There’s something about a big bowl of Spanish potato salad that immediately makes me think of summer.
Not the creamy potato salad covered in mayonnaise that you might be familiar with, but ensalada campera, the beautiful Spanish version made with tender potatoes, ripe tomatoes, sweet peppers, tuna, hard-boiled eggs and a simple olive oil dressing.
It’s colorful, fresh and wonderfully satisfying.
Here in Spain, this is exactly the kind of food I love making when the weather is warm and we don’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen.
A large bowl of ensalada campera, some good crusty bread and perhaps something from the barbecue. That’s really all we need.
And one of the nicest things about this salad is that it can be prepared ahead of time, making it perfect for a relaxed lunch with friends.
A Traditional Spanish Country Salad
The name ensalada campera can be translated as Spanish country salad or countryside salad.
It’s a traditional home-style dish associated with simple, practical ingredients: potatoes, vegetables, eggs, olives and often canned tuna.
Exactly the sort of things that are easy to find in a Spanish market or keep in the pantry.
There isn’t one single recipe that every Spanish family follows.
Some people add cucumber, others use different peppers, and the amount of tuna or egg varies from one household to another.
But the idea stays the same.
A generous potato salad dressed with good olive oil and vinegar, without a heavy mayonnaise sauce.
It’s the kind of food that tastes of summer rather than effort.
Why I Love This Spanish Potato Salad
I think one of the best things about ensalada campera is the contrast between its ingredients.
The potatoes are tender and satisfying.
The tomatoes bring freshness and a little sweetness.
The peppers add crunch, while the spring onion gives everything a gentle bite.
Then there’s the tuna, which makes the salad substantial enough to eat as a light main course, and the hard-boiled eggs that finish it beautifully.
A few good olives bring that unmistakable Spanish flavor.
And everything is brought together with extra virgin olive oil and a little sherry vinegar.
It’s simple food, but when the ingredients are good, it’s absolutely delicious.
The Secret Is Dressing the Potatoes While They’re Warm
This is a small detail that makes a surprisingly big difference.
I like boiling the potatoes with their skins on, allowing them to cool just enough to handle, and then peeling and slicing them.
While they’re still slightly warm, I add a little of the olive oil dressing.
The potatoes absorb some of the seasoning, which gives them much more flavor than simply pouring dressing over a completely cold salad.
After that, I add the vegetables, tuna and eggs.
The result is a salad where every ingredient tastes of something, rather than the dressing sitting at the bottom of the bowl.
Good Olive Oil and Sherry Vinegar
For a salad like this, the dressing is just as important as the vegetables.
I use Spanish extra virgin olive oil, preferably something fruity but not too bitter.
And I particularly like sherry vinegar, or vinagre de Jerez.
It has a beautiful depth of flavor that works wonderfully with potatoes, tomatoes and tuna.
You really don’t need much.
A few tablespoons of olive oil, a little vinegar, salt and freshly ground black pepper are enough to turn these ordinary ingredients into something special.
What to Serve with Ensalada Campera
I often think a good salad deserves a place in the center of the table rather than being treated as an afterthought.
Ensalada campera is lovely on its own as a light lunch, but it also makes a wonderful accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken or meat.
It’s especially convenient when we’re cooking outside.
You can prepare most of it in advance, keep it in the refrigerator and bring it to the table when everything else is ready.
If it has been chilled, I prefer to let it lose a little of that refrigerator-cold edge just before serving, within safe food-handling limits.
The olive oil tastes more fragrant, the tomatoes seem sweeter and the potatoes have a much nicer texture.
Add some fresh bread and a few other small dishes, and you have the kind of Spanish meal I never get tired of.
Good ingredients, wonderful flavors and time to enjoy them.
Sometimes life really is that simple.
Ensalada Campera – Spanish Country Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 500 g 1.1 lb small or medium waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, with skins on
- 3 medium ripe but firm tomatoes about 400–450 g / 14–16 oz, cut into wedges
- 1 medium green bell pepper about 150 g / 5 oz, deseeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 medium red bell pepper about 150 g / 5 oz, deseeded and cut into thin strips
- 1 spring onion scallion, thinly sliced, including the tender green part
- 2 large eggs hard-boiled, peeled and quartered
- 1 can tuna in olive oil about 150–160 g / 5–5.6 oz before draining, yielding approximately 110 g / 4 oz, lightly drained
- 12 pitted green or black olives or a mixture of both
- 3 tbsp 45 ml Spanish extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp 15 ml sherry vinegar (vinagre de Jerez)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt plus more for the potato cooking water and to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper or to taste
Method
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, leaving their skins on. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 20–25 minutes, depending on their size, until a small knife slides easily into the center.Meanwhile, place the eggs in a separate saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 10–11 minutes, until hard-boiled. Transfer immediately to cold water to stop the cooking. Peel and cut into quarters.While the potatoes cook, wash and prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers and slice them into thin strips. Finely slice the spring onion.In a small bowl or jar, combine the extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and black pepper. Whisk or shake until the dressing is well mixed.Drain the cooked potatoes and allow them to cool just until comfortable to handle. Peel off the skins if desired, then cut the potatoes into thick slices or generous bite-sized pieces.Transfer the still-warm potatoes to a large serving bowl. Spoon over approximately half the dressing and gently turn the potatoes to coat them. Leave for 5 minutes so they can absorb some of the flavor.Add the tomatoes, red and green peppers and sliced spring onion. Pour over most of the remaining dressing and gently toss, taking care not to break up the potatoes.Drain the tuna lightly, leaving a little of its flavorful olive oil if desired. Break it into generous flakes and distribute it over the salad.Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters on top, followed by the olives. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, taste and adjust the salt and pepper.Serve while the potatoes are still slightly warm, or refrigerate promptly and enjoy later. If chilled, the salad can stand briefly before serving to take the edge off the cold, provided it is not left unrefrigerated beyond safe food-handling limits.
- Wash the potatoes thoroughly, leaving their skins on. Place them in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 20–25 minutes, depending on their size, until a small knife slides easily into the center.
- Meanwhile, place the eggs in a separate saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for approximately 10–11 minutes, until hard-boiled. Transfer immediately to cold water to stop the cooking. Peel and cut into quarters.
- While the potatoes cook, wash and prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, remove the seeds and membranes from the peppers and slice them into thin strips. Finely slice the spring onion.
- In a small bowl or jar, combine the extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt and black pepper. Whisk or shake until the dressing is well mixed.
- Drain the cooked potatoes and allow them to cool just until comfortable to handle. Peel off the skins if desired, then cut the potatoes into thick slices or generous bite-sized pieces.
- Transfer the still-warm potatoes to a large serving bowl. Spoon over approximately half the dressing and gently turn the potatoes to coat them. Leave for 5 minutes so they can absorb some of the flavor.
- Add the tomatoes, red and green peppers and sliced spring onion. Pour over most of the remaining dressing and gently toss, taking care not to break up the potatoes.
- Drain the tuna lightly, leaving a little of its flavorful olive oil if desired. Break it into generous flakes and distribute it over the salad.
- Arrange the hard-boiled egg quarters on top, followed by the olives. Drizzle with the remaining dressing, taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
- Serve while the potatoes are still slightly warm, or refrigerate promptly and enjoy later. If chilled, the salad can stand briefly before serving to take the edge off the cold, provided it is not left unrefrigerated beyond safe food-handling limits.
