Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel, a delightful salad perfect for a light yet nutritious meal. A fresh mix of flavors and textures from the Romano beans to the soft billowy potatoes. Furthermore some punch of flavor coming from mackerel canned in olive oil. This dish is a taste bud tantalizer from start to finish!
Song of the day: "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and The Waves
[This post is sponsored by Ontario Bean Growers. All ideas are our own.]
Fall is not always about slow cooked comfort foods
When fall is in the air we tend to steer towards those stews, soups and hearty dishes. The ones that comfort us. However, it is nice to have something fresh yet soulful in between and today I have just the thing, this Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel!
Why you would want to make Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel
If I wanted to sell you a reason for wanting to make this salad, I would start off by saying it is absolutely mouthwatering. Many textures and flavors playing together in balance and harmony. Here are some other reasons why you would want to make this dish:
- It is a super easy recipe, great for lunch or light dinner.
- Takes no time at all with very few cooking involved.
- Budget friendly.
- Lastly, it is so healthy for you.
Ingredients and substitutions
You have to love a recipe that is simple and has few ingredients, however does not sacrifice depth of flavor. Let's look at what you need to make this salad, and possibly some substitutions:
- Romano beans. You can use Cannellini (white beans) or red kidney beans.
- Potatoes. A good boiling potato, leave skin on if you like.
- Olive oil packed Mackerel. You could use canned tuna, sardines, smoked trout, or salmon.
- Fennel. For chrunch and freshness. Replace with celery if you prefer.
- Purple onion. Green onion or sweet white onion work fine.
- Extra virgin olive oil. For us it is irreplaceable. You could use avocado oil.
- Fresh parsley.
- Salt and pepper.
How to make Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel
The only cooking involved in this recipe is boiling the potatoes. That's it! I love having this salad with the potatoes slightly warm, however it is equally delicious when the potatoes are at room temperature. I used yellow and white potatoes. Just using what was in the fridge. You can do the same just use a potato that is a good boiling one. Now, it is time to make this Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel.
This is how it is done:
- Firstly, peel and wash the potatoes. Place in a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook potatoes until fork tender.
- Secondly, while the potatoes are cooking, you can rinse off the canned Romano beans with cold water, and place them in a bowl. Also wash and slice the fennel, cut up some purple onion, and chop the fresh parsley.
- Thirdly, drain the potatoes, let cool slightly and chop into rounds.
It is all about layering
To truly balance the textures and flavors, you need to layer the ingredients in stages. Let's take a look how it is done:
- We put down a layer of potato, then some beans, fennel, purple onion, and the mackerel. Splash a bit of evo oil, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Next add the rest of the potato, Romano beans, fennel, purple onion, and mackerel. Drizzle a bit more evo oil. Season again with some salt and pepper, and finish with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.
Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel, truly a thing of beauty
Take a look at this wonderful salad. It has color, aroma, and plenty of texture. My mouth always waters when I see this dish. Time to have a little taste!
There is a symphony going on in my mouth. I feel the starchiness of the beans along side those luscious potatoes. This pairs so well with the onion and fennel, all bathed in some good extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. The mackerel is moist, tasty, and bold and plays so lovingly with everything that is in this dish. I am loving this!
Always a pleasure
One of the things we enjoy most is cooking with people. It always brings great joy and fulfillment to see the smiles and gestures of gratitude. Thank you for joining us in our kitchen. Until the next time, happy cooking!
Take a look at some other delicious bean recipes on Ontario bean growers.
Buon appetito!
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Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel
Romano bean salad with canned mackerel, potatoes, and fennel, a delightful fresh mix of flavors and textures from the Romano beans, to the soft billowy potatoes. Furthermore, some punch of flavor coming from mackerel canned in olive oil. This dish is a taste bud tantalizer from start to finish!
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 2-3 people 1x
Ingredients
- 1 x 398 ml can of Romano beans
- 1 x 125 g can of olive oil packed Mackerel (or tuna, salmon, sardines, or smoked trout)
- 400 g yellow potatoes, peeled and washed
- 25 g red onion, sliced
- 70 g fennel, washed and sliced in half rounds
- 3 Tbsp evo oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Fill a medium pot with water and place potatoes in. Bring to a boil and cook for roughly 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and let cool a bit.
- While potatoes are cooking, pour beans out of the can into a colander and rinse with cold water. Let drain.
- Cut potato into ¼ inch thick rounds.
- On an oval serving dish, place a sparse layer of potatoes, sprinkle with some of the red onion, Romano beans, and fennel. Put some of the mackerel on top, drizzle some of the olive oil over it all, and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Place a second layer of the potatoes, onions, fennel, and mackerel over the first layer. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil, and season lightly again with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley.
- Ready to serve. Enjoy!
Notes
You could use cannellini beans for this recipe.
Olive oil Italian canned tuna works well too.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: Romano beans, fennel, purple onion, canned mackerel, healthy eats, easy recipe, Mediterranean food, salad, lunch
When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.
Gloria says
What a hearty and healthy salad. Canned fish is such a great option for protein in a meal. This is perfect for an easy dinner any night of the week.
★★★★★
Thank you! It is, and to make it different, we just change the type of canned fish. So delicious!
Elaine says
I can't wait to make this! I love mackerel, and not only does it look delicious but it also looks super easy to make.
★★★★★
Thanks! Yes, super easy, tasty, and healthy for you.
silvia says
I found this salad easy to make and delicious. I usually don't think about adding beans to salads but I had a can of cannellini beans in my pantry and I said "why not?" I truly enjoyed it.
★★★★★
Thank you for making this salad. Glad you enjoyed it. Beans are such a tasty and nutritious addition.
Hi Silvia, yes beans are a very popular ingredient in Italian cuisine especially in salads like this. It adds such comfort and sustenance to a very healthy and pleasurable meal!
Thank you for trying this recipe, we really appreciate it!
Kathryn says
This salad was so refreshing, satisfying and so easy to put together. Love the extra protein from the beans too.
★★★★★
Happy to hear! Thanks so much for trying!
Marta says
There are so many amazing flavors and textures in this romano bean salad that I couldn't get enough of it. I've been eating it all week for lunch and I think I'm going to make it again next week, LOL!
★★★★★
Lol Marta, making us smile ear to ear. Such a delight to hear how much you love this salad. Lots to love in it. We too crave it all the time. Thank you so much for trying it and loving it so much!
Greatly appreciated!
Sean says
I haven't had mackerel but this salad looks delicious. Will canned tuna work well for this recipe?
Yes, it's stated in the notes, the ingredient list, and the writing in the post. Canned tuna, salmon, smoked trout, even sardines, would work.
Claire says
What a wonderful salad! I so appreciate the inclusion of fish as a protein as I like to have salads like this for lunch and always appreciate something protein-rich to help get me through the day. Can't wait to make this again!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Claire. We love olive oil packed fish in our salads. It is healthy, texturally pleasing and so so tasty. So happy you enjoyed this salad and want to have it again!
Cheers!
Veronika says
Fennel is a vegetable I don't cook with as often as I'd like. It was so good in this salad in combination with the mackerel! Such simple flavors but so good.
★★★★★
Hi Veronika, I love fennel, also grew up with it. My dad would slice it and toss it with some good Evo oil, salt and pepper. Always makes me hungry thinking of it. So happy you tried it and maybe fennel may become an ingredient you like to cook with!
Thanks for trying it!
Jenny says
This is a substantial, delicious salad. I used tuna in olive oil because I could not find mackerel but the rest of the ingredients were all in. It was terrific. Hearty enough for dinner with some good bread. Even the kids loved it and that never happens with my salads!
★★★★★
Hi jenny, great alternative to the mackerel. Olive oil packed Tuna is delicious and works so well with the flavors of this salad. So happy you tried it and gave it a twist.
Thank you!