Canned Bean Salad

canned bean salad

One of the best things about this salad, apart from how fresh and tasty it is, is that it keeps well for a few days. The salad in the picture is using sherry vinegar, butter beans, tuna in chilli oil, and shaved cabbage.

per person
1 tablespoon acid
1/2 can legumes, drained
handful vegetables or salad leaves
handful cooked protein
small handful highlight ingredient, optional

1. Combine acid with 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a salad bowl. Season.

2. Add drained legumes and finely sliced veg or leaves to the dressing. Toss.

3. Sprinkle protein over the salad and top with highlight ingredient, if using.

variations

acid – Sherry vinegar, rice wine vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, red/white wine vinegar, champargne vinegar.

legumes – butter beans, cannellini beans, borlotti beans, chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans. Pretty much any canned legume or home cooked ones.

vegetables – fennel, zucchini, cabbage, carrots, beets, asparagus, broccoli (grate rather than ‘shave), cauliflower (grate rather than ‘shave’), snow peas, sugarsnap peas, celery, red capsicum (bell peppers). Leafy veg such as spinach, kale or collard greens can be finely sliced into ribbons with a knife.

salad leaves – pretty much any washed salad leaves, torn into bight sized pieces if large.

cooked protein – canned tuna, salmon, sardines, nuts, cooked chicken, smoked chicken, salami, proscuitto, cold roast meats, avocado (not strictly protein but good), boiled eggs, smoked salmon, goats cheese, ricotta, cheddar, parmesan, cottage cheese.

simple protein – just increase the amount of canned legumes.

highlight – crunch – nuts or finely sliced red onion.

highlight – spice – chopped chilli, curry powder, smoked paprika, tabasco sauce, ground cumin, fennel seeds, coriander seeds.

highlight – herbs – try fresh coriander (cilantro), basil, mint, parsley, oregano, chives, green onions or even thyme.

leftover potential?

OK but nicer when super fresh. Not something you should freeze.

problem solving guide

difficult to eat – next time slice the veg finer or chop them into smaller ribbons. Also, make sure you’re not pushing down too hard on the veg if you’re using a mandoline. It took me a while to discover that the less pressure you apply the finer your shaved veg.

too much dressing – for now just transfer the whole salad to a clean bowl, leaving behind as much dressing as you can. Toss again to rub off dressing. Next time mix the dressing up in a small jar and gradually add to the salad.

too dry – either mix up some more dressing and drizzle over OR just drizzle over some more oil and acid separately as the italians do.

too bland – season with a little more salt & pepper.

serving suggestions

We tend to go for bowls.
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