Rice salad with tuna is a simple, quick, and tasty main dish, ideal for preparing a light everyday lunch. It is essentially a variant of the cold pasta with tuna, corn, and zucchini, an equally summery, fresh, and flavorful main dish.
For today’s recipe, I used Basmati rice, a type of rice that I love to use for preparing rice salads. Cooked in a pressure cooker, it is very quick to prepare and retains all its nutritional properties even after cooking. I then added tuna, which is essential for these dishes in our home, especially because Francesca loves it very much.
Along with the tuna, I also added roasted peppers in an air fryer, which makes them more digestible and tasty compared to raw ones. Curious to discover how to prepare this main dish? Then read the recipe, because the rice salad with tuna, corn, and peppers will be ready in a click!
If you are interested in other summer cold main dish recipes, also read:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Pressure Cooker, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 173.44 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 14.98 (g) of which sugars 2.23 (g)
- Proteins 9.31 (g)
- Fat 8.31 (g) of which saturated 1.08 (g)of which unsaturated 0.14 (g)
- Fibers 0.86 (g)
- Sodium 1,264.72 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 131 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Basmati rice
- 1 3/4 cups water
- coarse salt (as needed)
- 1/2 cup green bull horn pepper (green)
- 5 oz canned tuna in water
- 1/2 cup sweet corn, canned, drained
- 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- salt (as needed)
Tools
- Pressure Cooker
- Air Fryer
- Cutting Board
- Knife
Steps
First, rinse the rice under running water. Repeat this process at least 5 or 6 times, until the water becomes clear. Then weigh the rice again, and the weight you obtain will be the amount of water to add to the pot for cooking.
Then place the rice in the pot, add the water and salt, and close with the lid. Place the pot on the stove and bring to maximum power. From the beginning of the whistle, cook the rice for 4 minutes. Once the cooking time is up, wait a couple of minutes and gradually release the steam.
This cooking method is the one usually used for preparing pilaf or sushi rice: by absorption. Alternatively, you can cook the rice in an electric pressure cooker, or with a high-sided saucepan.
Then open the pot and rinse the rice under cold water to cool it. Drain and transfer it to a bowl. Loosen with a fork and set aside. Now prepare the vegetables.
Drain and rinse the corn. Then wash the green bull horn peppers, remove the stem, seeds, and inner filaments. Then cut the peppers into small pieces. Drain the tuna and transfer all ingredients to the bowl with the rice.
Season with salt, add the oil, and mix. Place the rice salad in the refrigerator until serving time.
Storage and Tips for Rice Salad with Tuna
Rice salad with tuna can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days in a container with a lid
FAQ Questions and Answers for Rice Salad with Tuna
Can I use Carnaroli rice instead of Basmati rice?
Yes, of course.
What can I substitute for bull horn peppers?
You can use regular peppers, or cherry tomatoes, or other ingredients of your choice.
