A two-bean & tuna salad, beach reads and the joy of no jackets
Extra Nibbles - June
Welcome back to ‘Extra Nibbles’ - the second-Sunday-of-the-month newsletter where I share reflections, recommendations, travel notes, fridge raids - whatever’s been grazing my mind and tastebuds that month. Plus a recipe that feels fitting for the moment.
June Jottings
The joy of going out without a jacket
People who know me will be thinking, “Wow, it MUST be hot if Han isn’t wearing a jacket”. And they’d be right. But I’d just rather not risk being cold. I’m bad company when I’m cold. So I’ll always take a layer or two, mostly to save other people the misery(!).
But now! 28+ degrees in London! We can finally go out for dinner without the usual hassle of carrying things just in case ! We’re even talking sleeveless. The air is soft, the sun lingers and these warm evenings and al fresco dinners feel like a reward - earned through months of thermal vests and woolly socks.
(Also why does summer in London feel like every day is a holiday?)
Wedding season
The first of my friends are getting married this year! And in the bride-to-be’s words,“what a funny feeling”. Funny in the sense that we both still feel like teenagers. Sure, we’re paying bills, buying toilet cleaner and doing tax returns (gross!). But when does that “adult” feeling actually arrive?
I’m beaming with excitement for them - truly! But alongside the joy is a quiet voice wondering “Am I behind?”, “Should I be somewhere else by now?”. But then I remember, I’m 27. Calm down Han. We all have different timelines. And so I’m showing up solo, with an abundance of love, dance moves and an outfit that (excitingly!) fits the dress code “dress to impress to feel your best”.
Beach reads
When it comes to reading, I usually crave one of two things:
Either something warm, fuzzy, a gentle tug at the heart. Or, once I’ve absorbed all of that softness, I then crave the other extreme: something dark, twisty, a real page-turner of a psychological thriller.
One I’ve loved recently falls into the former - The Unhoneymooners, by Christina Lauren. Will it leave you thinking deeply and dramatically change your life? No. Will it make you feel light, comforted, and offer just the right dose of escapism?Absolutely. The perfect beach read, I’d say.
Onto this book next.
Things I’m not really cooking
(But eating in abundance)
Pan con tomate, tinned sardines, salsa verde. Perfect. A Julius Roberts inspired dish.
Also great for right now:
Macerated strawberries, perfect for tumbling onto thick greek yogurt
The salad, right below
Tuna, white bean, celery & green bean salad
with a herby caper & mustard dressing
A “hardly-a-recipe” sort of recipe, that’s only as good as the quality of ingredients you put into it.
Proper good tuna takes me back to a holiday staying with friends in Bédar, southern Spain. One dossy afternoon, peckish for a snack, they invited us into their Spanish-fuelled fridge. Sat there in the middle was this giant tin of tuna, bathing in golden olive oil - literally, like this. My eyes lit up! Something bonkers like 4 euros for the lot. The kind you can smugly eat straight from the tin with a fork.
That, paired with a jar of beans, some tomatoes or red onion, and that’s a perfect lunch you’ll probably find on most Spanish menus, with little else needed for it to taste good.
We may not have Spain’s produce (or prices!), but you’re local deli or supermarket comes close. So dust off that posh tin of tuna and jar of beans that have been patiently waiting for this exact moment. Let the ingredients sing!
Feeds 2 | Takes 10 mins
Ingredients
For the salad
100g fine green beans
200g good quality tuna in olive oil - this is great, as is anything from this brand
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
280g jarred white beans, drained & rinsed (about 1/2 of a jar like this)
1 medium celery stick, thinly sliced on an angle
For the dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
A splash of the oil from the tuna
2 tsp capers
A handful of fresh parsley (about 10g), finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Method
Start by soaking the sliced red onion in a bowl of ice-cold water - this softens the sharpness. Leave to soak for about 5 minutes, then drain and set aside on a clean towel or paper towel.
Bring a small pan of salted water to the boil. Drop in the green beans and cook for 3 minutes until just tender but still bright. Drain and plunge into a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, drain and slice any longer beans in half.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and a splash of the oil from the tuna until well combined. Stir through the lemon zest, capers and parsley. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
In a mixing bowl, combine the green beans, white beans, onion and celery. Pour over the dressing and toss until everything is well coated. Flake in the tuna, keeping the chunks fairly big, and fold it through the rest of the salad. Season with plenty of cracked black pepper and salt to taste.
Serve straight away, or cover and chill for a few hours, or even store in Tupperware for up to 2 days for lunches throughout the week. The flavours only get better overtime.
Nothing brings me more joy than seeing you making my recipes - never feel shy to share!
Han x
Brilliant read Hannah XX 💞