Culinary Explorer
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Tonno e Fagioli alla Genovese
Created by Chef Graziella
Liguria's answer to the Tuscan bean and tuna salad, where fresh basil takes the place of excessive onion and the quality of your olive oil matters more than anything else you do.
Every region of Italy claims a version of this salad, and every region insists theirs is correct. The Tuscans use more onion. The Genovese use less onion and add basil, because Genoa cannot imagine a dish without basil. Both are right. Both would argue the point until dinner grew cold.
What cannot be argued is the tuna. It must be Italian tuna packed in olive oil. Not water. Water-packed tuna is an insult to the beans. The oil carries flavor, protects the texture, and becomes part of the dressing. Those little tins of ventresca, the belly meat, are worth seeking out. The price reflects the quality.
This is not a composed salad for a restaurant menu. It is food for a hot afternoon when you cannot face the stove. It is what a Ligurian fisherman's wife might put together when the boats come in late. Simple does not mean careless. Every ingredient earns its place.
Ingredients
Italian tuna packed in olive oil
Quantity
2 cans (5 ounces each)
cannellini beans
Quantity
2 cans (15 ounces each)
drained and rinsed
red onion
Quantity
1/4 small
sliced paper-thin
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Italian tuna packed in olive oil | 2 cans (5 ounces each) |
| cannellini beansdrained and rinsed | 2 cans (15 ounces each) |
| red onionsliced paper-thin | 1/4 small |
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