Tuna salad recipe with romesco

The winter Mediterranean salad

This tuna salad recipe we call xat� in Catalan has its origins in the coastal town of Vilanova i la Geltr� halfway between Barcelona and Tarragona. It goes without saying that other neighboring towns passionately claim the paternity of this seafood salad recipe too.

This delicious representative of the healthiest Mediterranean diet prepared with digestive escarole is linked to the wine world since its beginning. The escarole based tuna salad recipe was born to celebrate the tasting of the new wine in January, and its secret is the romesco salad dressing.

When the wine was ready to be tasted wine makers performed the ritual called aixetonar the barrel, that is, they pierced the barrel with a small tap called aixet�. Hence the name xat� for this tuna salad recipe that was eaten during a winter festival that continues to this day.

Ingredients for this tuna salad recipe

Serves 4

1 head escarole

5 ounces (150 g) canned tuna fish

� pound (200 g) salt cod � desalted, skinned, boned, and shredded Click for instructions on how to desalt cod fish.

This tuna salad recipe is traditionally prepared with dried tuna, desalted and shredded like cod fish. However, not everybody has access to it. High quality canned tuna fish in olive oil is a very good substitute that is widely available.

8 anchovy filets
A handful arbequina olives

Traditionally, Catalan arbequines are used, but other green or black olives are a perfectly fine substitute.

For the romesco dressing

2 garlic cloves � peeled
17 almonds � roasted
6 hazelnuts � roasted
4 pebrots de romesco, or nyores, or ancho peppers � seeded
The crumb of 2 slices bread
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 tablespoons (or to taste) extra virgin olive oil � Catalan arbequina olive oil is the best choice. Otherwise use any mild Mediterranean olive oil.
Salt

Tuna salad recipe preparation instructions

Cooking time: 0 minutes.
Preparation time: 45 minutes.

Soak the dried peppers in water at room temperature for an hour. When you want to start preparing the tuna salad recipe, scald them by covering them with boiling water. Soak them for 10 minutes, or until they sink to the bottom of the bowl. Cut the dried peppers in half and seed them. With a teaspoon or pointed knife, scrape the inner part of the pepper to collect the edible pepper meat.

If you didn't have the time or forgot to soak the dried peppers for an hour, scald them and let them soak in boiling water a little longer. This will work too.

Soak the bread crumb in the vinegar.

Peel the hazelnuts and almonds by scalding them in hot water for a few minutes, and toast them in the oven or in a pan.

Add the peeled garlic cloves and some salt to a mortar and pound them. Add the almonds and hazelnuts and crush them with the pestle. Work it into a thick smooth mixture.

Although the traditional method with mortar and pestle is preferable, if you so choose, you can use a blender, spice mill or food processor to prepare this romesco sauce for the tuna salad recipe, but remember not to liquidize the mixture too much. Put all ingredients together and work them into a thick homogeneous paste.

Add the edible pepper meat you collected from the dried peppers, and continue working the mixture. Once you obtain a homogeneous paste, add the bread crumb soaked in vinegar. Work the mixture with your pestle.

Slowly add the olive oil while you continue mixing the mixture with the pestle until it has a thick smooth consistency.

Rinse the escarole thoroughly, and dry it with a clean towel if necessary. Tear the leaves into large pieces. Alternatively, don't tear the leaves at all. Add the escarole to a salad bowl.

Add romesco sauce to the bowl with the escarole and mix well with two wooden spoons.

Top the escarole with the tuna fish, the cod fish, and the anchovies. Garnish with the olives. Finally, add some teaspoons romesco sauce.

Serve at room temperature with the remaining romesco sauce so that every guest can add more salad dressing to taste.