Tony Jackman’s Greek-style tuna salad. (Photo: Tony Jackman) 
This was a brand of canned tuna I wasn’t very familiar with, and what I hadn’t noticed when putting it in the trolley basket was one little word: “smoked”.
It was only on opening the tin and dipping in a teaspoon (doesn’t everyone do that when opening a can of tuna?) that I detected its beautiful touch of smoke, and then checked the label.
Funny how the smallest, simplest things can bring delight. A tiny taste of tinned tuna with a subtle hint of smoke. It made all the difference to the tuna mix that became the centrepiece of an otherwise straightforward Greek salad. The brand is Cape Point.
In this recipe, this smoked tuna is mixed with finely diced celery and spring onion (for both crunch and bite), fresh herbs (basil and oregano), and salt and black pepper, with a modest amount of mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s) as I didn’t want it to taste of mayo and nothing else. It’s there, but only just.
There’s plenty of garlic and it’s all in the salad component.
Tony’s tuna salad with a touch of Greece (or Greek salad with a touch of tuna)
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
For the tuna mix:
2 cans smoked tuna in olive oil, drained
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 spring onions, diced
A few basil leaves, torn into tiny bits
The leaves of 2 or 3 fresh oregano sprigs
2 heaped Tbsps Hellman’s mayonnaise
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
For the salad:
½ a medium cucumber
16 (or so) Kalamata olives
8 to 10 Roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
½ a red onion, sliced thinly
1 wheel of feta, crumbled or diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp botanical vinegar
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Method
Make the tuna mixture first and refrigerate it: in a bowl, mix the tuna with the celery, spring onion, basil, oregano and mayonnaise, season with salt and black pepper and stir. Pop it in the fridge.
Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, then slice each half in half again so you have four long quarters. Slice these crossways into pieces about half a centimetre wide. Halve the small Roma tomatoes. Peel and slice the red onion very thinly into rings or half-rings. Peel and chop the garlic finely.
Drain the Kalamata olives but retain 2 or 3 Tbsp of the brine from the can or bottle. In a small bowl, mix this brine with the olive oil, botanical vinegar, salt and black pepper and stir.
To a larger bowl, add the cucumber, red onion, garlic and tomatoes. Pour in half of the dressing and toss.
Arrange the salad around the edge of a wide bowl or round platter. Scatter the feta and some of the Kalamata olives on top.
Spoon the tuna mixture into the centre and top with the remaining olives. Nip a few strands of red onion from the salad component and drape them over the tuna mixture, just for good looks.
Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. DM
Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.This was a brand of canned tuna I wasn’t very familiar with, and what I hadn’t noticed when putting it in the trolley basket was one little word: “smoked”.
It was only on opening the tin and dipping in a teaspoon (doesn’t everyone do that when opening a can of tuna?) that I detected its beautiful touch of smoke, and then checked the label.
Funny how the smallest, simplest things can bring delight. A tiny taste of tinned tuna with a subtle hint of smoke. It made all the difference to the tuna mix that became the centrepiece of an otherwise straightforward Greek salad. The brand is Cape Point.
In this recipe, this smoked tuna is mixed with finely diced celery and spring onion (for both crunch and bite), fresh herbs (basil and oregano), and salt and black pepper, with a modest amount of mayonnaise (I used Hellman’s) as I didn’t want it to taste of mayo and nothing else. It’s there, but only just.
There’s plenty of garlic and it’s all in the salad component.
Tony’s tuna salad with a touch of Greece (or Greek salad with a touch of tuna)
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
For the tuna mix:
2 cans smoked tuna in olive oil, drained
1 stalk of celery, diced
2 spring onions, diced
A few basil, torn into tiny bits
The leaves of 2 or 3 fresh oregano sprigs
2 heaped Tbsps Hellman’s mayonnaise
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
For the salad:
½ a medium cucumber
16 (or so) kalamata olives
8 to 10 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
½ a red onion, sliced thinly
1 wheel of feta, crumbled or diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp botanical vinegar
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Method
Make the tuna mixture first and refrigerate it: In a bowl, mix the tuna with the celery, spring onion, basil, oregano and mayonnaise, season with salt and black pepper and stir. Pop it in the fridge.
Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, then slice each half in half again so you have four long quarters. Slice these cross-ways into pieces about half a centimetre wide. Half the small roma tomatoes. Peel and slice the red onion very thinly into rings or half-rings. Peel and chop the garlic finely.
Drain the kalamata olives but retain 2 or 3 Tbsp of the brine from the can or bottle. In a small bowl, mix this brine with the olive oil, botanical vinegar, salt and black pepper and stir.
To a larger bowl, add the cucumber, red onion, garlic and tomatoes. Pour in half of the dressing and toss.
Arrange the salad around the edge of a wide bowl or round platter. Scatter the feta and some of the kalamata olives on top.
Spoon the tuna mixture into the centre and top with the remaining olives. Nip a few strands of red onion from the salad component and drape them over the tuna mixture, just for good looks.
Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad. DM
Tony Jackman is twice winner of the Galliova Food Writer of the Year award.
Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.