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Home » Recipes » Gluten Free

Italian Tuna + Green Bean Salad

Published: Sep 6, 2018 · Modified: Nov 18, 2020 by Coley · This post may contain affiliate links.

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This recipe for Italian Tuna and Green Bean Salad is incredibly simple to make. It only has 7 basic ingredients and makes a tasty and healthy meal!

In my previous post, I talked about how salmon used to be the only fish I disliked, but in hindsight that wasn't exactly true. There was another fish I've always taken issue with: canned tuna. Fresh, rare ruby-toned tuna? I'd eat that all day long. But the pale, flaky stuff in a can? The stuff that looks and smells like cat food? The stuff people call "tunafish?"

Hard pass.

Strangely though, in about the last month or so my taste has suddenly shifted. Canned (or jarred) tuna has become a pretty regular staple in my diet. So what changed? 

I owe the credit to a chef I started following on Instagram, which is kind of strange to even admit, but it's true. And boy does it annoy my husband to no end. You see, Chaser makes himself a tunafish sandwich for lunch at least twice a week, and I've never wanted any part of it. I grew up eating plenty of tunafish sandwiches, but they never caught on with me the way they did with him. He's been trying to convince me that they're delicious since the day we met, but I've always turned up my nose and just complained about the smell every time he made one. Now, all of a sudden I'm super into canned tuna after watching some guy's Instagram story. I can see why he finds that irritating. 

Close up of green bean salad with tuna and red onion plus lemon wedges.Top view of green bean salad with tuna and lemon on a tan dinner plate.

Heres the deal: My friend Andrea told me I had to follow a chef named Frank Prisinzano on Instagram this summer when he was traveling through Italy and documenting it all on his stories. Of course, I did, and immediately became mesmerized by his travels. His stories are long - oftentimes too long to sit through - but they're always peppered with gems of information - cooking tutorials, restaurant recommendations, travel tips, and some pretty ridiculous - for lack of a better word - food porn. We're heading back to Italy in a few short weeks (!!), so as you can imagine, I've been devouring his every move, writing down all the different towns and restaurants and foods to try. 

For a large portion of the trip, Frank and his family rented a villa on the Amalfi coast where he did quite a bit of his own cooking. Every day he would put out huge spreads of salads, antipasti and various picky things for lunch, and one of the dishes that kept showing up was this tuna and green bean salad. He kept making it because, in his words, "it was just so good and everyone keeps asking for it again." I watched him make it a few times and I don't know what happened, but it sparked something inside of me. It looked so fresh, so simple, so healthy and just so good. I had to have it ASAP.

Close up side view of green bean tuna salad with lemon and red onion.

The next time I went shopping I grabbed a few cans of imported Italian tuna in olive oil. It's more expensive than the water-packed albacore Chaser makes his sandwiches with, but it's also more delicious in my opinion. It tastes cleaner and richer, almost buttery, which is probably in part from the olive oil, but it really doesn't need much adornment after coming out of the can. 

This salad is dead simple, so using really good ingredients is essential - that's the secret. I'm talking high quality extra virgin olive oil, coarse sea salt, sweet, young green beans, fresh red onions, juicy lemons, and of course, Italian (or Spanish) tuna packed in olive oil. The green beans need to get blanched first so that they'll be tender, but still crunchy. Drop them into boiling salted water for a few seconds, then plop them right into an ice bath. It seems like a fussy step, but it's so necessary to achieve that perfect snappy texture. 

Small tan plate with a serving of green bean salad with tuna and onion.

Layer the beans on a big platter with some thinly sliced red onions, then crumble chunks of tuna right on top. Take it straight from the can (or jar) along with a bit of the oil - there's no need to drain it. Drizzle with copious amounts of olive oil (don't be shy) and plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice, then give it a nice shower of coarse sea salt - I love the French Sel Gris (gray salt) for this. A few leaves of parsley finish it off with even more freshness. It's insanely simple, but so, so, so good.

I've been exercising a lot lately, and it's had me craving protein more than usual (I'm a carb girl through and through). This salad has been my go-to for refueling after intense sweat sessions because it's so easy to throw together, so healthy, and so satisfying. We leave for Italy in a few weeks, and I'm legitimately training for our trip. No joke! There's soo much uphill walking, and on our last trip I suffered shin splints and sore calfs the entire time. I'm also working on stretching out my stomach and upping my wine intake to prepare for the 10-day eating and drinking marathon. I'm taking this trip very seriously. 

This is totally the kind of tuna salad I can get behind. It's light, refreshing and full of protein, making it an ideal lunch in the summer when green beans are plentiful, but it really works any time of year. 

Close up of a white serving platter with Italian green bean and tuna salad.

One Year Ago: Clams with Bacon, Tomatoes + Jalapeños 
Two Years Ago: Ricotta Gelato with Pistachio + Fig / Baked Goat Cheese + Chive Stuffed Tomatoes 
Three Years Ago: Scallop Ceviche with Corn + Cucumber / Preserving the Harvest
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Close up of a white serving platter with Italian green bean and tuna salad.

Italian Tuna + Green Bean Salad

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
  • Author: Nicole Gaffney (ColeyCooks.com)
  • Prep Time: 14 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 minute
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 2-4 servings 1x
  • Category: salad
  • Method: blanched
  • Cuisine: Italian
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Description

This recipe for Italian Tuna and Green Bean Salad is incredibly simple to make. It only has 7 basic ingredients and makes a tasty and healthy meal! A light, bright and healthy protein packed Italian tuna salad. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 lb thin green beans (such as haricot verts) ends removed
  • ¼ - ½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
  • 2 5-oz cans Italian or Spanish tuna in olive oil (don't drain)
  • juice of 1 lemon (or more to taste)
  • Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
  • coarse sea salt for sprinkling (I like sel gris)
  • ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley leaves

Instructions

  1. Bring a medium pot of heavily salted water up to a boil and prepare an ice bath.
  2. Drop the green beans into the water and cook for 20 seconds, then remove them right into the ice bath. Once the beans are cooled, drain thoroughly and blot dry with towels so no moisture remains.
  3. Transfer the green beans to a large platter, then scatter the red onions and and big chunks of tuna on top along with some of the oil from the can.
  4. Drizzle with lemon juice and lots of extra virgin olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and parsley leaves. Serve right away.


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2

Keywords: tuna salad, lemon, olive oil, sea salt

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @coleycooks on Instagram and hashtag it #coleycooks

ITALIAN TUNA + GREEN BEAN SALAD | This recipe is so simple it's barely even a recipe! Low carb, high protein, light, refreshing delicious green bean and Italian tuna salad! #Italian #tuna #easy #greenbean #salad #recipe | ColeyCooks.com

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  1. Danielle

    September 06, 2018 at 12:58 pm

    You've been missing out! I adore all canned and jarred stinky fishes. I just brought some home from an Italian shop called Salumeria in Boston's North End. No doubt making this green bean dish. So excited you're heading back to Italy. I look forward to your stories! Love that you're training for it. Keep your game tight.

    Reply
  2. Karen

    September 06, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    Love ALL your recipes and will definitely try this one!
    Have a great trip!

    Reply
    • Coley

      September 10, 2018 at 2:09 pm

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  3. Aniss

    September 16, 2019 at 10:44 am

    Aren't then the green beans still uncooked after 20 seconds boiling? I usually boil them for 20-30mins to cook it and still feel a bit uncooked. 20 seconds really? 😕

    Reply
    • Coley

      September 17, 2019 at 9:05 am

      Well, sort of. This lightly blanches the green beans so it removes their rawness but still keeps a crunchy, crisp texture. That is my personal preference, but feel free to cook the beans as long as you like!

      Reply
  4. Philip

    May 05, 2022 at 6:34 am

    Made this for my wife's lunch at work (with some ciabatta croutons). She loved it, very healthy and very easy to make. Cheers.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Coley

      May 09, 2022 at 11:28 am

      SO glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

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I'm Nicole Gaffney, but my friends all call me Coley. You should, too! I'm a chef and recipe developer specializing in seasonal, coastal Italian cooking. Here you'll find hundreds of time-tested, easy-to-follow recipes to help you become more confident in the kitchen!

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Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer. Learn More about Coley…

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