This Italian rice salad with tuna is the perfect make-ahead dish! Made with arborio rice and various mix-ins like canned tuna, tomatoes, olives, pickles, ham, cheese, and much more! Prep a large portion in advance, so it's ready to serve at summer barbecues and potlucks!

Italian rice salad in a dish with a fork

My memories of summers in Italy as a child are filled with the whitewashed buildings of Sperlonga, running around (ie. getting into trouble) with cousins, tanning on the beach, cobblestone vicoli, and rice salad with tuna (insalata di riso). Yes, rice salad!

It's a cold Italian rice salad with tuna that is a staple in Italy (or at least the Lazio region) for the summer. If we spent a whole day at the beach, someone would make insalata di riso to bring. That's where I remember eating it the most. Sitting under our ombrellone when it was time to have lunch and having this refreshing rice salad, along with some panini, and fresh fruit. And it seems like everyone else at the beach was doing the same thing - eating their insalata di riso.

So next time you're looking for a quick dinner, or a side dish to bring to a friend's house this summer, why don't you give it a try? I think you'll be glad you did!

So popular that it comes in a jar! (almost)

In fact, insalata di riso is so popular in Italy that there is a special mix that is sold especially for this Italian rice salad. So all you need to do is boil your rice, throw in a jar or two of this condiment, and mix everything together.

For my recipe, I don't use the pre-made condiment, because it's hard to find in North America, and I think it tastes better when adding your own ingredients.

Italian rice salad in a dish with a fork to the side

Mayonnaise: yes or no?

Adding mayonnaise to insalata di riso: this is a topic that divides people in Italy. Some people like it and some people don't.

You would mix the mayo in at the very end just before you serve it. How much or little is up to you. Or you can omit it completely.

I personally like mayo in my rice salad. A simple solution is to do what my friend Maria Claudia does and leave a jar of mayo by the rice salad and as people serve themselves, they can mix it in if they'd like.

Let's make it!

Cooked rice on a wooden spoon — Start by boiling the rice until tender. Let it cool.

Bowl of rice with ham, tuna, tomatoes, corn, peas, olives, cheese, pickles and onions on top — Once cool, add in all your mix-ins! It's so pretty I don't want to mix it all in.

Rice salad in a bowl being drizzled with olive oil — Once mixed, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.

Rice salad in a dish being mixed with mayonnaise — When serving, mix in mayonnaise (but only if you'd like)

Top Tips:

For the mix-ins for the rice salad, instead of using all your own ingredients, you can use regular a pre-made jar like this
The best rice to use for this dish is arborio or carnaroli rice. It will produce the best texture for a salad of this type.
Before adding mayonnaise to the salad, it will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
I recommend adding the mayo as you're serving it, or let people add it to their individual plates if they desire

Recipe

Italian rice salad with tuna, tomatoes, ham, olives and many other mix-ins in a dish

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