Tuscan Tuna and Beans

Name: Tuscan Tuna and Beans
Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as a first course
Ingredients: 1/2 medium red onion, chopped (or 2 scallions, chopped); 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 3 cups cooked white beans or 1 pound steamed or boiled green beans; 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; Fine sea salt; ground black pepper; 8 to 10 ounces canned tuna, packed in olive oil (or fresh tuna, grilled or poached, marinated in extra-virgin); 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

By Faith Willinger

August 20, 2004

Preserved tuna, packed in extra-virgin olive oil, is paired with white beans in Tuscany, a speedy dish to assemble if you've got beans on hand. Canned beans work well and simplify this preparation — open a few cans and chop an onion. Quality tuna makes a big difference in the success of this dish.

Leftover grilled or poached tuna can be used instead of canned, but it should be marinated in extra-virgin olive oil. All choices will work better than insipid tuna packed in water. Scallions can be used in the spring, red onions for the rest of the year.

Torquato, my farmer and muse, suggested combining green beans with tuna during his glorious green-bean season, a fantastic variation.

Recipe notes

Gigante Beans With Seaweed Salmoriglio

Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.

Tuna Melt Nachos

Love a tuna melt? Meet your new favorite nachos—fast and filling all thanks to tinned fish.

Charred Vegetable Ragù

This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!

Okonomiyaki Tater Tots

Crispy tots topped with savory-sweet sauce, mayonnaise, furikake, scallion, and katsuobushi.

Frijoles de la Olla Ramen (Mexican Stewed Beans)

Traditionally, this Mexican staple is simmered for hours in an olla, or clay pot. You can achieve a similar result by using canned beans and instant ramen.

Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Spaghetti)

Spaghetti is a common variation in modern Thai cooking. It’s so easy to work with and absorbs the garlicky, spicy notes of pad kee mao well.

Spicy Honey Orange Shrimp (Xiang La Fengmi Xia)

A satisfying weeknight dinner from Tiffy Chen. Serve with rice or noodles.

Charred Cabbage With Shrimp Paste Butter

A little shrimp paste goes a long, long, long way in this delicious vegetable dish.