Salada de atum is the Portuguese pantry at its most efficient: good canned tuna — a national institution, and one of the things Portugal genuinely does better than anyone — with tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, olives and boiled eggs under an oregano vinaigrette.
This is real summer-lunch food on the Portuguese coast, thrown together in fifteen minutes and eaten outside with bread or boiled potatoes. The chickpeas make it a complete meal; the olives make it taste like home.
One rule: buy the best tuna in olive oil you can find. Portuguese and Spanish brands from the conserveiras are worth every cent — this salad has nowhere for mediocre tuna to hide.
Salada de Atum Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans (5 oz each) good-quality tuna in olive oil, drained
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup black or Portuguese cured olives, pitted and halved
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced or quartered
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Flake the drained tuna into bite-sized pieces.
- Combine the tuna, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, chickpeas and olives in a large bowl, and add the parsley.
- Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper into a dressing. Taste and adjust.
- Drizzle over the salad and toss gently to coat.
- Top with the boiled eggs and serve with crusty bread or boiled potatoes — or chill 30 minutes to let the flavors settle in.
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