What are cocktail gherkins? Do I have to use them?

Name: French-Style Tuna White Bean Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard; 1-2 small garlic cloves, finely minced; juice from 1 lemon; 1 shallot, finely diced; 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper; 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed; 12-14 cocktail gherkins, roughly sliced (or 2 small dill pickles); 2 tablespoons capers, drained and roughly chopped; 2 (5-ounce) cans albacore or yellowfin tuna packed in water, drained; 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (~1/2 clamshell); 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon (optional); 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt, plus more to taste

Cocktail gherkins are small, crunchy pickles, usually around 2 inches long. They're firm, salty and briny. However, if you don't want to buy those, you can use regular dill pickles. They're not required to enjoy this recipe, but they do add to the salty briny flavor profile of the salad.

French-Style Tuna White Bean Salad

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French-Style Tuna White Bean Salad

Recipe by Danielle

For an elevated, protein-packed meal, try this French-Style Tuna White Bean Salad! Packed with briny capers, crunchy gherkins, fresh herbs, and a whole can of white beans, then coated in a homemade vinaigrette.

Total Time15 minutes
Yield4 servings 1x
DietDairy-Free, Gluten-Free

Ingredients

Scale

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 heaping tablespoon dijon mustard
1-2 small garlic cloves, finely minced
juice from 1 lemon
1 shallot, finely diced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
12-14 cocktail gherkins, roughly sliced (or 2 small dill pickles)
2 tablespoons capers, drained and roughly chopped
2 (5-ounce) cans albacore or yellowfin tuna packed in water, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill (~1/2 clamshell)
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon (optional)
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

Make the dressing: In the bottom of a large, non-reactive mixing bowl (such as glass), whisk together the olive oil (3 tablespoons), red wine vinegar (2 tablespoons), Dijon mustard (1 heaping tablespoon), garlic (1-2 small cloves, minced), lemon juice (from 1 lemon), shallot (1, finely diced) and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon).
Build the salad: Stir in the beans (1-15.5 ounce can, drained and rinsed), sliced cocktail gherkins (12-14), and chopped capers (2 tablespoons, drained) until the beans are well coated in the dressing.
Add tuna & herbs: Carefully fold in the drained tuna (2-5 ounce cans, drained), chopped dill (1/4 cup) and tarragon (1 tablespoon), if using. Be gentle; you want the tuna to mix evenly with the beans and be well coated in the dressing, but keep as many chunks as possible. I like to have tuna chunks of varying size to avoid a mushy salad.
Serve and store: Taste and add a little salt (1/4 teaspoon) if needed; there’s already salt in the mustard, gherkins, capers, and possibly the beans too. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days; it may start to dry out near day 3. Refresh with a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil.

Notes

Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Category: Dinner, Lunch
Method: No Heat
Cuisine: French

Nutrition

Serving Size: ~1 1/3 cups
Calories: 344
Fat: 11g
Carbohydrates: 30g
Protein: 31g

Find it online: https://projectmealplan.com/french-style-tuna-white-bean-salad/