Moroccan Tuna and Pepper Salad

Vivid, properly seasoned lunch using Moroccan and Middle Eastern spices to lift tinned tuna — DASH-friendly, serves 1, 10 minutes

Ingredients

Fresh

• ½ red bell pepper, diced
• ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
• ½ baby cucumber, diced
• 6-8 baby plum tomatoes, halved
• Small handful red onion, finely diced
• 30g feta, crumbled
• 1-2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• Juice of ½ lemon

Storecupboard

• ½ tin tuna in olive oil, drained (reserve a little oil)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Moroccan seasoning
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• Generous pinch of sumac
• Black pepper
• 2-3 Swedish crispbread rolls
• Optional: thin spread of olive oil spread on the crispbread

Method

1. Drain the tuna, keeping a little of the oil for the dressing if you want extra richness.
2. Combine the diced peppers, cucumber, halved tomatoes, and red onion in a bowl.
3. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, Moroccan seasoning, cumin, sumac, and black pepper together in a small bowl until emulsified.
4. Flake the tuna over the vegetables. Add the dressing and toss gently to coat.
5. Crumble feta over the top and scatter pomegranate seeds.
6. Serve with crispbread rolls alongside.

Variations

• Different protein: swap tuna for tinned mackerel, smoked salmon, or 2 boiled eggs
• Higher protein/fibre: add ½ tin drained tinned lentils to bulk up to ~580 kcal
• Without crispbread: serve over a bed of lettuce or with a small portion of microwave grains

DASH Notes

• Tinned tuna provides omega-3s and ~20g protein
• Three colours of pepper means more vitamin C and antioxidant variety
• Moroccan seasoning + cumin + sumac is the trio doing the work — flavour without sodium overload
• Pomegranate seeds bring sweet-tart pop and polyphenols

Notes

• Packs well for work — keep dressing separate until ready to eat or it’ll soften the vegetables
• Three peppers isn’t just visual — green, red, and yellow have meaningfully different flavours
• Don’t skip the pomegranate — sweet-tart contrast against savoury elements is what makes the salad feel complete

Lunch — approximately 485 calories, ~28g protein, ~9g fibre