Recipe

White Bean Salad with Tuna, Avocado and Sour Orange Dressing

Name: White Bean Salad with Tuna, Avocado and Sour Orange Dressing
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 480 g of cooked white beans, drained weight; 240 g of canned tuna, drained weight; 2 medium avocados (about 250 g of flesh); 200 g of firm tomato, diced; 60 g of red onion, chopped; 5 g of parsley; 50 ml of sour orange juice; 30 ml of olive oil; ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin; Salt to taste; Pepper to taste; 35 ml of sweet orange juice; 15 ml of lime or lemon juice

White beans, flaked tuna, avocado and tomato in a sour orange and cumin dressing. Ready in 20 minutes with no cooking.

CiberCubaNovember 7, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation20 min
Total time20 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyEasy

This salad combines white beans, tuna, avocado, tomato and red onion with a sour orange and cumin dressing, two flavors common in Cuban cooking. The beans are served cold and mixed gently so they keep their shape.

Because it uses canned beans that are already cooked, there is no need to turn on the stove: in about 20 minutes you have a fresh dish for lunch or a light meal. You can use fresh or bottled sour orange juice; in the notes you will find a mix of sweet orange and lime or lemon to substitute for it.

Method

Preparation

Put the white beans in a colander, rinse them under cold running water and let them drain very well. Check that you have about 480 g of drained beans.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Drain the tuna and break it into flakes with a fork, without shredding it too much. You should have about 240 g of drained tuna.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Cut the tomato into 1 cm dice, finely chop the red onion and chop the parsley. Set each aside separately.
Make the dressing: in a small bowl whisk the sour orange juice, olive oil, cumin, a moderate pinch of salt and pepper until slightly emulsified and cloudy.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
In the large bowl, put the beans, tuna, tomato and onion. Add about two thirds of the dressing and mix gently, folding with a spatula so you do not break the beans or the tuna.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Just before serving, cut the avocados into dice, add them with the rest of the dressing and fold, without mashing them. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Finish with the chopped parsley and serve the salad fresh. If you make it ahead, store the base without avocado in the refrigerator and add the avocado at serving time.

Tips and variations

Avocado always goes in last. If you are making the salad ahead, mix the beans, tuna, tomato and onion with part of the dressing and store it covered in the refrigerator, at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, for up to 24 hours. Cut the avocado and add it with the rest of the dressing just before serving so it does not darken or get mashed.

Go easy on the salt. Canned tuna and some canned beans already contain salt; start with a little and adjust at the end.

Sour orange substitute: mix 35 ml of sweet orange juice with 15 ml of lime or lemon juice and use it the same way.

If you prefer beans cooked at home, cook them separately until tender, let them cool completely and weigh out 480 g once drained; the time for this recipe does not include that cooking.

Storage: freezing is not recommended; the avocado, tomato and beans lose texture when thawed. Eat any leftovers that already contain avocado the same day.