Rice salad is a cold dish based on rice, generally served as an appetizer or side dish. It is a fresh and light option perfect for summer, but can be enjoyed in any season of the year.
To prepare rice salad, start by cooking rice in salted boiling water. Once cooked, the rice is drained and cooled. Subsequently, other ingredients are added such as fresh diced vegetables (like tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, corn, carrots, onions), tuna, hard-boiled eggs, olives, and cheese. Ingredients can vary depending on the recipe or personal preference.
Once all the ingredients are added, the rice salad is dressed with a sauce made of mayonnaise, mustard, olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. The sauce is gently mixed with the ingredients until the rice and vegetables are well seasoned.
The rice salad can be served immediately or refrigerated until serving time. It is a very versatile dish, as it can be customized with ingredients of choice and is suitable for being taken to the beach, on picnics, or on a trip.
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Menu ideas
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: servings for 4 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
ingredients to make rice salad
- 300 g rice (carnaroli or roma)
- 200 tuna in oil (drained)
- zucchini (one medium zucchini)
- 80 g red peppers
- 80 g yellow peppers
- white onion (1 small onion)
- tomatoes (4 or 5 firm tomatoes)
- 80 g black olives (pitted)
- fine salt (to taste)
- 50 g mayonnaise (if desired)
- 1 lemon (unwaxed)
- extra virgin olive oil
- carrots (2)
My recipe is dietary because among the ingredients I add only one protein, which is tuna to make the dish complete and nutritionally right and balanced.
We can use whole grain rice instead of refined one.
Tools to make the light rice salad
- Mandoline for vegetables (optional)
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Pot
- Colander
- Ladle
How to cook the light rice salad perfectly
Rinse the rice under cold running water. Bring three quarts of water to a boil, add about 2 tablespoons of coarse salt, bring it back to a boil and add the well-drained rice. Cook it over high heat, drain it al dente and cool it under cold water to remove the starch.
Let the rice drain in the colander for at least 10 minutes, stirring it occasionally. You can spread it on a towel to dry it better.
In the meantime, prepare the dressing: wash the peppers, remove the stalk, seeds, and inner filaments, cut them first into strips and then into cubes. We can use a very convenient and versatile vegetable slicer.
Also cut the zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and carrot.
Place a pot full of salted water on the fire and once it has reached a boil, add the chopped vegetables and boil for two to three minutes over high heat.
Drain the tuna well in a fine mesh colander
Let everything cool and pour all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well.
Complete the light rice salad with the addition of lemon juice, oil, and salt.
Mix again and let rest for an hour before serving. Add mayonnaise if desired. It keeps in the fridge in an airtight container for three to four days.
ENJOY YOUR MEAL!
COOKING TIMES AND SERVINGS
SERVINGS:
About 70-100 grams per person, servings may vary depending on ingredients.
COOKING:
12-13 minutes for common rice; 13-15 minutes for semifino; 16 minutes for fino; 18-20 minutes for superfino.
30-45 minutes for whole grain.
how to store the light rice salad
Tips
We can prepare more vegetable dressing than the indicated doses to be able to store it in a jar in the refrigerator. We can add the prepared mixture on bruschetta first passed with garlic or as an appetizer or also to dress pasta salads.
We can prepare more vegetable dressing than the indicated doses to be able to store it in a jar in the refrigerator. We can add the prepared mixture on bruschetta first passed with garlic or as an appetizer or also to dress pasta salads.
Whole grain rice pros and cons
WHOLE GRAIN RICE ALL THE PROS AND CONS
Compared to refined rice, whole grain rice is richer in nutrients such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, and proteins. The presence of unsaturated fats, however, reduces its shelf life. Therefore, always check the production date and preferably consume it within three months. In summer, it should be kept in the fridge. The cooking times for whole grain rice are longer: about half an hour to three-quarters of an hour, which we can reduce with pressure cooking.
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