What do you have for dinner when it’s hot out and you don’t want to be anywhere near an oven or flame?

One of my go-to summer dishes for warm days is this farro squash salad, dressed in a lemon basil vinaigrette, and then topped with a beautiful smoked canned fish—like Fishwife’s Albacore Tuna!

I am obsessed with Fishwife’s line of conservas. They tell you exactly where the fish comes from so that you can eat it with confidence in knowing that it is sustainably caught or raised. To learn more about how this amazing company came to life during the pandemic, check out my Instagram Live with one of their founders, Becca Millstein!

For this recipe, I opted for their wild albacore tuna, which is hook-and-line caught in the Northwest Pacific by small boat fishermen. It’s brined in extra-virgin olive oil, sea salt, garlic, and brown sugar and then smoked in small batches over alderwood before being hand-packed and canned by a family-owned cannery on the coast of Oregon.

It is delicious on its own or in this main-dish salad!

Serves 4

For the Farro:

  • 3 ¼ cups water
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cups semi-pearled dry farro, rinsed (12 oz.)

For the Salad:

  • ¼ cup sliced shallots
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup butternut squash, cubed, and cooked until tender
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup Italian Parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • Minced zest of 1 lemon

For the Vinaigrette:

  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Black pepper to taste

3 Cans Fishwife Smoked Albacore Tuna

For the Farro:

Boil the water and salt in a saucepan. Add farro, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15–20 minutes; remove from heat and drain any excess water. Cool.

In a large bowl:

Combine the shallots, cranberries, butternut squash, red pepper flakes, olive oil, parsley, balsamic vinegar, and lemon zest. Add the farro and gently combine.

For the vinaigrette, whisk together basil, oil, and lemon juice; season with salt and black pepper. Toss salad with vinaigrette to coat.

Toss the vinaigrette with the salad. Add chunks of the smoked tuna and serve immediately!

If you also have a can of Fishwife’s beautiful Trout, I recommend making this Smoked Rainbow Trout & Avocado Sandwich!