Insalata Eoliana
Insalata Eoliana is a classic Aeolian island salad made of ripe tomatoes, salted capers, olives, onion, oregano, and soaked hard durum wheat rusks.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 385 kcal
Equipment
- •Large salad bowl
- •Medium saucepan
- •Colander
- •Chef's knife
- •Chopping board
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 385 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 6 g
- protein
- 8 g
- calories
- 385 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place the diced potatoes into a saucepan filled with salted cold water.
- 2
Bring to the boil and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until tender.
- 3
Drain the cooked potatoes thoroughly and cool to room temperature.
- 4
Soak the sliced onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well.
- 5
Quickly moisten the broken rusks under running cold water without drenching them.
- 6
Transfer the moistened rusks into a large mixing bowl.
- 7
Add the tomatoes, cooled potatoes, drained onion, capers, and olives.
- 8
Pour in the extra virgin olive oil and the red wine vinegar.
- 9
Scatter over the dried oregano, torn basil, and sea salt.
- 10
Toss everything gently until the bread begins soaking up the juices.
- 11
Rest the salad for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Chef's tips
Do not over-soak the rusks under running water; a brief splash is sufficient as the ripe tomato juices will soften them naturally. Always soak salt-packed capers in fresh water to leach out excess salt while preserving their distinct floral flavour.
Ingredient substitutions
- pane biscottato (hard twice-baked durum wheat rusks) → Apulian friselle or thick slices of day-old crusty durum bread toasted hard
- Salina capers (salted capers) → standard salt-packed capers, thoroughly desalted
- red onion → sweet Tropea onion or mild shallots
Storage
Keep any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 24 hours, though the bread texture softens over time.
Reheating
This salad is served cool or at room temperature and must not be reheated.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Soaking the rusks too long in water, turning them into a mushy pulp instead of a soft sponge.
- •Using unwashed salted capers, which makes the entire salad aggressively salty.
- •Serving the salad straight out of the fridge, which mutes the olive oil and oregano aromas.
Serving suggestions
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