Full of citrus, but this one’s no lemon

August 31st, 2008 · 17 Comments

An easy, fresh and tangy lunch treat. What more could you ask for?

You might remember that I went to the Sydney Organic Expo about a month ago and got some Lakelands mandarin infused olive oil. I’ve been using it on grilled fish, in salad dressings and drizzled over steamed broccoli but haven’t written any of the recipes down. Until now.

I made this salad for lunch the other day and absolutely loved it. I’m a citrus lover at the best of times, but combining the three types with fish, herbs and pasta really worked. You could also omit the canned tuna and serve with a grilled salmon fillet if you liked. That would be a very nice dinner with extra mandarin oil on the salmon.

For now though, I better stop drizzling it around willy nilly, or I’ll be taking a little trip to a certain olive grove… actually, that wouldn’t be so bad!

Happy cooking, Christie

Triple Citrus Tuna Risoni
serves 4

1 cup risoni pasta*
1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
1 tablespoon orange zest, finely grated
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup mandarin infused olive oil**
1 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 large red capsicum (bell pepper), sliced into strips
1/2 cup green olives, pitted and sliced
2 x 180g cans tuna in olive oil, drained

1. Cook the risoni in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold tap water.

2. Place the risoni in a large bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well to combine. Season well with sea salt and cracked pepper. Divide into serving bowls and garnish with extra zest and parsley.

*Rice shaped pasta, also called orzo.
**You can substitute regular olive oil mixed with finely grated mandarin zest.

LOVE SALADS? You might like to try one of these:
Poached salmon salad with creamy pesto dressing
Feta and preserved lemon salad

Tags: Fish · Pasta · Products · Recipes · Reviews · Salad

17 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Peter G // Aug 31, 2008 at 10:36 pm

    Love the triple citrus hit in this Christie! just divine…

  • 2 noble pig // Sep 1, 2008 at 1:59 am

    Oh how yummy this looks, I don’t think I’ve had risoni before.

  • 3 Tarah // Sep 1, 2008 at 7:06 am

    Oh wow! This looks and sound fantastic!!

  • 4 Mallika // Sep 1, 2008 at 7:26 am

    I do love salads. This sounds terrific.

  • 5 Ju'eta Amir // Sep 1, 2008 at 8:46 am

    I can almost smell it through the screen. Looks great!

  • 6 Dee // Sep 1, 2008 at 9:32 pm

    I’m not big on salad, but I’m nicking the preserved lemon and feta recipe :)

  • 7 diva // Sep 2, 2008 at 1:00 am

    oh this looks good…love salads like these

  • 8 Dragon // Sep 2, 2008 at 11:16 am

    This salad has my name all over it. I adore all these flavours and can’t wait to make it for myself!

  • 9 Christie // Sep 2, 2008 at 12:22 pm

    Thanks everyone! Hope you make this, it’s so yummy and refreshing :)

  • 10 Sophie // Sep 3, 2008 at 8:29 am

    I would love to try tuna like this! It looks so fresh, and fish always leaves me feeling healthy after I eat it! And it looks pretty too, what a winner!

  • 11 Jude // Sep 3, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    Such a nice capture. I’ve never had risoni either.

  • 12 Christie // Sep 3, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    Sophie and Jude - Thanks so much! I’m quite proud of that photo. Glad you like it!

  • 13 michelle // Sep 4, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    Oh God, this looks way better than the tuna lunch I just had!!!

  • 14 tangobaby // Sep 6, 2008 at 9:29 am

    The mandarin flavored oil sounds like the best part! What a great recipe.

  • 15 Johannah // Sep 7, 2008 at 7:43 am

    I just made this, Christie.
    I didn’t have the mandarin oil, or any mandarins, for that matter. But I used navel oranges and it was very refreshing and tasty.
    Thanks, Johannah

  • 16 Christie // Sep 7, 2008 at 9:14 am

    Michelle - Thanks!

    Tangobaby - Good to see you’re back. The mandarin oil is really nice.

    Johannah - I’m so glad you enjoyed it. The mandarin oil isn’t essential, as you’ve found out.

  • 17 andy // Oct 25, 2008 at 12:50 am

    Great salad, especially a citrus one

Leave a Comment