich that Pete had dared to bring into our home.

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

Ok. So the point of this long drawn out unpleasant story is that Tuna Fish has not made an appearance in my house or life in quite a long time. But that has all changed. Some friends gave us a gift of some olive oil preserved tuna fish that they had caught and canned themselves.

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

The tuna, canned, has been sitting in our fridge for months. I was so nervous to open it because of said weirdness above. But when I was in Chicago a few weeks ago, I was at a table full of women and we ordered a bunch of dishes to share. One of them was olive oil preserved tuna. I can’t even remember what else was in the dish, because all I noticed was how unbelievable delicious that bite of tuna I took was.

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

The second I got back from Chicago, I had to make something with that tuna. I thought I would make this Mediterranean salad with a delicious vinaigrette made with briny kalamata olives. There was a level of anticipation as I opened that first jar, but when I took a bite of that tuna, I absolutely FREAKED OUT!!! It was like the best thing I have ever had. And so this salad was equally delicious and incredibly full of flavor and texture. I feel like this could be a wonderful weeknight dinner or a weekend lunch- you will love it!

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

 

Recipe: Tuna with Green Beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces haricot verte
  • 8 ounces tuna, preserved in olive oil (or if you can’t find it, then canned tuna)
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
  • Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ -1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. Rinse them in cold water until they have cooled down.
  2. Put the beans in a serving bowl. Add the tuna and the cherry tomatoes to the beans.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olives, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
  4. Pour the Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette over the top of the dish and serve immediately.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 2

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I may have scared a bunch of you off just by mentioning tuna. I will be honest, I get reeeeeal weird about tuna fish. I loved it as a kid, but due to my mayonnaise, uh, aversion (like the sight of it makes me gag), I have not had a tuna fish sandwich in many, many years (like at least 25 years). And being the dictator that I am, seven years ago I out-lawed it in the house. It all started when I was newly married, pregnant with Pia and horribly, horribly sick all the time. Pete and I lived in a loft without any real walls or boundaries between rooms. I remember being upstairs in our open air sleeping area when the horrifying sound of a knife slopping around in a jar of mayonnaise was swiftly out grossed by the smell of the tuna fish and mayonnaise wafting up to where I was. Lets just spare you the details and say that I was sick for a week just thinking about that sandwich that Pete had dared to bring into our home.

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

Ok. So the point of this long drawn out unpleasant story is that Tuna Fish has not made an appearance in my house or life in quite a long time. But that has all changed. Some friends gave us a gift of some olive oil preserved tuna fish that they had caught and canned themselves.

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

The tuna, canned, has been sitting in our fridge for months. I was so nervous to open it because of said weirdness above. But when I was in Chicago a few weeks ago, I was at a table full of women and we ordered a bunch of dishes to share. One of them was olive oil preserved tuna. I can’t even remember what else was in the dish, because all I noticed was how unbelievable delicious that bite of tuna I took was.

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

The second I got back from Chicago, I had to make something with that tuna. I thought I would make this Mediterranean salad with a delicious vinaigrette made with briny kalamata olives. There was a level of anticipation as I opened that first jar, but when I took a bite of that tuna, I absolutely FREAKED OUT!!! It was like the best thing I have ever had. And so this salad was equally delicious and incredibly full of flavor and texture. I feel like this could be a wonderful weeknight dinner or a weekend lunch- you will love it!

Tuna with green beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

 

Recipe: Tuna with Green Beans and Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces haricot verte
  • 8 ounces tuna, preserved in olive oil (or if you can’t find it, then canned tuna)
  • ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
  • Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¼ -1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. Rinse them in cold water until they have cooled down.
  2. Put the beans in a serving bowl. Add the tuna and the cherry tomatoes to the beans.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olives, garlic, thyme, red pepper flakes, olive oil and red wine vinegar.
  4. Pour the Kalamata Olive Vinaigrette over the top of the dish and serve immediately.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 2

Recipe by Heather Christo (http://heatherchristo.com)