Les Poissonchats

Dinner lately, provided it’s on one of those rather sparse proper summer evenings, consists of a range of salads and boiled eggs, goats cheese and charcuterie. If we’re having a really hot summer evening, we make it rosé, somehow rosé tastes better in the heat. Otherwise it’s a sturdy aged chardonnay one of the vintners in the area makes. Warming yellow.

My favourites this moment are a couscous and greens salad, and tuna salad. I’ve written up the how to further below.

Otherwise days are busy and happy, the new guest room is done (omg omg omg) and I’ve scheduled a photoshoot for next week, so you’ll eventually see it. We’re really pleased and also a little proud of how it came out. In the past weeks we had friends coming over on weekends, and lately we’ve begun to squeeze in one or the other weekday highlight such as going out to our Italian favourite or even better, courtyard soirées at mother’s place.

What you’ll need

Serves 3-4 as a side

For the tuna salad

• A tin of tuna in olive oil, make sure to get a high quality and sustainable fishing label
• One fresh onion
• 1dl fresh cream
• Wild garlic capers
• Citrons confits
• 2-3 stems of fennel foliage
• Ground white pepper and, if needed fleur de sel

For the couscous

• A glass of whole wheat couscous
• Some sea salt and olive oil for cooking
• 20g of butter
• A handful of peas
• Half a fennel and 2-3 stems of fennel foliage
• A lemon

How to make it

Start on the couscous. In a pan, bring two glasses of water to boil with a little sea salt and two table spoons of olive oil. When the water cooks, take off the heat and pour in the couscous, don’t stir. Add the butter on top, cover with a lid and let sit for 15 minutes. In the mean time shell the peas and chop the fennel foliage. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze. Cut the peel of one half of the lemon into tiny cubes. When the couscous is done, gently shake up with the help of a fork, then mix with the lemon cubes, the peas and the fennel, add the lemon juice and let cool until ready for dinner.

For the tuna salad, open the can and transfer with the olive oil to a bowl. Mash a bit with a fork. Chop the onion into cubes and add with a handful of wild garlic capers and chopped citron confit. Add some chopped fennel foliage and the cream and gently stir under. Season with salt and pepper, as needed.

How to eat it

These are perfect summer salads, also very easy to make in advance when you expect guests. Add some nice goats cheese (the recipe for the cured goats cheese in the picture is in my cookbook!) and charcuterie, and my all time favourite: boiled eggs! Either garden, balcony, or even better, make it a picknick. Provided it doesn’t rain.