But how good is rice salad? Photo and video recipe so you don’t get it wrong!

The rice salad recipe is simple and delicious, perfect for bringing a fresh and tasty dish to the table.

Fresh, colourful, tasty and suitable for any occasion: we are talking about cold rice salad, a dish that can be interpreted in many different ways and which is perfect for a light lunch or for a trip out of town . Although many consider this dish not very tasty, in reality with the right precautions it can become an experience full of taste! Furthermore, rice is naturally gluten-free so, with the necessary precautions, it is also a dish suitable for those suffering from celiac disease.

In short, if you have never prepared this dish, or if you want to perfect the recipe even more and discover all its secrets, let's start immediately by following the photo steps and the video recipe !

• Classic rice salad
• Tips for the perfect rice salad
• Variants for all tastes
  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Of fish
  • Of Venus rice

How to make classic rice salad

1. First of all, start by cooking the rice, which will also depend on the type you have chosen. Boil it in salted water and once ready let it cool.

2. Season with oil, salt and pepper and leave it in a bowl, then take care of all the ingredients you have chosen. Slice the carrots into julienne strips, cook the peas, cut frankfurters and olives and chop the hard-boiled eggs into small pieces and add everything to the bowl.

3. Also add the canned tuna and corn, and mix everything , trying to create the right proportion between rice and seasoning. The salad is ready, enjoy your meal!

Lovers of this cereal can consult all our recipes with rice : there really is one for all tastes !

Tips for a perfect rice salad

What we have created is a classic version of the salad, but as you will have understood, there are no limits to your imagination! You can use vegetables, fish, sauces and aromatic herbs as you like, to create the dish you most desire. But in general, there are small tricks to create a balanced and exquisite dish.

Which rice to use?

What is the right rice for rice salad? Usually fine grain rice such as Ribe, Veneria, S. Andrea is used, but Arborio can also be used. Parboiled rice is also interesting, because it resists cooking well and doesn't soften too much . Venere rice and basmati rice can also be used.

Read also

How to cook basmati rice: photo and video recipe, secrets and advice

Cooking: a crucial phase!

First of all, the first piece of advice is to carefully follow the cooking of the rice, remembering to salt the water and cook it 1 minute less: a crunchy consistency is better than overcooked rice! Then, secondly, avoid letting it cool by rinsing it under running water, but simply let it rest in a bowl, perhaps with a drizzle of oil to prevent it from sticking, and once cold, season it to taste.

It must be good… but also beautiful!

Finally, give great importance to the balance between colours, textures and quantities of seasonings. A perfect salad is one that guarantees freshness , flavor and an alternation between crunchiness and more delicate elements in every bite.

And if you want to tie it all together, try adding a spoonful of mayonnaise or mustard!

How about discovering all our light summer recipes too?

How to dress rice salad: delicious variations

Salad rice is a dish that starts from a neutral base, that of boiled rice, therefore it lends itself to many different versions. In fact , in this case the condiments make the dish come to life, which can become something memorable . So here, in addition to the classic one we have already seen, are some tips for trying different versions of this recipe!

Vegetarian rice salad

If you want to create a vegetarian variant , then you can focus on vegetables, but also on eggs and cheeses. You can choose a cheese you like and cut it into cubes , while the eggs should be cooked until they are hard-boiled. Here too, don't skimp on aromatic herbs (thyme, parsley, basil, fresh oregano), seasonings and a good extra virgin olive oil!

We want to try to recommend a brown rice and vegetarian salad, but this does not mean that you cannot change the type of rice during preparation. Here is our recipe for rice salad with vegetables and feta .

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 360 g of brown rice
• 2 medium courgettes
• 2 peppers (red and yellow)
• Greek feta to taste
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste
• pepper as needed
• fresh mint to taste

First, cook the rice in boiling salted water, drain it and leave it aside to cool. Then take the vegetables, wash them, cut them and grill them on a non-stick grill for a few minutes. Cut the feta into cubes then add it to the rice and vegetables. Mix everything well, season with salt, pepper and oil and keep it in the refrigerator for a few hours so that it flavors well.

Vegan rice salad

Different story if you want the dish vegan instead. In this case the vegetables will be the only protagonists of this salad, so pay attention to textures, shapes and colours. A tasty idea? Courgettes, peppers, aubergines are a triptych that works great, where you can perhaps play with the cooking methods . For example, what do you think of freshly scalded peppers, still nice and crunchy, grilled courgettes and fried aubergines?

If, however, you want to stick to simple cooking , make room for capers, olives, basil and other herbs that will flavor your dish properly!

And here is an example which, we are sure, once tried will become your summer workhorse: the recipe for rice salad with courgettes, avocado and olives .

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 360 g of rice
• 2 courgettes
• 1 avocado
• black olives to taste
• basil to taste
• Salt to taste
• pepper as needed
• lemon juice to taste

After cooking the rice in boiling salted water, drain it and set it aside to cool. Meanwhile, wash the courgettes and cut them into rounds , grill them on a special cast iron grill and add them to the rice together with the black olives cut into rounds. Lastly, cut the avocado in half, extract the pulp and cut it into cubes, season it with a little salt, pepper and lemon juice and add it to the rice salad. Season with salt and pepper , add a few basil leaves and leave to cool completely.

Rice salad with fish

Fresh, tasty, gourmet. If you choose fish you will ennoble this dish and make it become something magical , more than a simple dish for a trip out of town. In this case what matters is the balance of flavours, the freshness of the raw material and the dosages.

Make room therefore for mussels, octopus, clams, cuttlefish, prawns, but also for cherry tomatoes, garlic, parsley, extra virgin olive oil and chilli pepper. Just talking about it already makes our mouths water ! Cook all the elements separately and add a little clam and mussel liquid to the rice cooking water, which will further flavor the dish!

And here's our version!

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 360 g of rice
• 300 g of mussels
• 300 g of clams
• 250 g of cuttlefish
• 150 g of prawn tails
• 1 clove of garlic
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• Salt to taste
• pepper as needed
• lemon to taste
• parsley to taste
• chili

Cook the rice in boiling salted water and then set it aside to cool. Now let's move on to preparing the fish: put the mussels and clams in a pan with a drizzle of oil and garlic (after having properly purged them). Once completely opened, let them cool, remove them from the shell and set them aside. Now take the cleaned cuttlefish, cut them into large pieces and sauté them in a pan with a drizzle of oil, add the mussels and clams, the prawn tails (after removing the intestine) and leave to sizzle for a few minutes. Add all the fish to the rice, mix well, season with salt and pepper and season by adding the vinaigrette (emulsion of oil and lemon) and chopped parsley. Cover everything with cling film and leave your seafood rice salad in the fridge for at least 2 hours so that it flavors well.

Venus rice salad

And here is Primo Cher's latest proposal: the recipe for Venere rice salad . Good, tasty, but also light and healthy. Our version is with vegetables and tuna, but you can also add smoked salmon, avocado or courgettes and it will still be delicious.

Ingredients for 4 people:

• 360 g of black rice
• canned peas to taste
• 2 cans of tuna
• canned corn to taste
• 1/2 red onion
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• zest of 1 untreated lemon
• Salt to taste
• pepper as needed
• fresh mint to taste

First, cook the rice in plenty of boiling salted water, once cooked, drain it and place it in a bowl and let it cool. Now take all the ingredients that will serve as seasoning: the canned tuna, the peas (canned or fresh) and the corn and mix them together in the rice. Then also add the finely chopped onion, lemon zest and fresh mint leaves. Season with salt and pepper and leave to flavor for 1 hour in the fridge.

What do you think? And don't forget to take a look at our summer first courses for many delicious ideas!

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