Patsy R. Brumfield
The Southfacin’ Cook
I have no idea where tuna-bean salad came from originally, but my half-French grandmother, the willful and beautiful Rosalie Dial, made it first in my experience.
It’s another summertime favorite because you can use it to stuff gorgeous, ripe red tomatoes or atop crispy cucumbers or just on crackers. It is yummy.
Tuna bean salad
EQUIPMENT
- Chopping board
- chopping knife
- large mixing bowl
- measuring equipment
- foil or plastic wrap
- mixing spoon
- colander
INGREDIENTS
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
- 2 11-oz packages of tuna packed in water
- 1 bundle green onions, chopped finely
- 5 stalks celery, chopped finely
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (less, if you don’t adore garlic)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 lemon, zested, juiced
- 2 cans dark-red kidney beans, drained/rinsed
LET’S GET STARTED
In mixing bowl, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice/zest, salt/pepper and tuna.
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
Add chopped celery and green onions. Combine well.
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
In the sink, pour canned beans into a colander and rinse away the liquid from the can. Drain.
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
Add to tuna mixture in bowl.
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
Taste for more salt, pepper or garlic. Cover with foil/plastic wrap and let mixture meld in the refrigerator at least an hour before you serve it. It gets “garlickier” as it rests.
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
This makes a lot for easily 6 stuffed tomatoes or yummy lunches across your work week.
how to make tuna bean salad like a New Orleans native (photo by Patsy R. Brumfield/Southfacin’ Cook)
Come back to NewinNOLA.com every week for “Southfacin’ Cook,” where Patsy explains the basics to Southern cooking and eating. Contact her with suggestions, questions or requests at patsy.brumfield@gmail.com.
Click here for previous recipes from Patsy. And here is our complete list of recipes.
This work by Patsy R. Brumfield is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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