Ready for the warm season? Let’s start with friselle with smoked salmon, yellow and red cherry tomatoes, red onion, Taggiasca olives and Greek feta! An appetizer, an aperitif or a main to serve cold and without cooking, perfect for summer!
I’ll explain how to dress the friselle to make them even more delicious, fragrant and stunning. Your guests or family will be won over at first sight! The colors of the yellow and red cherry tomatoes, the crunch of the red onion, the Taggiasca olives that pair beautifully with Greek feta, the flavor of smoked salmon and the scent of fresh basil! Still here? What are you waiting for? Hurry to prepare the friselle following my recipe!
In summer we spend less time at the stove and this no-cook recipe is perfect to bring to the table a dish full of flavor, aromas and colors! Friselle are like a large tarallo shaped like a doughnut. Typical of Calabrian, Campanian, Apulian, Lucanian and Molisan cuisine, they are one of the most renowned preparations of Italian tradition worldwide! They are made with durum wheat flour, have that shape that makes them immediately recognizable and are baked in the oven. They are the perfect base to invent new combinations each time!
How to soften friselle?
With a crunch that wins you over at the first bite, friselle should be softened in cold water, from the porous side, for 10-15 seconds maximum. This will make them soft on the surface again while keeping the typical crisp base of the frisella. The friselle I use for today’s recipe I bought at the bakery; they are now easily found year-round even at the supermarket.
For summer I propose many easy and quick salad recipes to prepare. Below you find my favorite recipes: from the chickpea salad, a light summer dish — super tasty and aromatic — then the green beans salad with tuna and eggs and, finally, the potato salad with tuna and hard-boiled eggs. In short, there’s something for every taste. Every link is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read.
I remind you that I wait for you every morning in the Facebook group and fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day! An unmissable appointment to start the day with a sweet or savory treat!
Let’s now move on to today’s recipe: friselle with smoked salmon, yellow and red cherry tomatoes, feta, Taggiasca olives and red onion!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer, Spring, Summer
- Energy 338.43 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 49.60 (g) of which sugars 42.53 (g)
- Proteins 16.58 (g)
- Fat 7.73 (g) of which saturated 2.74 (g)of which unsaturated 2.13 (g)
- Fibers 2.16 (g)
- Sodium 792.10 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 140 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 to prepare friselle with smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes and red onion
- 6 friselle
- 3.5 oz smoked salmon
- 6 yellow cherry tomatoes
- 6 red cherry tomatoes
- 0.7 oz Taggiasca olives
- 2.1 oz feta
- Half red onion
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
- A few leaf basil
- as needed extra virgin olive oil
- as needed oregano
- as needed water (to soak the friselle)
Tools to prepare friselle dressed with smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, red onion and Taggiasca olives
- 1 Mandoline
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Plate
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Scissors
Craving a fresh and quick dish typical of Salento and beyond? Try these friselle with salmon and vegetables, they make a striking and tasty idea for an aperitif, an appetizer or a main to enjoy by the sea!
Recipe steps for friselle with smoked salmon, red onion and cherry tomatoes
I start the preparation by placing all the ingredients needed to dress the friselle on the work surface. I take the cutting board, the knife, the small bowl and the spoon where I’ll add the ingredients as I cut them.
The first protagonist will be the red onion, which I will cut in half — I’ll actually use only half. I remove the skin and, with the mandoline, slice it into thin rings. I set the slicer to the first notch to have very thin slices. I then pour them into the small bowl.
Now it’s time for the yellow and red cherry tomatoes. After washing and patting them dry, I cut each tomato into four wedges with the knife. I also add them to the small bowl. I then dice the Greek feta and add it with the other ingredients into the small bowl. I then add the Taggiasca olives and the basil leaves.
I sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a little oregano and dress everything with some extra virgin olive oil. With the spoon I mix all these ingredients well so they can season each other. I then set it aside.
Now it’s time for the friselle. I take a small bowl and pour room-temperature water into it. I will wet the friselle only from the porous side, keeping them immersed for 10 to 15 seconds. This will make the friselle soft inside while remaining super crunchy outside. I then place them on a plate or on a cutting board.
With the spoon I arrange the mixture I previously prepared over the friselle. Try to distribute everything while also showcasing the colors of the ingredients we dressed like a salad. Finally, add the smoked salmon which I previously cut into strips with scissors.
Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and place a few fresh basil leaves here and there. The friselle dressed with smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, Taggiasca olives, feta and red onion are ready to be served! We didn’t turn on the stove or the oven and we didn’t dirty any appliance — I’d say a clever and tasty recipe!
All that’s left is for me to wish you a good meal and remind you that I wait for you every day here on my blog with many easy, quick and delicious recipes like this one!!!
Tips, storage and variations of the recipe:
Tips for preparing friselle with salmon and vegetables: to obtain visually appealing and tasty friselle, I suggest to dress well the ingredients you will use. An extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil won’t hurt and will make the dressing richer. Remember to wet the friselle well with water only from the inner side, that is the porous side, to avoid them falling apart or becoming excessively soft. The water should be at room temperature and the frisella should float in the small bowl without touching the bottom.
Storage of dressed friselle: if you have leftover dressed friselle, place them on a plate and cover with plastic wrap. You can store them in the refrigerator for one or two days. Unfortunately they will become slightly soggy, but at least they won’t go to waste.
Recipe variations: if you don’t like one or more of the ingredients I used, you can replace them with those you prefer. You can replace smoked salmon with tuna if you have it in the pantry. You can use datterini cherry tomatoes or dice a beefsteak (cuore di bue) tomato, always dressing with extra virgin olive oil and oregano. Tomatoes, in my opinion, always go well with oregano — a perfect pair. You can use mozzarella if you don’t have feta, or a not-too-aged caciottina. A baked ricotta, therefore more compact, could also work. If you don’t like the raw flavor of red onion, omit it. Better not to add ingredients you don’t like so you don’t waste even a crumb of frisella!
