WE DID IT IN 2021. We’re doing it again! Please tell us your favorite method of making tuna salad. And if you care to share: How do you serve it? Where did you learn it? Etcetera. If all goes well, we'll be picking a few to replicate and share with all our readers. Comment below!
Old favorite: oil packed tuna, not quite drained, tossed with fine dice of roasted red peppers, tons of capers, green onions, chile flake. Pile on toast, broil to warm and set. You can add cheese if you want an open-faced melt. The original idea of this came from either food52 or NYTimes cooking a decade ago.
New favorite: drained oil packed tuna, bit of mayo, bit of yuzu, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, large amounts of furikake. Serve over rice and greens. Based on Eric Kim's NY times recipe.
I’m fond of Italian tuna salad with cannellini beans, chopped parsley, celery, slivers of red onion, good tuna in olive oil (drained) with a dressing of lemon juice, coarse Dijon mustard and olive oil, topped with crunchy breadcrumbs (fresh crumbs sautéed w a bit of olive oil & a small minced clove of garlic). Also good with some roasted red pepper strips and/or halved grape tomatoes. Serve on butter lettuce. Yum!
Julia Child's tuna salad recipe made with celery, onion, lemon juice, Hellman's, cornichons, s&p and capers. Served on an English muffin with Bibb lettuce leaves. 🤌
Ring canned tuna dry. I put in colander and drain in sink. That is most important. Celery, touch of Dijon, good mayo, squeeze of lemon (to take away fishyness) and onion if preferred. I learned from the Coventry Tea Room sometime in the early/mid eighties. Serve on toast or over bed of greens.
I realize it’s not helpful to not include precise measurements (sorry, salad friends), but here’s mine! Two jars of the Ortiz brand tuna in water, chopped celery (I love a lot of celery), diced onion, capers, pepper, chopped jalapeño (usually one will do), dill, Maille mustard (a tablespoon or more) and the most important thing and please forgive the shouting: DUKE’S MAYONNAISE. Toss and enjoy! Flavors bloom in interesting ways, so I tend to adjust. Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s recipe!
I like a little sweetness in my tuna salad, but I don't like relish. I also like a little crunch, but am not a fan of big chunks of celery so:
One can white, albacore tuna
Small, diced tart/sweet apple (I like Fujis or Pink Ladies.)
One rib celery diced small
Olive-oil based mayo to taste (not too gloopy)
Small squirt of dijon mustard (I like the horseradish kind)
Salt to taste, and a healthy amount of coarse ground black pepper.
I will eat this in a bowl or with chips. I'm weirdly fond of it on Triscuits, as well. I think they hold up really well to the strong flavors and chunky texture. And I've always loved them since I was a kid.
When I don't have any apples around I have been known to sub in dried cranberries, which are damn tasty instead.
Honestly the key for me is salt and vinegar chips—ideally the thick and crunchy kind (Tim’s Cascade, for my fellow PNWies, are the best). Put them in a tuna sandwich, on the side of a tuna salad, crumbled over the top of a salad, whatever. They make everything more delicious and add the best crunch and zip.
I've perused the comments and not one of you has gotten the memo....the secret sauce is white horseradish, in addition to chopped celery , capers, a little grated onion, mayo , salt, pepperand a squeeze of lemon. The better the tuna the better the salad. And NO eggs -- eggs are for egg salad!
I grew up on my Nana's tuna melts....canned tuna mixed with mayo, spread on white bread, topped with one slice of Kraft American cheese and microwaved for one minute! I do not think I could eat that now, but I still LOVE a tuna melt!
Now, I mix high quality tuna with a good mayo, celery salt, black pepper, petite diced celery and either diced dill pickles or capers (or both!) then spread on fresh bakery sourdough. Either open faced with a mix of cheddar and gruyere melted under the broiler or full sandwich griddled "grilled cheese" style on my flat top. YUM! Time to go make lunch!
I like an Italian-ish tuna and bean salad: oil-packed tuna (not drained), cannellini beans or chickpeas (drained and rinsed), something briny like olives or capers, celery for crunch (optional), parsley, lots of lemon, plenty of salt and pepper, and more olive oil if needed.
I worked for Williams Sonoma and some years ago and taught this salad in a cooking class. It’s excellent. WS sold tuna in oil but it was très Cher!
Tuna and White Bean Salad
★★★★★
Salads
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. plus 1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt, to taste, plus 1/4 tsp.
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 can (15 oz.) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 small red onion, halved lengthwise and cut into slivers
2 cans (each 6 oz.) tuna packed in olive oil, drained and flaked
2 heads butter lettuce, pale inner leaves only
Directions:
Toast the bread crumbs
In a fry pan over medium heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the crumbs begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, remove from the heat and stir for 1 minute more.
Make the vinaigrette
In a large serving bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, the 1/4 tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the 1/3 cup olive oil until smooth.
Assemble the salad
Add the parsley, white beans, celery, onion and tuna to the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat evenly. Arrange the lettuce on individual plates and top with the tuna and bean mixture. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Salad, by Brigit L. Binns (Oxmoor House, 2007).
My grandmother, Birdie, is the one who taught me tuna salad: white albacore is what she used way back in the 80s and 90s before she died from a stroke (while driving on Nantucket Island). I use the kind in the glass jar--Tonnino-- plain in water, or in oil I love the oregano kind or jalapeño pepper. So here's her recipe: mayo (she went through a weird 80s moment of halving yogurt and mayo--don't do that), lemon juice, salt, pepper, red onion (has to be red), pickles (not negotiable), finely chopped parsley. Served on toasted bread with local crisp lettuce leaves and with a cup of coffee (very important.)
In my family we do all this (I make my own amazing GF sandwich bread. But then we top it with sharp cheddar and broil, sniping the lettuce in that case.)
I don't have much to say about tuna salad -- I'm a new subscriber, so I'm still learning! -- but I just wanted to say I love the subtitle "Official Bulletin" of DOS 😃
Lately I've been making a Japanese inspired tuna salad. Mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, finely chopped cucumber and or radish, shichimi, black and white pepper, sriracha, lime juice. Mix together and place on a sheet of seaweed. Garnish with green onions, furikake, and sesame seeds. This makes a delicious meal! Can be bulked up with a small amount of rice and then topped with the tuna for a sushi like meal.
That Maldivian tuna salad with coconut, lime juice and chiles? OMG! So delicious. I didn't have any serranos (which would have been prettier) so I used jalapeños, and I had a little cilantro so I chopped that up too. I highly recommend everyone try this!
Tuna in good oil (preferably olive) is the way to live. Whenever I am in Portugal I stock up on tuna from the Azores because I am worth it. I peel open the tin and dump it over freshly steamed new potatoes, toss on whatever herbs are growing on the kitchen counter and a pinch of flaky salt, and do not need much more than that.
(though if I am feeling marginally less lazy, I will chop up some tomatoes or peppers, or steam green beans or fava beans, or open a jar of olives or roasted red peppers, and mix more stuff in there as a tribute to Nicole the German exchange student)
I mix a can of tuna (drained) with a quarter cup of mayo, finely chopped white onion, chopped green onion, one finely minced boiled egg and 1 tablespoon diced celery, pinch of salt and black pepper. This is served with saltine crackers or on whole wheat bread as a tuna sandwich. YUM!
When I am out of fancy tuna, or otherwise having a rough time, a mini-can of tuna in oil gets mixed with a chopped hard-cooked egg, some dill, a blop of dijon mustard, chopped up dill pickle, and enough mayonnaise to make it nice and creamy. Then I eat this out of the bowl with potato chips. Five-star comfort food.
Tuna how I love thee. But first to come clean I am using the world's best tuna from skipper otto in British Columbia, Canada, a sustainable fishery with portraits of the fisherfolk who caught your fish on the can. I am not joking. They ship and the smoked tuna is addictive and leaves the other cans in the dust. It bears no resemblance to Clover Leaf or other fine brands and the investment in the pantry is so worthwhile because you will always have something around to call dinner. I do not own this company nor do I have any financial stake but the product is amazing.
Many faves for this culinary workhouse but I like what NYT Melissa Clark does which is capers, red onion thinly sliced, and fresh lemon juice. This fits into the category of culinary insurance when you're exhausted and you can just dish a scoop on a piece of toast for a snack or lunch. If I have them around I like diced pickles for extra crunch. For some reason when I am eating a tuna sandwich I have a longing for a few potato chips and sometimes the pickles function as a stand in, (like an understudy for a Broadway show). For me the ideal sandwich has a high proportion of lettuce to tuna so there is always a refreshing green experience which lifts the tuna to new heights and adds texture. Maybe extra lettuce could turn this sandwich into a salad for DOS?
If you're really tired you can take this Melissa mixture and combine with some Italian bomba--the fiery red chile paste- and mix it with some pasta for an emergency but sustainable dinner. I look forward to reading the oncoming tuna diaries!
Some delicious variations here but my favourite is the deconstructed sushi roll. Sushi style rice with a gingery, soy, rice vinegar, mirin and sesame oil dressing topped with your favourite sushi fillings - crisp cucumber, ultra fine carrot julienne, edamame … and of course tuna. Mash an avocado with a splash of rice vinegar, a good blob of wasabi and a spoonful of yoghurt or mayo, fold in a tin of drained tuna and a little seasoning and heap it on your bowl with a scattering of toasted sesame seed. Fresh, crisp, soft, chewy, sweet, savoury, creamy and pretty to look at too!
Easiest curried tuna that my 1st grader loves: canned tuna, mayo (we use olive oil mayo), curry powder, salt. Mix super well, add a big tablespoon of sweet relish and stir. Scoop with sweet potato crackers. Chef’s kiss!
my standard tuna salad is light tuna packed in water, drained and mayo, salt and pepper. nothing else.
My mother's pot luck recipe for my entire life is a tuna pasta salad made with red wine vinegar and mayo and oregano. I hated it as a child and now it's my favorite summer lunch.
Here’s my recipe: Drain can of high quality tuna. Dump in bowl. Add some Greek yogurt, Dijon or spicy mustard, sweet pickle relish and black pepper — just eyeball it. Stir and taste. Adjust and add salt as needed. Eat.
My tuna salad story: got a recipe from a neighbor that had cottage cheese, grated cheese, pickle relish, finely chopped celery and onion, lots of mayo, S&P. I tried it and told her, hey I can't taste the tuna....She said she didn't like tuna. :-0
Nicoise is a solid solid option. Inspired by Jenny Rosenstrach and fussy kids situation, I put all the separate components in little bowls and then everyone can choose what they like. Potatoes, tuna, olives, tomatoes, green beans, hard boiled eggs, anchovies, maybe lettuce/ rocket. Does make for a lot of washing up - but less shouting from annoyed children.
Pan bagnat is basically salade nicoise in sandwich form. That is LUSH too.
Or tuna and white bean salad, that's good too. Ideally with finely chopped red onion or shallot.
oil packed tuna, not drained. minced capers. finely chopped radishes and celery. shredded carrot. black pepper. finely chopped dill. a dash of dijon mustard. add just enough mayo (1-2tsp) to come together. This is loosely based on the tuna/pan bagnat sandwich we served at a small Capitol Hill cafe in DC.
I do tuna two very different ways, both delicious:
1. Deli style: This must be served on toasted bread, preferably rye. Plain canned tuna packed in water, drained and mixed with plenty of mayo, a teaspoon or so of dijon mustard, a heaping tablespoon of pickle relish, and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Sometimes it needs salt, sometimes not. If I'm feeling energetic, maybe some finely chopped white onion, but not much.
2. Weekend style: This I eat plain or on a bed of lettuce. Fancy tuna packed in oil (e.g. Ortiz or similar), drained mostly but I save some of the oil in case I need to add back a little. Plump up a handful of yellow raisins in hot water and set aside until cool. To the tuna, add finely chopped onion (any variety), red pepper, jarred artichokes, and any other good-looking vegetables I've got. Add back the raisins, squeeze a bit of lemon juice if I have it, and let it sit for bit at room temperature. Add salt and fresh ground pepper as needed right before eating.
I like a Thai-style version I learned from a Nancie McDermott cookbook: tuna, fish sauce (sounds redundant but isn’t), lime juice, tiny bit of sugar, shallots, fresh herbs, sriracha or fresh chilies. Let sit for a while if you have time. Serve in lettuce cups or on rice or crackers.
Mine is a traditional Southern recipe, but I am here to tell you I just grabbed one from a restaurant I worked at in college and I am having some Proustian moments (shoutout Lunch Box, Knoxville, Tenn!)
I use line caught, packed in oil. I sautée onion and celery. Throw that into a bowl with the tuna. Smoosh it up and add a bit of mayo, Greek yogurt, salt pepper, a little of dill, fresh or dried, whatever is on hand. Finely chop some apple. Mix, mix, mix. Load it onto butter toast, put some sharp cheddar on top, then bake until bubbly. Last bit never least, once it’s done baking. A squirt of Siracha. Mouth flavor bomb perfection!
I used to buy this great olive salad at a deli in my old neighborhood and just mix oil-packed tuna into it, but then I moved, so I had to come up with my own recipe. Chopped green and Kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, shallot, capers, a pinch of red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. I chop everything in a food processor and stir in the tuna at the end. It's pretty rich, so I tend to serve it as an appetizer on crostini or bruschetta. Lately since I discovered fried capers, I've been leaving them out of the mix and scattering a few fried capers on top. Otherwise, a sprinkle of parsley is a good garnish.
When I make Nicoise salad, I mix the tuna with Martha Holmberg's creamy anchovy vinaigrette, which is a fabulous dressing everyone should make.
I love tuna salad to a bizarre degree. I vary the ways I make it. Sometimes capers and dill sometimes celery and red onion. Lately though I’ve been making “tuna salad” with canned salmon because of mercury which allows me to eat it several times a week. There’s a lot of nice brands of canned salmon now though my heart belongs to tuna.
Good canned tuna, a can of cannelini beans (rinsed), chopped celery, chopped bread & butter pickles, sherry vinegar and olive oil, salt, pepper. That's it! A super delicious and healthy pantry supper. I like it with pita bread, or French bread if I have the foresight to get some.
Jumping in with a Tuna Salad in a sandwich- the Niçoise classic Pan Bagnat.
Available at most bakeries and take out stands in France- ex. autoroute gas stations the ‘Pan’ starts with a big soft bun that will absorb the vinaigrette and the rest is layers of salad goods- lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions, black olives, capers, hard boiled eggs, etc. Basil leaves are a great substitute for lettuce. Drizzle the olive oil over the bread, stack with salad and tuna, finish with the top of the bun, then smash and wrap. Leave for a couple hours and eat with a glass of chilled rosé on the side of a French country lane. Eh, voila!
I used to love a spicy tuna sandwich from a shop in Brooklyn. It had black olive tapenade, strips of roasted red pepper, slices of hard boiled egg, and tuna mixed with mayo and a seasoning that was orange and spicy... maybe cayenne or paprika? Served on ciabatta. I was addicted to that sandwich.
I base mine off of a mediterranean tuna melt from a restaurant called The Grove in San Francisco. I normally make it with drained oil packed tuna, olive oil, course sea salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, capers, finely chopped red onion, finely chopped stems and leaves of parsley, and a little squirt of kewpie mayo. It's so bright, refreshing, and tangy from the herbs and lemon.
I like it served as a cold sandwich with oven toasted country style sourdough and arugula. But my partner (and everyone else) loves the warm version which is (again) with toasted country style bread toasted in olive oil and butter with extra sharp cheddar and then pressed down into the pan like a grilled cheese with Tuna.
Thank you Department of Salad. One of my favorite foods - but tedious to prepare - but well-worth all the chopping. TUNA SALAD is one of my most favorite of all - but also rare when it's done right.
And also TUNA QUALITY has gone down! Any suggestions here - welcome.
The Tuna must have olive oil - red onions - pickles - curry - and maybe nuts too and cranberries
Old favorite: oil packed tuna, not quite drained, tossed with fine dice of roasted red peppers, tons of capers, green onions, chile flake. Pile on toast, broil to warm and set. You can add cheese if you want an open-faced melt. The original idea of this came from either food52 or NYTimes cooking a decade ago.
New favorite: drained oil packed tuna, bit of mayo, bit of yuzu, soy sauce, sesame oil, green onions, large amounts of furikake. Serve over rice and greens. Based on Eric Kim's NY times recipe.
I’m fond of Italian tuna salad with cannellini beans, chopped parsley, celery, slivers of red onion, good tuna in olive oil (drained) with a dressing of lemon juice, coarse Dijon mustard and olive oil, topped with crunchy breadcrumbs (fresh crumbs sautéed w a bit of olive oil & a small minced clove of garlic). Also good with some roasted red pepper strips and/or halved grape tomatoes. Serve on butter lettuce. Yum!
Julia Child's tuna salad recipe made with celery, onion, lemon juice, Hellman's, cornichons, s&p and capers. Served on an English muffin with Bibb lettuce leaves. 🤌
Ring canned tuna dry. I put in colander and drain in sink. That is most important. Celery, touch of Dijon, good mayo, squeeze of lemon (to take away fishyness) and onion if preferred. I learned from the Coventry Tea Room sometime in the early/mid eighties. Serve on toast or over bed of greens.
I realize it’s not helpful to not include precise measurements (sorry, salad friends), but here’s mine! Two jars of the Ortiz brand tuna in water, chopped celery (I love a lot of celery), diced onion, capers, pepper, chopped jalapeño (usually one will do), dill, Maille mustard (a tablespoon or more) and the most important thing and please forgive the shouting: DUKE’S MAYONNAISE. Toss and enjoy! Flavors bloom in interesting ways, so I tend to adjust. Looking forward to seeing everyone else’s recipe!
I like a little sweetness in my tuna salad, but I don't like relish. I also like a little crunch, but am not a fan of big chunks of celery so:
One can white, albacore tuna
Small, diced tart/sweet apple (I like Fujis or Pink Ladies.)
One rib celery diced small
Olive-oil based mayo to taste (not too gloopy)
Small squirt of dijon mustard (I like the horseradish kind)
Salt to taste, and a healthy amount of coarse ground black pepper.
I will eat this in a bowl or with chips. I'm weirdly fond of it on Triscuits, as well. I think they hold up really well to the strong flavors and chunky texture. And I've always loved them since I was a kid.
When I don't have any apples around I have been known to sub in dried cranberries, which are damn tasty instead.
Honestly the key for me is salt and vinegar chips—ideally the thick and crunchy kind (Tim’s Cascade, for my fellow PNWies, are the best). Put them in a tuna sandwich, on the side of a tuna salad, crumbled over the top of a salad, whatever. They make everything more delicious and add the best crunch and zip.
Drained can of tuna packed in water,
spoons of mayo,
spoon of dijon,
dill,
lemon juice,
grated carrot,
diced celery.
Served on GF toast, open face with a side of sliced apple or clementine. Cornichon and olives.
I made it up : ) My 34 yr old son likes it so much he just asked for the "recipe".
I've perused the comments and not one of you has gotten the memo....the secret sauce is white horseradish, in addition to chopped celery , capers, a little grated onion, mayo , salt, pepperand a squeeze of lemon. The better the tuna the better the salad. And NO eggs -- eggs are for egg salad!
More of a tip..
I’ve always thought Korean brand tuna tasted better, but then I found out it’s because they use yellowfin tuna.
Canned yellowfin tuna is the way to go. More flavor less fishy at the same time.
Can of tuna packed in water
A dollop of mayonnaise
Chopped pickles
Chopped celery
Chopped carrot
Chopped green onion
Chopped walnuts
Some pepper for seasoning
Serve open faced on toasted multigrain bread
2 cans of tunafish
add to your liking :basically about 1/2 tsp of each ..adjusted to your taste
Siracha
sesame oil
soy
rice wine vinegar
a bit of mayo
pickled ginger
scallions
s&p or everything but the bagel seasoning...
I grew up on my Nana's tuna melts....canned tuna mixed with mayo, spread on white bread, topped with one slice of Kraft American cheese and microwaved for one minute! I do not think I could eat that now, but I still LOVE a tuna melt!
Now, I mix high quality tuna with a good mayo, celery salt, black pepper, petite diced celery and either diced dill pickles or capers (or both!) then spread on fresh bakery sourdough. Either open faced with a mix of cheddar and gruyere melted under the broiler or full sandwich griddled "grilled cheese" style on my flat top. YUM! Time to go make lunch!
I like an Italian-ish tuna and bean salad: oil-packed tuna (not drained), cannellini beans or chickpeas (drained and rinsed), something briny like olives or capers, celery for crunch (optional), parsley, lots of lemon, plenty of salt and pepper, and more olive oil if needed.
I worked for Williams Sonoma and some years ago and taught this salad in a cooking class. It’s excellent. WS sold tuna in oil but it was très Cher!
Tuna and White Bean Salad
★★★★★
Salads
Ingredients:
1 Tbs. plus 1/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt, to taste, plus 1/4 tsp.
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 can (15 oz.) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 small red onion, halved lengthwise and cut into slivers
2 cans (each 6 oz.) tuna packed in olive oil, drained and flaked
2 heads butter lettuce, pale inner leaves only
Directions:
Toast the bread crumbs
In a fry pan over medium heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the bread crumbs and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the crumbs begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, remove from the heat and stir for 1 minute more.
Make the vinaigrette
In a large serving bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, the 1/4 tsp. salt and a pinch of pepper. Gradually whisk in the 1/3 cup olive oil until smooth.
Assemble the salad
Add the parsley, white beans, celery, onion and tuna to the vinaigrette and toss gently to coat evenly. Arrange the lettuce on individual plates and top with the tuna and bean mixture. Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Salad, by Brigit L. Binns (Oxmoor House, 2007).
Source: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/tuna-and-white-bean-salad.html?cm_src=RECIPESEARCH
Hello Emily!!!
My grandmother, Birdie, is the one who taught me tuna salad: white albacore is what she used way back in the 80s and 90s before she died from a stroke (while driving on Nantucket Island). I use the kind in the glass jar--Tonnino-- plain in water, or in oil I love the oregano kind or jalapeño pepper. So here's her recipe: mayo (she went through a weird 80s moment of halving yogurt and mayo--don't do that), lemon juice, salt, pepper, red onion (has to be red), pickles (not negotiable), finely chopped parsley. Served on toasted bread with local crisp lettuce leaves and with a cup of coffee (very important.)
In my family we do all this (I make my own amazing GF sandwich bread. But then we top it with sharp cheddar and broil, sniping the lettuce in that case.)
I don't have much to say about tuna salad -- I'm a new subscriber, so I'm still learning! -- but I just wanted to say I love the subtitle "Official Bulletin" of DOS 😃
Not a tuna salad in the American sense, but Georgia Levy's Nicoise with tonnato sauce has ruined me for other Nicoise https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/mar/26/salade-nicoise-tonnato-sauce-recipe-georgia-levy
I don't know if this counts as a true tuna salad, a tuna melt, or something else, but my super-easy gotta-have-a-quick-lunch is:
English muffin, lightly toasted
top with thinly-sliced red onion
the best oil-packed tuna I can buy on top, mostly drained but with enough oil to slightly season the english muffin
If I'm feeling fancy, some capers on top, maybe a dash of a dried herb mix (Burlap & Barrel's dill/parsley is my current go-to)
thinly sliced cheddar on top
put under the broiler until the cheese slightly melts.
Lately I've been making a Japanese inspired tuna salad. Mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, finely chopped cucumber and or radish, shichimi, black and white pepper, sriracha, lime juice. Mix together and place on a sheet of seaweed. Garnish with green onions, furikake, and sesame seeds. This makes a delicious meal! Can be bulked up with a small amount of rice and then topped with the tuna for a sushi like meal.
That Maldivian tuna salad with coconut, lime juice and chiles? OMG! So delicious. I didn't have any serranos (which would have been prettier) so I used jalapeños, and I had a little cilantro so I chopped that up too. I highly recommend everyone try this!
Tuna in good oil (preferably olive) is the way to live. Whenever I am in Portugal I stock up on tuna from the Azores because I am worth it. I peel open the tin and dump it over freshly steamed new potatoes, toss on whatever herbs are growing on the kitchen counter and a pinch of flaky salt, and do not need much more than that.
(though if I am feeling marginally less lazy, I will chop up some tomatoes or peppers, or steam green beans or fava beans, or open a jar of olives or roasted red peppers, and mix more stuff in there as a tribute to Nicole the German exchange student)
Is it still tuna salad if I mix a can of drained tuna with a cooked box of mac and cheese?
I mix a can of tuna (drained) with a quarter cup of mayo, finely chopped white onion, chopped green onion, one finely minced boiled egg and 1 tablespoon diced celery, pinch of salt and black pepper. This is served with saltine crackers or on whole wheat bread as a tuna sandwich. YUM!
When I am out of fancy tuna, or otherwise having a rough time, a mini-can of tuna in oil gets mixed with a chopped hard-cooked egg, some dill, a blop of dijon mustard, chopped up dill pickle, and enough mayonnaise to make it nice and creamy. Then I eat this out of the bowl with potato chips. Five-star comfort food.
Tuna how I love thee. But first to come clean I am using the world's best tuna from skipper otto in British Columbia, Canada, a sustainable fishery with portraits of the fisherfolk who caught your fish on the can. I am not joking. They ship and the smoked tuna is addictive and leaves the other cans in the dust. It bears no resemblance to Clover Leaf or other fine brands and the investment in the pantry is so worthwhile because you will always have something around to call dinner. I do not own this company nor do I have any financial stake but the product is amazing.
Many faves for this culinary workhouse but I like what NYT Melissa Clark does which is capers, red onion thinly sliced, and fresh lemon juice. This fits into the category of culinary insurance when you're exhausted and you can just dish a scoop on a piece of toast for a snack or lunch. If I have them around I like diced pickles for extra crunch. For some reason when I am eating a tuna sandwich I have a longing for a few potato chips and sometimes the pickles function as a stand in, (like an understudy for a Broadway show). For me the ideal sandwich has a high proportion of lettuce to tuna so there is always a refreshing green experience which lifts the tuna to new heights and adds texture. Maybe extra lettuce could turn this sandwich into a salad for DOS?
If you're really tired you can take this Melissa mixture and combine with some Italian bomba--the fiery red chile paste- and mix it with some pasta for an emergency but sustainable dinner. I look forward to reading the oncoming tuna diaries!
Some delicious variations here but my favourite is the deconstructed sushi roll. Sushi style rice with a gingery, soy, rice vinegar, mirin and sesame oil dressing topped with your favourite sushi fillings - crisp cucumber, ultra fine carrot julienne, edamame … and of course tuna. Mash an avocado with a splash of rice vinegar, a good blob of wasabi and a spoonful of yoghurt or mayo, fold in a tin of drained tuna and a little seasoning and heap it on your bowl with a scattering of toasted sesame seed. Fresh, crisp, soft, chewy, sweet, savoury, creamy and pretty to look at too!
Easiest curried tuna that my 1st grader loves: canned tuna, mayo (we use olive oil mayo), curry powder, salt. Mix super well, add a big tablespoon of sweet relish and stir. Scoop with sweet potato crackers. Chef’s kiss!
my standard tuna salad is light tuna packed in water, drained and mayo, salt and pepper. nothing else.
My mother's pot luck recipe for my entire life is a tuna pasta salad made with red wine vinegar and mayo and oregano. I hated it as a child and now it's my favorite summer lunch.
Here’s my recipe: Drain can of high quality tuna. Dump in bowl. Add some Greek yogurt, Dijon or spicy mustard, sweet pickle relish and black pepper — just eyeball it. Stir and taste. Adjust and add salt as needed. Eat.
My tuna salad story: got a recipe from a neighbor that had cottage cheese, grated cheese, pickle relish, finely chopped celery and onion, lots of mayo, S&P. I tried it and told her, hey I can't taste the tuna....She said she didn't like tuna. :-0
Japanese style. Kewpie mayo, touch of soy sauce, chili paste and green onions. Eaten over rice
Nicoise is a solid solid option. Inspired by Jenny Rosenstrach and fussy kids situation, I put all the separate components in little bowls and then everyone can choose what they like. Potatoes, tuna, olives, tomatoes, green beans, hard boiled eggs, anchovies, maybe lettuce/ rocket. Does make for a lot of washing up - but less shouting from annoyed children.
Pan bagnat is basically salade nicoise in sandwich form. That is LUSH too.
Or tuna and white bean salad, that's good too. Ideally with finely chopped red onion or shallot.
omg what a gold mine! xo
oil packed tuna, not drained. minced capers. finely chopped radishes and celery. shredded carrot. black pepper. finely chopped dill. a dash of dijon mustard. add just enough mayo (1-2tsp) to come together. This is loosely based on the tuna/pan bagnat sandwich we served at a small Capitol Hill cafe in DC.
I do tuna two very different ways, both delicious:
1. Deli style: This must be served on toasted bread, preferably rye. Plain canned tuna packed in water, drained and mixed with plenty of mayo, a teaspoon or so of dijon mustard, a heaping tablespoon of pickle relish, and lots of fresh ground black pepper. Sometimes it needs salt, sometimes not. If I'm feeling energetic, maybe some finely chopped white onion, but not much.
2. Weekend style: This I eat plain or on a bed of lettuce. Fancy tuna packed in oil (e.g. Ortiz or similar), drained mostly but I save some of the oil in case I need to add back a little. Plump up a handful of yellow raisins in hot water and set aside until cool. To the tuna, add finely chopped onion (any variety), red pepper, jarred artichokes, and any other good-looking vegetables I've got. Add back the raisins, squeeze a bit of lemon juice if I have it, and let it sit for bit at room temperature. Add salt and fresh ground pepper as needed right before eating.
I like a Thai-style version I learned from a Nancie McDermott cookbook: tuna, fish sauce (sounds redundant but isn’t), lime juice, tiny bit of sugar, shallots, fresh herbs, sriracha or fresh chilies. Let sit for a while if you have time. Serve in lettuce cups or on rice or crackers.
oil packed tuna; mayo, celery, onion (red preferred), any pickle, and Old Bay...as much as your heart tells you too.
Put it on romaine leaves with some swiss...yum.
Mine is a traditional Southern recipe, but I am here to tell you I just grabbed one from a restaurant I worked at in college and I am having some Proustian moments (shoutout Lunch Box, Knoxville, Tenn!)
I use line caught, packed in oil. I sautée onion and celery. Throw that into a bowl with the tuna. Smoosh it up and add a bit of mayo, Greek yogurt, salt pepper, a little of dill, fresh or dried, whatever is on hand. Finely chop some apple. Mix, mix, mix. Load it onto butter toast, put some sharp cheddar on top, then bake until bubbly. Last bit never least, once it’s done baking. A squirt of Siracha. Mouth flavor bomb perfection!
Jeez! I can’t ❤️quickly enough all the recipes
I used to buy this great olive salad at a deli in my old neighborhood and just mix oil-packed tuna into it, but then I moved, so I had to come up with my own recipe. Chopped green and Kalamata olives, roasted red pepper, shallot, capers, a pinch of red pepper flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. I chop everything in a food processor and stir in the tuna at the end. It's pretty rich, so I tend to serve it as an appetizer on crostini or bruschetta. Lately since I discovered fried capers, I've been leaving them out of the mix and scattering a few fried capers on top. Otherwise, a sprinkle of parsley is a good garnish.
When I make Nicoise salad, I mix the tuna with Martha Holmberg's creamy anchovy vinaigrette, which is a fabulous dressing everyone should make.
I love tuna salad to a bizarre degree. I vary the ways I make it. Sometimes capers and dill sometimes celery and red onion. Lately though I’ve been making “tuna salad” with canned salmon because of mercury which allows me to eat it several times a week. There’s a lot of nice brands of canned salmon now though my heart belongs to tuna.
My grandmother’s macaroni and tuna salad
1 lb of pasta (she used small shells)
I eat it from the tin with a fork while standing over the sink. Does that count?
Good canned tuna, a can of cannelini beans (rinsed), chopped celery, chopped bread & butter pickles, sherry vinegar and olive oil, salt, pepper. That's it! A super delicious and healthy pantry supper. I like it with pita bread, or French bread if I have the foresight to get some.
Jumping in with a Tuna Salad in a sandwich- the Niçoise classic Pan Bagnat.
Available at most bakeries and take out stands in France- ex. autoroute gas stations the ‘Pan’ starts with a big soft bun that will absorb the vinaigrette and the rest is layers of salad goods- lettuce, tomatoes, sliced onions, black olives, capers, hard boiled eggs, etc. Basil leaves are a great substitute for lettuce. Drizzle the olive oil over the bread, stack with salad and tuna, finish with the top of the bun, then smash and wrap. Leave for a couple hours and eat with a glass of chilled rosé on the side of a French country lane. Eh, voila!
I used to love a spicy tuna sandwich from a shop in Brooklyn. It had black olive tapenade, strips of roasted red pepper, slices of hard boiled egg, and tuna mixed with mayo and a seasoning that was orange and spicy... maybe cayenne or paprika? Served on ciabatta. I was addicted to that sandwich.
I base mine off of a mediterranean tuna melt from a restaurant called The Grove in San Francisco. I normally make it with drained oil packed tuna, olive oil, course sea salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, capers, finely chopped red onion, finely chopped stems and leaves of parsley, and a little squirt of kewpie mayo. It's so bright, refreshing, and tangy from the herbs and lemon.
I like it served as a cold sandwich with oven toasted country style sourdough and arugula. But my partner (and everyone else) loves the warm version which is (again) with toasted country style bread toasted in olive oil and butter with extra sharp cheddar and then pressed down into the pan like a grilled cheese with Tuna.
Thank you Department of Salad. One of my favorite foods - but tedious to prepare - but well-worth all the chopping. TUNA SALAD is one of my most favorite of all - but also rare when it's done right.
And also TUNA QUALITY has gone down! Any suggestions here - welcome.
The Tuna must have olive oil - red onions - pickles - curry - and maybe nuts too and cranberries