Linguine Tuna Salad

This cold tuna pasta salad tosses hot linguine with a lemon-oil dressing so the noodles absorb the flavor as they cool. Canned tuna, frozen green peas (thawed by the hot pasta), fresh tomatoes, and scallions get folded in for a salad that works as a light lunch or a make-ahead side.

The trick of dressing the pasta while it’s still hot is what makes this better than most cold pasta salads. Hot noodles are porous and soak up the lemon juice, oil, and Italian seasoning deep into their surface. Cold noodles just sit there with dressing sliding off.

Chill before serving. The flavors need time to meld and the pasta needs to cool completely.

Kitchen Tips

• Use good-quality canned tuna packed in oil or water, drained well. Cheap tuna falls apart into mush and disappears into the pasta.
• Don’t rinse the cooked linguine. You want it hot and slightly starchy so the dressing clings.
• The frozen peas don’t need separate cooking. The heat from the pasta thaws them perfectly.

Variations

• Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil for a more Mediterranean flavor.
• Add sliced black olives and diced red bell pepper for more color and briny flavor.
• Swap the linguine for rotini or penne, which hold dressing in their curves and tubes.