Now, I really like mayo. There’s just something about it. As a kid, I once ate an entire jar of it and was later very sorry. Now, I’m good just licking the spoon. (I know folks think they like mayo because it’s creamy and fatty; it’s also salty-addictive and no one ever mentions that. Dijon mustard – same way. Just taste them both all on their own or look up the sodium content and see.) My best sous and husband, however, LOVES it. When we were first married, his favorite snack was saltines smeared with mayo. A whole sleeve of them. Even now, 50 years later, he’s never happier than when offered a lunchtime egg salad sandwich, for instance. So we are both totally ok with something like cold Tuna Mac, which is just macaroni salad with an ocean of mayonnaise plus tuna. It’s especially welcome when we’re hungry and there’s little time or other ingredients at hand. You’ll probably see it at our house once or twice a summer and we’ll eat off it a couple of meals without complaint. But these days, we’d mostly rather have something we now call pasta salad dressed with some sort of vinaigrette rather than mayonnaise — despite pasta salad’s bad rap. (Were you raised with the word pasta? I didn’t grow up with that word. There was macaroni and there was spaghetti. That was it. Mostaccoli and shells later on, I think. So glad things changed.) And while we’re at it, why not some teensy-weensy, cute pasta like orzo or ditalini?
As the end of More Time at the Table FRIDAY FISH season approached, I had one remaining idea that had yet to hatch. For weeks, I’d kept a list of ingredients, on the fridge even, that might make a delicious canned tuna pasta salad without using too many ingredients. I know; you don’t believe that for the first minute but it’s true. And while I pared down the list to a few had-to-have, truly compatable elements, I also knew the whole thing would go to h_ _ _ in a hand basket without a doubly perky vinaigrette. (Nothing is worse than bland or overcooked pasta salad.) I went to work on that first. I’ve made many a lemon vinaigrette and it’s one of my favorites as it’s so simple –basically equal amounts lemon and oil. Here I figured in the zest of one of the lemons to really move the salad into my corner. It worked beautifully! Tuna, asparagus, tiny pasta, briny olives, red onions, fennel, sweet peppers, parsley, and extra lemony vinaigrette; was that all it needed? It was, along with a garnish or two, though you can scroll down to CHANGE IT UP and bathe in a plethora of other additions or substitutions you might employ and enjoy. I’ll be cheering you on.
While this simple recipe barely appears worthy of sequential photos, I somehow took some anyway and will add them here just because I can:
I bet you could make this without a recipe but since that would leave me with little to do, here’s one for when you try this:
FRIDAY FISH: Tuna-Asparagus Orzo Salad with Double Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
DOUBLE LEMON VINAIGRETTE:
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (juice of 2 small lemons) and zest of one lemon (Zest lemon before juicing.)
- Minced clove of garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
- ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
SALAD:
- 8 ounces (1/2 pound) whole wheat or white orzo
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 pound (4-ounces) asparagus, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch dice
- 2 (5-ounce) cans tuna- I like the “do not drain” varieties —See Cook's Notes
- ½ each small red onion, yellow or red bell pepper, fennel bulb, cut into small dice
- Minced clove of garlic
- Small handful minced fresh parsley
- ½ cup sliced kalamata olives
- 2 small ripe tomatoes, diced — for garnish
- 1/2 ripe avocado, diced — for garnish
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges– for serving
Instructions
- MAKE THE LEMON VINAIGRETTE: In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper. Let rest a few minutes. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until well-combined or emulsified. Set aside.
- COOK THE ORZO AND ASPARAGUS: In a 6 or 8-qt covered pot, bring 4-5 quarts cold water to boil. Add a generous teaspoon of kosher salt. Pour in orzo and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped asparagus and cook another 2-3 minutes or until everything is just barely tender. Drain, and while hot, drizzle with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with a good pinch each salt and pepper. Stir. (You can do this in the colander or in a large mixing bowl. If you've done it in the colander and let the cooking pot cool for a few minutes, you can use the cooking pot as the mixing bowl and save even more dishwashing.)
- IN A LARGE BOWL, STIR TOGETHER the orzo and asparagus with the tuna, vegetables (except the tomatoes and avocado), and olives.
- POUR THE VINAIGRETTE OVER THE SALAD and mix gently. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- DIVIDE THE SALAD BETWEEN 4 BOWLS lined with greens, if using, and garnish with tomatoes and avocado. Grind a little black pepper over everything. Serve each with a lemon wedge. Store leftovers well-covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Notes
Wine: I’ll go with an inexpensive American or French Sauvignon Blanc. Sometimes the American version is known as Fumé Blanc. Me, myself, and I would lean toward the herby or grassy varieties instead of the citrusy sorts, so skip the New Zealand bottles, which are often grapefruity. (Save those for summer porch wine.)
Whole wheat orzo is not available in all stores; I order the DeLallo brand online from amazon.
Alyce: 3 Questions about Cooking/Seasoning the Pasta. 1. Why start with cold instead of hot water from the tap in your pasta pot? I like cold water instead of hot because it feels and tastes fresher. Hot water, after sitting in the hot water heater, can be a tad stale. Taste yours side by side and see what you think. 2. Why wait to salt the pasta water until after it’s boiling instead of before? I try to remember this step because it’s written in the directions for my quite-expensive Mauviel stainless steel pots. Salting when the water boils helps prevent buildup of lime (white) spots in the pot. If you are cooking in pots of a different material, this may not be important. 3. Why do you add a little olive oil, salt and pepper to the orzo in the colander or while it’s hot? Hot pasta absorbs seasoning better than cold. Also–a little olive oil after cooking keeps the pasta from sticking together. P.S. Some folks cook pasta right in cold water from the start. (and less of it, too) The premise here is that it takes less total time and hardly anyone can tell the difference. I haven’t tried it yet but I might.
CHANGE IT UP: Flexible is this dish’s middle name. Many other ingredients could be subbed or added. I mean, it’s a pasta salad. Think roasted red peppers, hearts of palm, sliced fresh greens, hard-cooked eggs, capers, sun dried tomatoes, carrots, celery, cooked and chopped green beans, grilled and diced zucchini or yellow squash, peas, cherry tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts or walnuts or chopped smoked almonds could add crunch. Crumbled, briny feta would be lovely; shards of parm, small cubes of sharp Cheddar, or even fresh goat cheese would add salt and depth. Tilt the salad in another direction by swapping out the parsley for basil, dill, or chives. Use canned or grilled salmon, tiny shrimp, flaked crab, or canned chicken in place of canned tuna. Think twice about your briny element by replacing the kalamata olives with cornichons, peperoncini, chopped capers, or other olives. Lazy Witch with a “B” Method: Use microwave brown rice instead of orzo. Skip the vegetables except the onion and garlic. Add a 12-ounce jar of chopped marinated artichokes. Vegetarian: Skip tuna; add cannellini beans and feta. Vegan: Skip tuna; add marinated artichokes, cannellini beans, and more of the other veggies. Gluten-Free: Sub rice for the orzo or order GF DeLallo pasta. Don’t want to make the vinaigrette? I’m sorry about that (it’s nearly instant; are you sure?) but you could just squeeze lots of lemon over everything and then drizzle well with olive oil. If you’re seriously calorie counting, leave the oil off. Season thoroughly with salt, pepper, and a little crushed red pepper; taste and adjust seasonings.
There are various theories about the origin of pasta salad. Claudia Roden claims that Italian Jews prepared it centuries before other Italians because Jewish law prohibits cooking on the sabbath.[1] ~Wikipedia
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE MY:
Tuna-Cado Dinner: No Cook White Bean Salad with Tuna and Avocado
One-Pan Orzo “Risotto” with Asparagus
Upping Your Tuna Salad Game + Easy Recipe for Canned Tuna
LIFE GOES ON:
You might remember I occasionally share a really fast, almost no recipe dish on social media. I recently posted on facebook the above breakfast (lunch, dinner), which is a one-egg (cottage) cheese omelet. It’s perfect for weeks when you need those eggs to last a little longer. This is somewhat like the Cottage Cheese Frittata from a few weeks back, but simpler.
DIRECTIONS: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for a minute or two and spray with cooking spray. Meanwhile, whisk together one large egg and 1/4 cup cottage cheese with a few grinds of black pepper. (No salt; you shouldn’t need it.) Scrape the egg mixture into the hot pan; cover and lower temp to low. Let cook a few minutes, stirring a time or two, until somewhat firm and puffy. With a small rubber spatula, fold in half or thirds, and tip out of pan onto a plate. Serve with salsa, tomatoes, and toast, if you like. Enjoy.
Dave and I are about to jump on another plane (Aren’t we brave? It’s scary as _____). We’ll jet down to Florida to spend the last of Holy Week, Easter, and Easter Monday with our son, his family, my niece, and my sister along with her adult children, their partners, and grandchildren in a large beach house. We’ll be gone nearly a week and while it might take me a while to get back to the blog (I have two classes to teach and a couple of friends having surgeries to cook for when I return), get back I will. With pictures, I’ll guess 🙂
BELOW: a typical view from one of our past beach houses. The ocean: Something so big just lets you breathe. We cook together, take walks, play games, laugh, sit around and talk a lot, watch movies, go out for a meal or two, do nothing, and sleep well every night at sea level. A blessing, I know. I feel incredibly grateful. I also miss worshiping in my own church at Easter but it’s always interesting to visit elsewhere.
Chag Pesach Sameach! or Happy Easter! if you’re celebrating either of those holidays. Otherwise, keep enjoying the spring and hoping for a more positive turn for our country and world.
Thanks for stopping by my kitchen where you’re always welcome,
Alyce
When was the last time you made peanut butter cookies? I made 90 of them on Friday. I was robbed; the recipe said it made 120. Best part is doing the cross hatching on the unbaked cookies. Don’t forget to dip the fork in flour every cookie or two to keep it from sticking in the dough!
