This Salad Platter is mainly an assembling job. It is highly practical for Al Fresco Summer Parties. Presented in one or two large oval dishes, this Tuna Salad main goal is to be fresh and vibrant with colours.

The first thing to turn the attention to is the boiling of the Eggs. Then let the hard boiled Eggs cool in a bowl of cold Water.

Lay a bed of Rocket Leaves on the serving Dishes.

Open and drain the Tins of Tuna. But keep the Olive Oil to make your Dressing later on. Place the Tuna Chunks centrally within the Serving Dishes, covering the width rather than the length. Break the Tuna Chunks with the back of a Fork to make them encompass that width. From then on it will be a matter of contrasting the Tuna Flesh on both sides with the other Ingredients.

I would say that the order of all the elements doesn't matter, but it is not quite right. Think of you being an Artist in front of a Canvas. Your Palette is your Food Elements and you want them to have visual impact effortelessly but almost immediately. The Platter with all its display must have the lip smacking wow factor: Look at me, Eat me, I am all yours to feast upon.

If Food can flirt with our Palate, its appetising presentation is the love at first sight factor. Now there is a structure upon that Tuna Salad that you can apply. Yes we are not Monnet, Matisse, Mondrian, nor Jackson Pollock or Picasso but we can just 'be' ourselves. If we take the concept of a 'Bee' which is an insect with contrasting stripes and apply it to the Tuna Salad we can have stripes of contrasting Food.

Next to the Tuna shreds which are pink can go Green Ingredients, a stripe of pitted Green Olives for exemple on one side and on the other side, a stripe of Green Cucumber Slices. 

Following the Green stripes, add Red stripes, like sliced Tomatoes on one side and chopped Red Sweet Pepper on the other side.  Then  can come other Green stripes, in the shapes of sliced Courgettes and chopped Green Peppers.

You can put some Black Olives and Kalamata Olives at one end of the dish. On the other end will be the shelled and wedged Hard boiled Eggs.

There are many things which can be done to improve that Dish which always seems to be a constent  work in progress yet a pleasurable one at that. Now the finishing touches consist of seasoning the Tuna Salad generousely, doing either a Blasamic Dressing for it or a French Vinaigrette. Chop the Curly Parsley for decoration as well as taste for the Salad. Add the Capers and the sliced Gherkins, almost at random to give that little burst of unexpected flavours to the Palate. Place the Basil Leaves if using. Then finish off with Slices of Lemons.

This Colourful Tuna Salad is not a fixed venture therefore it can be adapted very easily. The Capers for exemple can be a mix of small Capers but also larger Caper Berries. As well as the Pickled Gherkings, some pickled Silverskin Pearl Onions can be added to the Dish for an extra Piquancy. As for Pepperiness sliced Red Radishes can be considered.

Whilst speaking of colourfulness there are not only a play on Red, Green, White and Black which can be presented. For Tomatoes can also be Yellow, Orange ( Santorange) and Black (Indigo Rose) and indeed also striped like the 'Tigerella' Tomato or the 'Bumble Bee' variety ones. Colourful Variety of Vegetables are there to be exploited. Courgettes can be Yellow but also variegated. The same goes for Sweet Bell Peppers: you do have Orange, Yellow, Green, Red ones, but also Purple Sweet Peppers have been created a little while ago: 'Beluga Lilac', 'Sweet Violet Purple', 'Tequila' are all varieties to be enjoyed. 

Another thing to take into consideration is to give some little Cocktail twist to the Olives used. First you can get very good quality Olives  from the different colours but also you can have the nostalgia note of the Stuffed Olives... It does bring to mind the seventies and eighties to be honest. But a lot of option are there for you to choose from, either hand made, shop bought or market bought. Stuffed Olives are mainly done with Almonds, or Anchovies, or Chillies/Pimento, or Garlic, or Lemon Peel, or Sundried Tomatoes, or Cheese ( Cream Cheese or Blue Cheese).

This Colourful Tuna Salad can also be played upon in terms of texture and taste. The World is your Oyster to enjoy.