Crispy phyllo parcels celebrating the combo of creamy beans, tuna, harissa and sweet dried apricots
If you’re a fan of tuna salad, I can’t wait for you to try this! It takes tuna salad to the next level with a bunch of fresh ingredients in the mix—avocado, microgreens, green onions, lemon—and it’s a breeze to make. Eat it straight-up, scooped over a salad, in a sandwich or wrap, or as I most like to, spread on sliced whole-wheat toasties (toast triangles).
As far as nutrition goes, it doesn’t get more balanced. The tuna is your lean protein loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for your heart. Cottage cheese piles on even more protein plus calcium for bone health. And as for the avocado—hello healthy monosaturated fats! The microgreens deliver vitamins C, E, and K, all of which support immune health and reduce inflammation. And you can thank the whole-wheat bread for its digestion-aiding and energy-sustaining fiber.
My godmother Zia Mimma taught me this recipe, and it’s something that we’ve been making together for what feels like my entire life. The preparation is simple—so simple that we were able to teach it to my stepmom, which is saying something because the woman does not cook—and isn’t much more than pasta simply dressed in a fresh tomato sauce, flecked with good-quality tuna, and tossed with oily, crunchy bread crumbs. It’s the ultimate comfort-food dish, especially for those nights when cooking feels like the last thing you want to do.
Smoked fish is a multi-step, multi-day process, but it’s not difficult to do. All you do is brine the filet (like you would a turkey, but for shorter), let it dry in the refrigerator, then bake it at a low temperature with some smoldering wood chips. After you’ve smoked the fish, enjoy it any way you like, or go on to make my creamy Smoked Fish Dip.
You can use any salmon, swordfish, cod or tuna for this recipe, as capers, fennel, celery and lemon juice are great accompanying flavours for just about all fish. If using tuna, remember it only needs to be seared for a very short amount of time, as you don’t want to overcook and ruin a fine-quality cut.
This is our spin on a classic American tuna salad. It can be enjoyed plain, with crackers, on a sandwich, or over a bed of crisp lettuce as a salad.
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This tasty noodle salad couldn’t be easier to make — the only cooking involved is preparing the noodles. The all-purpose noodle sauce doubles up as a salad dressing and noodle sauce.