How To Make This Recipe
Let me show you how easy it is to whip up this yummy lunch! Once you have all of your ingredients out and ready to go, tuna fish salad is as easy as stirring everything together in a large bowl.
Full, printable instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
My favorite way to serve tuna salad sandwiches is on fluffy, buttery croissants, but I also often enjoy this salad mixture with whole wheat bread or crackers.
Is Canned Tuna Healthy
I say, yes! Canned tuna is an excellent source of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals and is low in saturated fat. Ounce for ounce, tuna is lower in calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than even the leanest cuts of beef and chicken.
I feel that canned tuna definitely deserves a spot in a healthy, balanced diet. Just be sure to moderate your intake as large sport fish, like tuna, are known to contain mercury.
Simple Canned Tuna Recipes
Looking for an easy and convenient lunch? These canned tuna recipes are just the ticket!
Youll be absolutely amazed at how you can turn boring canned tuna into scrumptious entrees.
From salads to casseroles to pizza, these dishes are so delicious, you wont believe they came from a can.
Transform canned tuna into show-stopping gourmet dishes with these easy-peasy recipes. Lets get cooking!
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How To Make Tuna Salad Without Mayo
Prep the ingredients. Slice your celery, chop your onion and peppers. Grate your carrots. Open and drain your cans of tuna. Place them all in one big mixing bowl.
Make the dressing. Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, herbs and salt in a small bowl or mason jar.
Mix the salad. Pour the dressing into the mixing bowl and mix with a fork until the salad is combined. Adjust the seasoning to your liking with salt and pepper.
If You Get Tired Of Tuna
If you hate canned tuna and are reading this far , of course you could substitute the tuna for rotisserie chicken or thin strips of steak for an equally as quick and delicious salad.
I actually cant believe I wrote such a long post about a simple salad like this one. I guess I really do think its that good.
I hope you try making this simple tuna salad for dinner one day soon! If you do, let me know in the comments below what you thought. Maybe it will become your favourite tuna salad, too!
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How To Serve Tuna Salad
For me, the next best thing to a plain ol tuna sandwich is a tuna melt. Thats a grilled cheese sandwich with tuna salad. Slap some cheese on the sandwich, butter the bread on the outside, and grill it in a pan until the bread is crisp and golden, and the cheese melts.
You could do something similar with a tortilla, too. Just place cheese in the center, top with tuna salad, fold it like a burrito, and grill it to seal it. But theres more! Make a wrap with pita or flatbread and add some greens and sliced tomatoes or cucumbers.
You could also serve this as a true salad on top of greens with some extra vegetables to round it out.
Tuna salad makes a simple mid-afternoon snack when paired with crackers or spread onto celery sticks. You can also take the virtuous route and top your greens with a scoop of tuna salad for a healthy lunch.
How To Make Tuna Salad Is Really Easy Today We Are Sharing A Quick And Simple Salad Recipe
This salad is one of those simple things in life because it is easy to make, fast, low-carb, and delicious. Ready to learn how to make the best low-carb tuna salad? Join me in the bistro kitchen!
There are a lot of ways to make tuna salad. The secret to a good salad is to not saturate it with a ton of mayonnaise but just enough to enhance the flavor.
Tuna is a great ingredient when you grill it on the barbecue. It also works great in a salad. You can use it as the main ingredient.
This is a very cheap salad recipe. The cost of a can of tuna is really low. It also fits great in a keto diet or low carb lifestyle.
It only contains 6.6 grams of carbohydrates. So if you are on a low carb or Keto diet you can definitely eat this salad.
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Drain And Flake Canned Tuna
Draining and flaking canned tuna properly is a life skill. You do not want watery or not fluffy tuna salad.
Here is how I open, drain and flake tuna salad:
- Prep: Get large bowl ready. I like glass one with a plastic lid. Work with 1 can at a time. Open can of tuna completely.
- Drain until dry: Holding onto lid, flip the can and drain into the sink while pressing hard on the lid.
- Flake: Using a fork, remove tuna from a can into a bowl and flake.
You can also add all 4 cans into a bowl and flake with a hand mixer.
There Are Two More Things That I Always Make Sure Of When We Have This For Dinner:
And that in my mind is the best tuna salad recipe one that you can throw together in 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how fast you grab things out of the fridge and throw them in the bowl.
It really doesnt matter if you dont have one of the ingredients you can see here in the photos. Make your own version and it will still be pretty, healthy and delicious.
This is also a surprisingly filling meal. You only need a little bit of each ingredient to make a gigantic tuna salad!
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How To Make The Best Tuna Salad
When I was little, my two favorite foods were macaroni and cheese and tuna salad and now that Im adult, things havent changed all that much. When it comes to making tuna salad, we do our best to keep things really simple. Let me walk you through how we make it.
Canned tuna: We buy canned albacore tuna thats been caught with hand-operated pole-and-lines. We also prefer the cans with tuna thats been cooked in the can. This tuna tends to be more succulent and retains all of its natural juices and fats. Brands that dont can tuna this way, cook the tuna first and then can it, which means that much of the natural juices and fats get lost. Thats why you will often see tuna canned in water or oil. When the tuna is cooked right in the can, there is no need for the extra water or oil. On that same token, when you buy tuna thats been cooked in the can, there is no need to drain it before making tuna salad.
A note about buying tuna and other seafood: There are lots of options when it comes to canned tuna and to be honest, there are some pretty unfortunate choices available. We try our best to eat as sustainably as possible and find that the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch is helpful in figuring out which species are endangered as well as the best fishing practices to look for when buying seafood.
More simple salads: I love this simple chicken salad, our easy egg salad and when I have avocados in the house, I make this avocado egg salad.
More Tuna Salad Ideas
- Egg: Growing up, my mom would often make us tuna salad with egg. You can do this by mixing some chopped hard boiled egg into your tuna salad. Its like a tuna salad and egg salad in one, and it is delicious! Plus you get even more satiating protein when you add hard boiled eggs to your tuna sandwich.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice is a classic tuna salad ingredient. It brightens up the flavor of tuna salad.
- Mustard: Do you like your tuna salad with Dijon mustard or yellow mustard? Mustard is another way to add a different flavor dimension to your tuna fish.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs are a great way to change up the flavor of tuna salad. Try parsley, dill or chives.
- Avocado: Avocado can act as a binder and replace the mayo or Greek yogurt in tuna salad. Its a great way to add healthy fat and flavor! Using avocado instead of mayo or Greek yogurt makes dairy-free tuna salad.
- Vegetables: Try adding finely chopped crunchy veggies such as carrots, bell pepper or cucumber for extra crunch and to add more nutrition to your tuna salad.
- Apple: Chopped apple adds a surprisingly delicious sweet twist to this tuna recipe.
- Chickpeas: Either mashed or coarsely chopped, chickpeas can help to stretch your tuna fish so you can use less tuna and get more tuna salad. Chickpeas are a great source of vegetarian protein.
- Capers: Capers add a salty, briny flavor to tuna salad.
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Whats In Tuna Egg Salad
This recipe is pretty much a mashup of two lunch time favorites: classic tuna salad and a creamy egg salad. The best of both worlds in one bite!
What I love about tuna salad with egg is that I almost always have all the ingredients on hand. Heres your chance to get creative try sprinkling in some herbs, such as fresh or dried thyme leaves, dill weed, Old Bay seasoning or black pepper.
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Healthy Tuna Salad Vstraditional Tuna Salad
Is a tuna salad healthy? If I could have a penny for every time I have been asked that question!
Traditional tuna salad has 1 cup of mayo that adds over 1600 calories and 24 grams of fat. Im not here to tell you mayo is bad. Quality mayo like an avocado oil one or organic mayo in moderation is fine. This healthy tuna salad uses a touch of mayo combined with greek yogurt, you still get amazing taste but at a fraction of the calories and fat.Another healthy consideration is that there is mercury in tuna. Yes, there is. Especially in albacore tuna 3 times more than other varieties. But good news is that albacore tuna is more expensive, so I dont buy it and you dont need it for this healthy tuna salad recipe. And other good news is that we dont eat tuna salad even every week, so moderation is in check. Healthy tuna recipes are high in healthy Omega 3s and protein.
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Faqs And Tips For Making The Best Tuna Salad
Can you eat canned tuna raw?
You can definitely eat canned tuna without heating it. Tuna is cooked before its canned so it really isnt possibly to eat raw canned tuna.
Is canned tuna healthy?
Absolutely! Everything is healthy in moderation, but tuna is a lean protein and works in many different recipes, so its a great choice for a healthy meal. Since its a large fish, it tends to be high in mercury, so you should be cautious not to eat too much, too often.
What can I mix with tuna instead of mayo?
Instead of using mayonnaise in your tuna salad, you can use a simple olive oil based dressing like this one that uses lemon juice and Dijon mustard.
What can you eat tuna with besides bread?
You can serve this tuna salad recipe on a bed of lettuce, in a tortilla wrap, on your favorite bun, or even in a lettuce wrap.
More Easy Fish Dinners
- Liking the fishy vibe in this post? This lemon butter salmon with potatoes and asparagus is another popular recipe on the blog. If asparagus is out of season, just substitute with broccoli!
- Want even more fish recipes? You have to try this Greek baked fish!
- You have to make these crispy salmon fish cakes. You only need potato, fish, and a few fresh herbs and other yummy flavours, Delicious!
- Crispy fish pie!
- This jerk salmon with yogurt potatoes is the wild card recipe a little bit different, but a really delicious way to serve salmon, especially in the summer.
- Last but definitely not least, this lemony tuna spaghetti recipe is a crowd pleasing pantry meal that you just have to try.
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Its Not Really That Crazy A Combo
Sugar and fish? You may be thinking that sounds really weird and more than a little gross. Unless, of course, youre a big fan of Asian snacks such as Tazukuri or Filipino sweet pusit adobo, made with squid, soy sauce, and sugar. Sugared fish is a thing in Europe as well, as the most popular method in Sweden for preparing the cured salmon known as gravlax involves using a blend of sugar and salt .
Still not convinced? Well, surely you believe the cooking experts at Americas Test Kitchen, dont you? A YouTube video of theirs offers tips to make your pan-roasted fish beautifully browned, and tip number two is to sprinkle a little sugar on your fish fillet before cooking it. The sugar will allow the surface of the fish to caramelize at a temperature of about 100 degrees lower than where it would do so on its own. This not only gives the fish a nice, crispy crust but keeps the interior moist and tender.
While they werent exactly making tuna salad sandwiches, the point stands that sugar added to fish does not necessarily equal weirdness, and it is completely suitable for your tuna salad.
Homemade Hard Boiled Eggs
Thats it, your canned tuna salad is ready! However you want to eat this will depend on your diet and your macros that day. Here are some of my favorite tips for this recipe.
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Tuna Salad: A Simple Pleasure
I have memories as a child sitting atop Mt. Chocorua in New Hampshire with my camp friends after a days climb. Lunch was always oranges and tuna or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And for dessert? Well, lets just say a Hershey bar never tasted so good!
And now, in these times, that sandwich brings just as much pleasure . Spare me the bells and whistles Ill get to them in a minute.
Right now, a classic tuna salad sandwich is all Im after. That means canned tuna, mayo, celery, lemon juice, and if you like, red onion. Period. Slather it on some good bread and Im that happy camper again. In fact, Im taking my sandwich out to the back porch to eat in the sunshine.
How Long Does Tuna Salad Last In The Fridge
Tuna salad can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week. And of course, sandwiches are just one of many dishes you can make with tuna salad. Mix in some macaroni for an easy pasta salad side dish, or pack it into avocado halves or scooped-out tomatoes for a gluten-free lunch. A few spoonfuls of tuna salad with crackers is also one of my favorite afternoon snacks.
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What Can I Use In Place Of Mayonnaise In Tuna Salad
While mayonnaise is almost always linked with tuna salad, it has no special powers that make it the only option for tuna salad magic. Mayonnaise is used to smooth out the tuna salad and bind the ingredients together, but these alternatives work just as well:
- Mustard
As you can see, the options are almost endless.
How Much Canned Tuna Can I Eat
You may have noticed that there are different opinions about how much tuna you should eat. Some sources state that one can weekly is fine, other sources say that you have to eat three cans of tuna every day for 6 months before there will be any adverse effects. Either way, Tuna doesnt need to be a staple of your diet. If youre not eating canned tuna all the time, its a great option for an occasional meal.
The concern with too much canned Tuna is the mercury levels. Again: if youre not eating it ALL THE TIME, youll be just fine.
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
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