Italian Rice Salad (Insalata di Riso)

Ingredients

• 300 g basmati rice
• 2 × 150 g cans tuna in olive oil (226 g drained)
• 250 g mozzarella (ciliegine halved, or 1 ball diced)
• 120 g jarred artichoke hearts (about 5), drained and quartered
• 100 g fresh bell pepper (about 1 small), diced
• 80 g small pickled gherkins (cetriolini), drained and sliced
• 60 g cocktail onions (tiny pickled onions), drained, halved if large
• 80 g pitted black olives (Gaeta or Taggiasche if you can find them), halved
• 1 tbsp capers (about 10 g), rinsed
• 1 × 180 g can sweet corn (about 140 g drained)
• 250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 50 g red onion (about 1/2), thinly sliced (or 2 spring onions)
• A few fresh basil leaves
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (about 55 g)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 25 g)
• Salt and black pepper

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Instructions

1. Cook and cool the rice

1. Rinse the basmati until the water runs (mostly) clear, then bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook it following the package timing, minus 1 minute — you want it al dente.
2. Drain, rinse briefly under cold water to stop the cooking, then spread it on a tray to cool.
3. While it is still slightly warm, toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil so the grains stay separate and don’t stick.

2. Prep the rest

1. Drain the tuna, corn, artichokes, gherkins, cocktail onions, and capers — excess liquid will water the salad down.
2. Quarter the artichoke hearts, slice the gherkins, halve the cocktail onions if large, and dice the bell pepper.
3. Halve the cherry tomatoes, halve the olives, and slice the red onion.
4. Halve the ciliegine (or dice a whole mozzarella ball).

3. Combine

1. In a large bowl, combine the cooled rice, tuna, artichokes, bell pepper, gherkins, cocktail onions, olives, capers, corn, tomatoes, red onion, and torn basil leaves.
2. Add the remaining 3 tbsp olive oil and the lemon juice.
3. Season with salt and pepper — go easy on the salt: capers, olives, and pickles are already salty.
4. Toss gently so the rice doesn’t break up and the tuna doesn’t turn to mush.

4. Rest and serve

1. Let the salad rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so the flavors meld.
2. Taste before serving — cold rice absorbs dressing, so it may need an extra drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon.
3. Serve cold or at room temperature, with a few extra basil leaves on top.

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Tips

• Long-grain rice is the point. Basmati (rinsed before cooking) or parboiled stays firm and separate when cold. Arborio or carnaroli will go sticky and dense — save those for risotto.
• Cool the rice fast. Spread it out on a tray rather than leaving it in the pot, or it keeps cooking and clumps.
• Drain everything thoroughly. Wet tuna, weeping tomatoes, and brine-drenched pickles are the difference between a salad and a soup.
• Dress it twice. Once when combining, once just before serving — cold rice drinks up the dressing while it rests.
• Great picnic food. It keeps well in the fridge for a day; add the tomatoes and mozzarella shortly before serving if you’re making it ahead.

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Variations

Variation	Change	Notes
With eggs	Add 2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered	Classic picnic version, heartier
Vegetarian	Skip tuna, double the mozzarella, add 1/2 can white beans	Still a complete meal
Pesto dressing	Replace lemon and part of the oil with 2 tbsp pesto	Ligurian twist
With giardiniera	Use 150 g giardiniera, drained and diced, instead of the pickles and bell pepper	The classic version

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Result

A cool, summery main-course salad: firm grains of basmati rice tossed with tuna, creamy mozzarella, artichoke hearts, crunchy pickles and bell pepper, capers, black olives, and sweet corn — brightened with lemon and basil. The classic Italian summer lunch, made for eating outdoors.