Ensalada Campera – Spanish Country Salad. With the continuing UK heatwave, my last few posts have been for very tasty, simple salads. Easy to make and great to eat, and today’s recipe is for another. What’s more, you can prepare this one in advance, store it in the fridge, and grab it on the way to work. I’m not really into the whole meal prep thing as I get bored quickly. However, with salads, I do cook off, marinade and quick-pickle lots of different ingredients and mix and match.
The Spanish Country Salad is a mix of cooked and fresh vegetables mixed with a vinaigrette and garnished with chopped boiled egg. It is usually served as a first course or tapas. Although I think it is substantial and tasty enough to be a great main course. The principal ingredient is potatoes, and boy, lucky me, I live on an island that produces some of the best in the world. The idea of the dish is that they soak up the delicious flavours of the vinaigrette. It is a match made in heaven.
A little bit about Ensalada Campera
As with many of the recipes I post, there are immutable variations of Ensalada Campera. The potato can be diced or sliced and cooked in their skins. These are then mixed with smaller pieces of vegetables and pickles and vinaigrette or oil and vinegar. The vegetables can include tomatoes, onions, and green and red peppers. In some parts of Spain, such as Murcia, the tomatoes and peppers are first roasted with garlic. You can also add tuna, green beans, olives or chickpeas. With chickpeas, the dish is called Ensalada campera con garbanzos.
What to drink with Ensalada Campera?
Pairing a Spanish salad dressed with a vinaigrette, I would recommend an Albariño, Rías Baixas, which has a crisp acidity and will not be overpowered by the vinegar. It will also hold up to the strong flavours of tuna, onion and salty olives. Alternatively, a lightly chilled, fruity Rosado from Navarre or Rioja will pair nicely with the tomatoes’ sweetness. If you would like a proper Spanish beer, I suggest a chilled slow-fermented Alhambra Reserva 1925 with deep malty flavours and hints of apple and orange.
If you like this recipe, why not try some of my other delicious salads like Salade Parisienne, Caprese with tomato and mozzarella or a really easy tinned Tuna and butter bean recipe you can make in minutes.
My Ensalada Campera
This is a dish is probably best served after the potatoes have been in the vinaigrette for several hours. But I recommend at least a couple for the potatoes to start to soak up the vinaigrette. You can also add the onion with the vinaigrette to take off the edge if you prefer a milder flavour. You add the remaining ingredients just before serving. To eat, some people like the dish straight from the fridge, while others choose to eat it at room temperature, allowing the flavours to develop. I must admit that on a hot summer’s day, a lightly chilled version is very palatable. Enjoy.
Ensalada Campera – Spanish Country Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 500 gr Jersey Royals washed and scrubbed, and cut into even pieces
- 2 x 120 gr quality Tuna drained and flaked
- 250 gr Cherry Tomatoes halved
- 100 gr Fine Green Beans optional
- 100 gr Olives
- 1 Sweet Red Pepper deseed and cut in small pieces
- 1 small Red Onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 free-range Eggs hard boiled, peeled and roughly chopped
- A small handful fresh Parsley washed, dried and chopped
For the dressing
- 150 ml quality Olive Oil
- 50 ml Sherry Vinegar
- Juice of a Lemon freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Caster Sugar
- Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper
Instructions
- First prepare the vinaigrette. Place the sugar and half a teaspoon of salt into a small bowl and pour in the lemon juice. Stir, then add the mustard and vinegar. Mix thoroughly then slow add the oil stirring continuously until combined.
- Place the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Cook until they drop easily from a small sharp knife. Cool quickly in iced cold water to stop the cooking and drain while still warm. Place into a bowl and toss in the vinaigrette. Cover and place in the fridge for at least two hours.
- If you are adding beans, top and tail them with a knife and cook quickly in boiling, salted water for two to three minutes before carefully draining and refreshing in ice cold water. Drain and set aside.
- To serve, remove the potatoes from the fridge and mix in the beans, olives, tuna, pepper, onion and half the parsley. Divide into bowls, top with the egg and remaining parsley and serve.
Notes
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