Tuna and orange salad with croutons

Summer (what summer? I hear you ask) is a perfect time for eating salads. And this is the right time to experiment with the ingredients, changing a few bits here, adding a few new touches there, or even just sticking to the good old classics, if you don't fancy any changes. Tuna salads are very popular, but could get a bit boring. How about jazzing it up a bit? Here is a delicious summery twist on the standard tuna salad with beans - Tuna and orange salad with croutons.

Tuna and orange salad with croutons (serves 2-3)
Ingredients:
185g tin of tuna chunks in spring water, drained
1 orange, skinned and sliced
400g tin of mixed bean salad in water, drained and rinsed
a handful of pea shoots
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
2tbsp Amoy Special Selection soy sauce
1tsp Greek honey
2tbsp olive oil
a handful of Fresh Gourmet sea salt & cracked black pepper croutons

Salad before the croutons are added

Drain the water from both tins (and rinse the beans). In a bowl mix the beans with tuna chunks, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, soy sauce and Greek honey.
Take a deep salad dish and arrange first the pea shoots and orange slices, then the tuna/beans mix. Add the olives. This could be made a couple of hours before serving (keep in the fridge covered with the plastic wrap).
Just before serving add a handful of croutons.

These days I have been testing a selection of Fresh Gourmet croutons (see my post Mango and mozzarella salad). I thought Sea Salt & Cracked Black Pepper Croutons would work well with the tuna salad, and indeed, they added a lovely crunch and flavour.
I love croutons and would happily munch on them through the day. This is a classic flavour that would be perfect for salads and soups. I can imagine a freshly made pea and mint soup with a swirl of soured cream would be great with a scattering of these croutons.

This colourful salad is tasty and full of different textures. Try it!

You can find more about Fresh Gourmet toppings, if you visit Fresh Gourmet UK page.

Mango and mozzarella salad

Last week I bought a box of wonderfully ripe mangoes from Pakistan at the local market. The aroma was amazing, sweet and luscious. I often add the sliced mango to the fruit salad or make a smoothie, but was wondering if I could pair it with the mozzarella, to copy the Insalata Caprese, using the mango instead of the tomatoes. And here is my Mango and mozzarella salad. It is definitely not an Italian recipe, more of a twist on a classic. You can ask, why change the classic recipe which works well? I love the Insalata Caprese, but was surprised how nicely mozzarella and mango go together, and very glad that I tried this combination.

Mango and mozzarella salad
Ingredients:
1 ripe mango
1 mozzarella (125g light mozzarella)
a handful of basil leaves and pea shoots
2tbsp olive oil
a good squeeze of lemon juice
sea salt
Fresh Gourmet basil pesto ciabatta croutons

Slice the mango. Drain the mozzarella and slice it as well. Arrange on a plate, interchanging slices of mango and mozzarella.
Prepare the dressing by whizzing a handful of basil leaves, pea shoots with the olive oil and lemon juice, season well with salt.

Sprinkle the dressing on top of the salad, add the pesto-flavoured ciabatta croutons.

Fresh Gourmet basil pesto ciabatta croutons are made from artisan bread. They were very moreish, after I added them to the salad, I kept eating the croutons straight from the bag. They are deliciously salty and crunchy, the pesto works very well with the ciabatta, combining these two Italian flavours beautifully.
If like me, you enjoy your salads with crunchy bits, I would recommend trying these flavourful croutons.

The number one brand of croutons and toppings in the USA has now launched in the UK, offering busy cooks the crunch, flavour and texture that transforms everyday dishes into memorable meals in minutes.

"Fresh Gourmet is the biggest provider of salad toppings, especially croutons, in the US and have brought their delicious products exclusively to UK Tesco stores to inspire us Brits to become more creative with our salads. The range includes three crunchy crouton flavours – Cheese and Garlic, Basil Pesto and Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper – along with Crispy Onions and is ideal for people who like a salad in the summer but need that added texture to jazz up the dish".

Disclosure: I received a selection of Fresh Gourmet croutons for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are mine.