Tuna, White Beans, and Roasted Fennel

I have a thing for tinned fishes -- tuna, sardines, anchovies, smoked herring -- love 'em all.  However, tinned tuna from the fourth-generation Ortiz family in Spain is in a class by itself.  Ortiz's fish are all line-caught (a sustainable fishing practice) -- not netted -- hand filleted at sea, and quickly tinned in good quality extra virgin olive oil.   A bit of a splurge as far as canned tuna goes, but money decidedly well spent.  Or, substitute with the best quality canned tuna you can find.

This is a simple little salad I like to throw together using canned tuna.  Mince up a substantial amount of garlic, at least 5 to 6 cloves.  This may sound like a lot of garlic, but I let it simmer in olive oil, under very low heat, along with lots of chopped parsley, capers, and smoked paprika, until the garlic gets nice and tender and loses its sharp bite.  Then, I toss the warm dressing with the cooked beans and tuna, along with roasted fennel, and finish with a sprinkling of fresh parsley and capers. 

Definitely not your ordinary tuna salad.  The capers contribute a really nice salty, briny component.  Roasting the fennel brings out its inherent sweetness and licorice undertones.  A bit of hot paprika, for a tinge of smokiness, lots of freshly chopped parsley (adds a nice herbaceous note), and a refreshing squeeze of citrus (lemon) to tie it all together -- all and all, a kicked up version of your everyday tuna salad.

I do a similar rendition with canned sardines and linguine (in lieu of the white beans) with the same dressing.  Quite delish...for my fellow sardine lovers out there.

The "dressing" = extra-virgin olive oil, a good amount of garlic, parsley, capers, hot smoked paprika, and salt and pepper.

Tuna, White Beans, and Roasted Fennel
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large fennel bulb, green tops removed, ~1/2 inch slices 

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

5-6 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish

1 tablespoon capers, plus extra for garnish

1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika

1 cup cooked white beans (from dried or canned)

6 ounces canned tuna, drained and flaked

Squeeze of lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Toss the fennel lightly in olive oil, about 1 tablespoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast for 15 minutes, flip slices, rotate the tray, and roast another 10 to 15 minutes, until the the fennel is tender and lightly browned. 

In a small skillet or pot, add 5 tablespoons of olive oil, the minced garlic, chopped parsley, capers, smoked paprika, a pinch of salt, and few grinds of black pepper, and simmer over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is very tender (watch closely, making sure garlic does not brown).  Mash some of the capers with the back of a wooden spoon. After 4 to 5 minutes, taste the garlic, it should be tender and sweet.  Remove from the heat.

Gently toss the roasted fennel, cooked white beans, and flaked tuna together.  Top with the garlic-parsley-caper mixture.  Taste and re-season with salt and pepper.  Finish with a squeeze of lemon.  Garnish with capers and chopped parsley.