Chef Isabel
Asadillo Manchego
Asadillo Manchego is La Mancha's roasted pepper salad: red peppers, tomato, olive oil, garlic, and cumin, pounded plainly and served with egg, warm or cold.
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Ensalada Campera Andaluza
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Ensalada campera is Andalucía's summer potato salad, loose and bright with tomato, pepper, onion, egg, tuna, olive oil, and vinegar. It is not bound in mayonnaise, and that matters.
Salads
Spanish
Picnic
Outdoor Dining
Make Ahead
25 min
Active Time
30 min cook•1 hr 25 min total
Yield4 to 6 servings
Ensalada campera Andaluza is the potato salad of hot days and outdoor tables: boiled potato, ripe tomato, green pepper, onion, hard-boiled egg, and tuna dressed with olive oil and vinegar. It stays loose and glossy, not bound in mayonnaise like ensaladilla rusa. That is what makes it this salad and not its neighbour.
The method that decides it is the potato. Boil it whole, in its skin, until a knife goes through without a fight, then peel and cut it while still warm. Dress the warm potato first, before the tomato and egg go in, so it drinks the vinegar and oil instead of wearing them on the outside. Rush this and the salad tastes flat. Give it that little time, and it tastes settled.
Use good ripe tomatoes, not hard red decorations. If you are far from Andalucía, a waxy potato like Yukon Gold or Charlotte will do, and jarred roasted red pepper can stand in for fresh if the market is poor, though the salad will be sweeter and softer for it. No hace falta haber pisado España. You need good oil, sharp vinegar, and patience enough to let it rest.
My Margin beside this one says only: dress the potatoes warm, chill the cook. Sensible advice for both of you. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Ensalada campera belongs to the broad Spanish family of summer potato salads, but the Andalusian table makes it especially at home with ripe tomato, green pepper, olive oil, and vinegar, the same plain hot-weather larder that gives the south gazpacho and picadillos. It is picnic food, field food, and make-ahead food, built from ingredients that travel well once cooked: potatoes, egg, canned tuna, and vegetables that can sit a while without spoiling the meal. Its clearest distinction is what it refuses: it is not ensaladilla rusa, the mayonnaise-bound salad that belongs to another habit of eating.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
waxy potatoes
Quantity
900g
scrubbed, similar size
large eggs
Quantity
3
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
250g
cut into bite-size chunks
green Italian frying pepper or green bell pepper
Quantity
1
seeded and diced
red onion or spring onion
Quantity
120g
thinly sliced
good canned tuna in olive oil
Quantity
160g
drained into a bowl and flaked
green olives, preferably manzanilla
Quantity
60g
pitted
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
75ml
vinagre de Jerez (sherry vinegar)
Quantity
30ml
fine salt
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more for boiling water
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
to taste
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| waxy potatoesscrubbed, similar size | 900g |
| large eggs | 3 |
| ripe tomatoescut into bite-size chunks | 250g |
| green Italian frying pepper or green bell pepperseeded and diced | 1 |
| red onion or spring onionthinly sliced | 120g |
| good canned tuna in olive oildrained into a bowl and flaked | 160g |
| green olives, preferably manzanillapitted | 60g |
| extra virgin olive oil | 75ml |
| vinagre de Jerez (sherry vinegar) | 30ml |
| fine salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more for boiling water |
| freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •Medium heavy pot
- •Small saucepan for eggs
- •Wide mixing bowl
- •Small whisk or fork
Instructions
- 1
Boil the potatoes
Put the potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water by 3cm, and salt the water well. Bring to a steady boil, then lower to a lively simmer and cook until a small knife slides into the centre without resistance, 25 to 30 minutes depending on size. Boil them whole and in their skins; cut potatoes drink water and turn woolly before the dressing ever reaches them.
Choose potatoes of similar size so they finish together. Pésalo, no lo adivines, and choose a waxy potato if you can. - 2
Cook the eggs
While the potatoes cook, lower the eggs into a small pan of simmering water and cook 10 minutes. Cool under running water, peel, and cut into quarters or thick slices. Keep them neat; they go in near the end so the yolks do not cloud the dressing.
- 3
Dress warm potatoes
Drain the potatoes and let them sit just until you can handle them. Peel, cut into generous bite-size pieces, and put them in a wide bowl. Whisk the olive oil, sherry vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the tuna oil if it tastes good. Pour half over the warm potatoes and turn them gently. This is the step that decides the salad: warm potato drinks the dressing, cold potato shrugs it off.
- 4
Add the vegetables
Add the tomato, green pepper, onion, olives, and flaked tuna to the dressed potatoes. Pour over the remaining dressing and fold with a broad spoon, lifting from the bottom so the potato stays in pieces. Taste now for salt and vinegar; it should be sharp enough to wake up after chilling.
- 5
Rest and finish
Let the salad rest at least 30 minutes at cool room temperature, or chill it for up to 4 hours. Add the eggs and parsley, if using, just before serving, and spoon a little dressing from the bottom back over the top. Serve cool, not ice-cold, so the oil loosens and the tomato tastes like itself.
Chef Tips
- •Use waxy potatoes, not floury baking potatoes. Yukon Gold, Charlotte, or any firm boiling potato will hold its edges and still take the dressing.
- •Vinagre de Jerez, sherry vinegar, belongs here if you can get it. If not, use a good red wine vinegar and know it will be a little less nutty and round.
- •Use tuna packed in olive oil, not water. The oil carries the taste of the tuna into the dressing, and that is part of the salad, not waste.
- •If the tomatoes are hard and pale, wait. This is a summer salad. Out of season, Andalucía has other potato dishes that do not ask a bad tomato to pretend.
- •Do not bind it with mayonnaise. That makes a different salad, ensaladilla rusa, and a good one when made properly. This one should stay loose, sharp, and glossy.
Advance Preparation
- •Boil the potatoes and eggs up to 1 day ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator, then bring the potatoes toward room temperature before dressing.
- •The finished salad can be made 4 hours ahead and kept chilled. Add the eggs just before serving so the yolks stay clean.
- •If refrigerated longer, taste again before serving. Cold dulls vinegar and salt, so it may need a small splash of vinegar and a pinch of salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 370g)
Calories
425 calories
Total Fat
21 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
18 g
Cholesterol
120 mg
Sodium
950 mg
Total Carbohydrates
42 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
5 g
Protein
18 g
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