#bxllockdown Day 3

We continue with simple recipes. I went to school in Melbourne, Australia (my hometown) and every Friday the cafeteria would serve fish. As a youngster I didn’t know the religious* meaning behind it but, it is something I still follow. For me, Friday is fish day.

Tuna is by far my favourite fish to eat. Be it in a can or a steak from my fish shop, I just love it. My tuna salad is a dish where all the things I love meet, fall in love and marry…

Once I list the ingredients to this salad, my close friends who are reading this will be both smiling and nodding in agreement.

The best part of this salad is that it is versatile. You can have it as a starter, main, lunch, picnic or part of a spread for a brunch with friends. It requires no cooking, no marinating and no waiting.

I use two types of tuna to have a difference in texture and taste. Only using the standard tuna can be ok but the white tuna is where the flavour excels.

What you need:

• 2x 200gr cans of tuna – in brine or spring water
• 2x 100gr cans of white tuna – in olive oil
• Gem lettuce (they come in a pack of three at my supermarket)
• A handful of green olives (stones removed)– chopped
• A handful of fresh chives
• Juice of half a lemon
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder (optional)
• Salt & pepper to season

What you do:

1. Open and drain the tuna
2. Place all the tuna in a salad bowl and mix the two types of Tuna together
3. Add the olive oil and the lemon juice
4. Add the spices, mayonnaise and mix again
5. Add the chives and the olives
6. Season to taste
7. Serve with the gem lettuce

If you prefer you can chop the gem lettuce finely and add it to the mix. Makes a bigger salad and it can be very tasty.

Serves 6 people — Calories:  Total 1080 — Per Serving 180

*In many places all over the world, Friday night has been the traditional night to eat fish. This stems back to religion. The Friday fast is a Christian practice of abstaining from animal meat on Fridays in the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Methodist churches.