Grosseto-style Fish Salad (Insalata di Pesce alla Grossetana)
When it’s too hot to cook in summer and you need a handy, fast, filling meal that you can pull together in just minutes, this salad is here to save you. It’s also a good make-ahead dish (let the flavours mingle), which is ideal for packing for picnic lunches for the beach. Traditionally made by boiling a variety of pesce azzuro (oily fish), such as anchovies, sardines and mackerel, the tinned versions of these fish are perfectly suited (or you can use your own Bonito Preserved in Oil), making this a quick and tasty meal.
Inspired by a recipe I spotted in Laura Rangoni’s Tuscan seafood cookbook La Cucina Toscana di Mare, I’ve adapted it a little to suit my tastes and make it my summer staple.
Ingredients 10
2 tsp salted capers, rinsed, finely chopped
10 ‒ 12 green olives, in brine, pitted, roughly chopped
2 fresh tomato, chopped
300 g sardine, tinned
2 lemons, juiced
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
ground black pepper
salt, if needed
4 ‒ 5 cloves garlic, chopped, muddled through the salad, optional
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Method 5
Rinse the of the salt and place in a bowl. Cover with water and let them soak for about 15 minutes. Drain, pat dry, then finely chop.
Pit the by flattening them with the side of a large knife and pulling out the pit. Chop roughly.
Combine the , and in a salad bowl. Drain the tinned and crumble into the bowl.
Toss with the , and to combine well.
Taste for seasoning and, if desired, add freshly ground black pepper (between the fish, capers and olives, you’ve got a lot of flavour going on and you may only need the tiniest pinch of salt, if any).
Emiko Davies' tips
The original recipe calls for 4–5 raw garlic cloves, chopped and muddled through the salad. It’s a bit overpowering for me. I prefer to leave them out entirely but garlic lovers might like to add them. You can use capers in brine instead of the salted ones (brined ones don’t require soaking) but I always prefer salted capers.
