This salad is one of my favorites. Crisp arugula (rocket), tender beans, fruity cherry tomatoes, and aromatic red onions kissed by smooth-tasting extra-virgin olive oil, subtly sweet balsamic vinegar, and fine sea salt. We always keep a can of white beans in our pantry just for this salad.
I never measure what goes in the salad. And measurements aren't that important here. It will turn out nice with more beans and less tomatoes or the other way around. However, what is really indispensable here (as in any other salad) is high-quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Three years ago in Japan I discovered that sea salt also really makes a difference. I was on one of the Japanese tropical islands and bought a small bag of locally produced sea salt. Back home in Osaka I regretted forever that I didn't buy a larger bag. This salt was still moist which really surprised me. When I tasted it however, it was unlike any other salt I had ever tried before. It had a taste of its own apart from being salty. It feels like shop-bought bone-dry sea salt is never quite as tasty so we brought back a BIG bag of moist sea salt from our honeymoon on the Cape Verde islands.
So, anyway. On topic again. A wonderful salad with only four main ingredients which still looks impressive and tastes great :-).
Fat-free depends on the use of fat-free ingredients.
Gluten-free depends on the use of gluten-free ingredients.
