Liguarian Vegetable & Bread Salad

From EatingWell: September/October 1995 — Subscribe Now!

This is an ancient Ligurian salad in which all the ingredients were arranged in layers. Use whatever vegetables look best at the market.

Liguarian Vegetable & Bread Salad Recipe

4 servings

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into thin slivers
2 cloves garlic, peeled
12 toasted 1/4-inch-thick slices French baguette
6 teaspoons red-wine vinegar, divided
2 teaspoons water
1 6-ounce can chunk light tuna, squeezed dry and flaked (see Note)
4 anchovies, rinsed and patted dry
6 large basil leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 vine-ripened tomatoes, cored and cut into thin wedges
12 imported imported black olives, pitted and chopped
8 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large bell pepper, cored, seeded and thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Put onions in a small bowl with water to cover and set aside to soak for at least 10 minutes.
Rub the inside of a salad bowl with one of the garlic cloves. Rub the toasts with the other garlic clove. Mix 2 teaspoons of the vinegar with 2 teaspoons water and sprinkle over the toasts. Mix tuna and anchovies together in a small bowl. Mix basil and oregano together in another small bowl. Drain the onions.
To assemble the salad, put three toasts in the bottom of the prepared salad bowl. Top with tomatoes and sprinkle with one-fourth of the basil mixture, one-fourth of the tuna mixture and one-fourth of the olives. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil and 1 teaspoon of the remaining vinegar. Add a layer of toasts, top with onions, basil mixture, tuna mixture, olives, oil and vinegar. Repeat the layering, using peppers in the third layer and cucumbers in the final layer.
Let the salad rest for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, then toss it gently and season with salt and pepper.

Tips & Notes

Note: Canned white tuna comes from the large albacore and can be high in mercury content. Chunk light tuna, on the other hand, which comes from smaller fish—skipjack or yellowfin—is best for health-conscious eaters. According to a recent study, canned white tuna samples averaged about 315 percent more mercury than chunk light tuna samples. (The chunk light tunas averaged 0.132 parts per million mercury content, while the white [albacore] tunas averaged 0.412 ppm.)

Nutrition

Per serving: 274 calories; 13 g fat (2 g sat, 7 g mono); 16 mg cholesterol; 24 g carbohydrates; 17 g protein; 5 g fiber; 606 mg sodium; 684 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (126% daily value), Vitamin A & Selenium (53% dv), Potassium (20% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 lean meat, 2 fat