Ensalada de Alubias Blancas

Ensalada de Alubias Blancas — White Bean Salad

Whether you call it Spanish white bean salad, tuna and bean salad, or summer bean salad, this is the version I make when I want something cold, complete, and deeply satisfying.

Spain has a way of making the simplest ingredients feel like a feast.
This white bean salad is one of those dishes — uncomplicated, balanced, and deeply satisfying. On a hot afternoon, you’ll find it in home kitchens, tapas bars, and beachside chiringuitos, served cold with bread and a glass of something crisp.

Here at Gary’s Urban Larder, I’m making a one-bowl version that’s all about ease: a velvety emulsion of cooked egg yolk, coarse Dijon mustard, and sherry vinegar, folded through creamy white beans, tuna, crisp vegetables, and a hint of celery seed. It’s fresh, savory, and ready in minutes — the kind of salad you can eat straight from the fridge or pack for a picnic.

Watch my video to follow along step-by-step.

Ensalada de Alubias Blancas — White Bean Salad

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the salad:

• 2 cups (330 g) cooked white beans (such as alubia blanca or cannellini), drained and rinsed if canned

• 1 can (5 oz / 140 g) tuna in olive oil, drained

• 1 cooked egg yolk

• 1 tbsp (15 g) coarse Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp (15 ml) sherry vinegar

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil

• 1 small red bell pepper, diced

• 1 small cucumber, diced

• 1 small plum tomato, diced

• ¼ small red onion, finely chopped

• ½ tsp (2 g) celery seed

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional: chopped parsley or tarragon for garnish

Method

1. Make the dressing — In your serving bowl, mash the cooked egg yolk until smooth. Whisk in the Dijon mustard and sherry vinegar until creamy and well blended.

2. Emulsify — Slowly whisk in the olive oil until the dressing thickens slightly. Season with celery seed, salt, and pepper.

3. Add the salad ingredients — Tip in the beans, tuna, bell pepper, cucumber, tomato, and red onion. Fold gently to coat everything in the dressing.

4. Chill — Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.

5. Serve — Scatter with fresh herbs if using. Enjoy cold, ideally with crusty bread or crackers on the side.

📌 Serving Notes

• For a lighter variation, replace the tuna with diced avocado.

• Add a few capers or sliced green olives for extra brininess.

• This travels well — perfect for lunchboxes or picnics.

The Larder Notes

This salad doesn’t try to steal the spotlight, yet it often ends up as the quiet favorite. Maybe it’s the way the beans soak up the dressing, or the way the sherry vinegar lifts everything without shouting. It’s a dish for people who notice the details — the balance, the restraint, the fact that every forkful is different.

In Spain, they’d serve this with bread, a little wine, and no rush. I suggest you do the same.

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