Full of beans and well stocked for summer

 Cold Salmon Cassoulet

Keeping the pantry well stocked was a lesson well learnt from lockdown home management.One often thinks that a shelf stocked with canned foods, dry grains and pulses is a shelf well prepared for winter.It is, but it can also be a shelf well stocked for summer.Before the marauding hordes of tourist arrive, I have just done a big supermarket run for canned beans,chickpeas,tuna, anchovies, mackerel and other canned fish of every variety and I am now happily set up for a summer of salads.
From a smoky chickpea number with bacon and feta to a simple pairing of plump cannelini  beans and tender poached salmon, these bean salads are anything but boring.
The advantages of bean salads are many—they're nutritious, economical, and easy to prepare, and they'll keep well in the refrigerator for days. The primary downside is that they're usually boring. Even the phrase "bean salad" doesn't feel particularly inspirational; you don't generally expect it to be followed up with "Yay!" or "Can't wait for that bean salad!"
But to make a bean salad that's both practical and crave-able is easier than you might think. If you can open a can, you can make these salads. And it’s easy to double or treble the recipe if you’re expecting friends to join you, or you just feel extra-hungry.
Prioritize setting up contrasts in texture and flavor, and, whatever you do, don't skimp on olive oil and /or vinaigrette! Beans readily soak up liquid, so they often require more (and more intensely flavored) dressing.Be sure to rinse the beans well before using to eliminate the can juices, which give the beans an off taste. (You should do that whenever you use canned beans.)
Ready to get going? Keep scrolling for some bean salads that you'll truly look forward to eating.

Salmon and 3 bean salad

Serves 4

4 x 175g salmon
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 teaspoon of Wynad peppercorns

FOR THE SALAD

3 cups cannelini or butter beans, drained and rinsed
250g broad beans
250g french beans or runner beans
6 samll pequillo peppers julienned
Fresh oregano , basil, parsley and thymeFOR THE DRESSING - mix together

3 vine ripened tomatoes skinned deseeded and finely chopped
3 Anchovies finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice ( approx. 2 limes)
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Place the salt, peppercorns and bay leaves in a large deep frying pan with 5 cups( 40 fl oz )
of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes then remove from the heat. add the salmon, cover and leave for 15 minutes. Remove he fish from the stock, carefully skin and break into strips or large chunks. Toss all the salad ingredients together in half the dressing. Plate up the salmon on a bed of the salad with the rest of the dressing poured over the top.
 

 

Fagioli e tonno  

(White Bean and Tuna Salad) 

Generally classified as an antipasto, this salad is a fixture on summer buffet tables. In our house, we often have it as a main course for a light supper in warm weather, a reliable stand-by when I don’t have the time or just don’t feeling like doing any real cooking.

Makes enough for 4 persons as an antipasto or 2 as a light main

1 large can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
One can of tuna in olive oil, drained
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
The juice of half a lemon
A good glug of best-quality, extra virgin olive oil (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper

Pour the beans into a colander and rinse them thoroughly. Allow the beans to drain well.
In a large bowl, mix the beans with the tuna, which you will have drained and broken up into chunks with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss well. If the mixture is a little dry, add more oil. Adjust for seasoning.The traditional recipe for fagioli e tonno, which is originally from Tuscany, calls for red onions, typical of Tuscan cooking. They are your first and most authentic choice, and they add mellow flavor and a nice bit of color to an otherwise rather monochrome dish. But the mild flavor of white onions is also quite nice. spring onions aren’t bad either. You can use regular yellow onions in a pinch. But since their taste is a bit too harsh to eat raw, soak them in abundant cold water for about 10-15 minutes to remove some of the harshness and pat dry before adding them to the mixing bowl.
Serve, if you like on a bed of tender lettuce or, as pictured here, topped with a light sprinkling of additional onion and parsley for colour.The choice of tuna is pretty crucial here. For starters, you’ll want tuna packed in olive oil. If you are feeling extravagant, there are some imported tuna of the ventresca type—fillets of tuna belly—that are wonderful if expensive. Where I live, Ortiz from Spain is a widely available and high quality brand.Other beans would make for an interesting variation, chickpeas and tuna being a fairly common one in Italy. I sometimes add chopped tomato, in season, which makes for a pleasant change.
Some other suggestions 
Warm Spanish-Style Giant-Bean Salad With Smoked Paprika and Celery
Mixed bean Salad With Red Peppers and Radishes
Chickpea Salad With Bacon, feta, and Roasted Chilies
Greek Butter Bean Salad With Tomatoes, Dill, and Oregano Recipe 
Avocado Fava bean and ricotta salad