This salad is inspired by one at Frankie’s Spuntino, a favorite neighborhood restaurant with an entirely delicious menu. I did my best to mimic all of the most notable flavor elements — the mint, fennel, and celery leaves make the dish. I knowingly changed a few things, adding cabbage to bulk it up a bit and using gigante beans, which are a favorite in our house. The dressing was a total guess. Frankie’s is creamy and tangy, and while I don’t think they used feta, it was an easy sub. We gobbled this up for a healthy dinner, but I highly recommend making extra, as I regrettably did not and am wishing I had more for lunch.
For the Salad*:
- 2 cups shredded napa cabbage
- 1 ½ cups loosely packed parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1 ½ cups finely sliced fennel (I used a mandolin on the thinnest setting)
- ½ a small red onion, in thinly sliced crescents
- ¾ cup celery leaves, coarsely chopped
- 10-20 mint leaves
- ½ cup gigante (butter) beans (or other white bean), rinsed
- 4-6 ounces good quality Italian tuna, packed in olive oil
*All ingredients are approximate! It’s a salad – do whatever feels right.
For the Dressing:
- Juice of one lemon
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ ounces feta cheese
Divide the salad ingredients in layers between two large bowls, starting with the cabbage and finishing with the tuna. Combine the dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor. Dress the salad to preference, and enjoy!