Aeolian salad

Name: Aeolian salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Potatoes large 4; Piccadilly tomatoes 2.3 cups; White wine vinegar 3.5 oz; Tuna in oil drained 10.5 oz; Red onions ½; Taggiasca olives 1.5 oz; Caper berries 0.7 oz; Oregano to taste; Fine salt to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low
Note plus cooling time

Listen to the recipe

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Lulù Gargari

Aeolian salad—insalata eoliana—is a no-cook bowl of ripe tomatoes, potatoes, tuna, olives, and capers—or cucunci, the larger, milder berry of the caper plant that grows throughout the Aeolian Islands. Oregano and a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil tie everything together, and the result is fresh, direct, and intensely flavored without any real effort at the stove.

One detail separates this from a salad you toss and serve immediately: it genuinely improves after a few hours of rest. That resting time lets the olive oil, herbs, and tomato juices settle into the potatoes and tuna, deepening the whole thing while you do something else. It works as a main dish on a warm evening, as a starter, or alongside other things on the table.

How to prepare Aeolian salad

To prepare the Aeolian salad, first wash the potatoes thoroughly and cook them in plenty of lightly salted water 1 until they are tender when pierced with a fork. This will take about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the red onion, slice it thinly into julienne strips 2 and place it in a bowl. Cover it with white wine vinegar 3.

Add a pinch of salt 4 and let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This step will help mellow its flavor and make it milder. After resting, drain it well. As soon as the potatoes are soft, drain them, let them cool just enough to handle easily, then remove the skin 5 and cut them into fairly large cubes 6.

Wash the Piccadilly tomatoes, dry them and cut them in half 7. Carefully drain the tuna fillets of their preserving oil and transfer them to a large bowl 8. Then add the onion 9.

Add the olives, the caperberries 10, the tomatoes and the potatoes 11. Season generously with oregano 12.

Add salt 13, freshly ground black pepper and a generous drizzle of oil 14. Gently mix with two spoons so as not to break the potatoes 15.

Let the flavors meld for a few minutes before bringing the Aeolian salad to the table, or prepare it in advance and store it in the refrigerator. At serving time, plate it 16, add a little more oregano and a drizzle of oil 17. The Aeolian salad is ready 18!

Storage

The Aeolian salad can be kept in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 2 days.

Before serving, leave it at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes and gently stir.

Freezing is not recommended.

Tip

For the best result, use yellow-fleshed potatoes, which hold their texture well after cooking. Add some fresh basil and, if you like, sliced chili pepper!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

Print the recipe