Is Tuna Salad Good For You
Tuna is an excellent source of protein and is a healthy addition to any diet. However, tuna can become high in fat and calories when mixed with mayo or other dressing ingredients. In order to make a lighter tuna salad sandwich, you can reduce the amount of mayo used in traditional recipes, substitute low-fat or light mayonnaise, or even try a low-fat or low-calorie dressing alternative.
Tuna is also high in sodium unless its rinsed well, so dietary guidelines recommend limiting the daily intake as part of a healthy lifestyle. Its always best to check nutritional labels and compare brands to find the one with the lowest amounts of sodium and fat before purchasing.
How I Make Perfect Tuna Salad: Tips + Tricks
I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make what my family considers perfect tuna salad. I share them below and explain the why behind them in the video where I make this salad.
- 2 cans solid white albacore in water + 2 cans yellow fin packed in extra virgin olive oil
- finely diced boiled egg salted and peppered
- lemon pepper
- sweet & spicy relish
Tuna Recipes For Easy Meals
Need a quick and affordable meal? Try these tuna recipes that everyone will love, using both fresh ahi and canned tuna!
Heres a meal maker thats affordable, easy to cook and shelf stable: a can of tuna. It might sound a little 1960s, but this magic can provides loads of protein and omega 3s, and tastes incredible prepared in different ways. These days you can also find fresh ahi tuna at your local grocery store, which makes meals that come together in a flash. So the next time youre stumped on whats for lunch or dinner? Think tuna. Here are our top tuna recipes from this website, as well as selections from three recipe experts: Imma Adamu from Immaculate Bites, Erin Clarke of Well Plated, and Yumna Jawad of Feel Food Foodie.
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How To Make Pan Seared Ahi Tuna Salad
This Asian ahi tuna salad is prepped and ready in a few simple steps. Simply:
Easy Tuna Salad Recipe
This is, by far, my favorite Tuna Salad recipe ever. In my opinion, its the best ever. I created this tuna fish recipe after falling in love with the Whole Foods deli yellowfin tuna salad.
Their salad was fresh, light and not heavy on the mayonnaise at all. It was packed with tangy flavor and perfectly seasoned.
My version is even better because its made fresh at home and you can adjust the amount of the add in ingredients as you want. Its naturally healthy and loaded with crunchy vegetables like carrots, celery and red onion. My kids just cant get enough.
The ingredient list for this Tuna Salad Sandwich recipe is short and simple.
This is what youll need:
Thats it, season with salt and pepper..youre ready to go!
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Tuna Salad Recipe Collections
A low fat, easy and delicious tuna salad. I can’t believe how much I like this! The recipe can easily be multiplied. Serve on top of lettuce.
Recipe by: MARY4SEEDS
A delicious, filling salad for summer. Use the freshest eggs, tomatoes and olives for best results.
Recipe by: Capucine
Served on a bed of spinach leaves or lettuce – this refreshing salad is worth a try if you want to make something exciting out of a tin of tuna.
Recipe by: Edie Moon
This tuna dish is simple to make and tastes fantastic. Tuna is mixed with eggs, onion, red pepper, olives, celery, pickles and seasonings. This salad creates the most flavoursome sandwiches. It’s also great spread on crackers.
Recipe by: Linda
Is Tuna Salad Healthy
It certainly can be! On its own, tuna is a very healthy protein, containing B6, B12, vitamin A, iron, zinc, magnesium, potassium and omega-3 fatty acids. When buying canned tuna, choose the fish packed in water instead of oil to avoid extra fat and calories.
Like any protein, the nutritional value is determined by how you prepare it. Tuna preparation can vary greatly. You can make it the star of a simple meal, such as tuna wraps, or a contributor in heavier dishes like tuna noodle casserole. For something a bit more different, try this canned tuna sushi recipe.
Don’t miss our favorite healthy tuna recipes.
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Tuna What To Buy And Why
- Now, not only is it delicious, but tuna is so healthy. Canned tuna is high in omega-3 fatty acids. It’s also recommended that one should eat two meals a week of a variety of fish and/or shellfish that’s low in mercury – including tuna.
- When you’re buying canned tuna for salad, use the chunk or flaky kind. It creates a smoother textured salad.
- Water-packed tuna has fewer calories and is milder tasting than the oil-packed kind. However, it you want really good flavored tuna, then choose tuna that’s packed in olive oil.
What Can You Mix With Tuna Besides Mayo
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.
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Recipe Tips And Variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 4 cups of tuna salad, enough for 6 sandwiches .
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Mayo-free: Instead of mayonnaise, try making the dressing with plain yogurt or whipped silken tofu. You can also add lemon vinaigrette .
- More mix-ins: Add a small amount of diced apple , a handful of thawed peas, or a couple of chopped hard-boiled eggs to your tuna salad.
- Lettuce wraps: Tuna salad is delicious wrapped in lettuce leaves or piled on a bed of lettuce.
- Tuna pasta salad: Make a tasty tuna pasta salad by adding cooked macaroni, rotini, or your other favorite small pasta.
- Stuffed tomatoes: Hollow out juicy tomatoes and fill with tuna salad for an old-fashioned, and super-delicious, lunch entrée.
- Ahi Tuna Salad: Is the Ahi tuna looking fabulous at the fish market, or have you got an extra bit of ahi tuna from last nights dinner? Splurge and make tuna salad with it. Cook it through, then flake it up in this recipe.
A Healthier Tuna Salad
A lot people who are on a weight loss diet will turn to tuna because of its high level of protein 3 oz of albacore tuna has 20g of protein but only about 100 calories. However, if youre eating tuna as a traditional tuna salad with mayonnaise, you may be consuming unnecessary calories and fat. 1 cup of mayo has more than 1400 calories and 24g of fat.
This healthy tuna salad is full of flavor, light on calories and super easy to whip for lunch any day of the week! Swap the mayo for greek yogurt and dijon mustard and save those calories for a treat later.
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Tips For Making Tuna Salad Taste Better:
Add something crunchy to give it more texture! Try adding chopped celery or sliced almonds. You can also try swapping mayonnaise with plain yogurt. If youre not a fan of tuna packed in water, Starkist now offers tuna cans in oil and spring water.
If youre up for it, here is another quick and simple recipe thats guaranteed to be your go-to dish from now on! You can change the flavors and ingredients according to what you like. For example: if you hate pickles, swap them out with cucumbers or onions.
Ingredients:
1 can tuna fish packed in water
2 tablespoons plain yogurt or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard, Dijon Mustard, or other preferred flavors
Dash of cayenne pepper if desired
Instructions:
Drain liquid from the tuna can and place fish in a medium bowl. Using a fork, flake fish into small pieces. Stir in plain yogurt or mayonnaise until its evenly combined throughout the mixture. Add desired spices, fresh or dried herbs, lemon juice, salt/pepper to taste. Serve on bread with lettuce, tomatoes, and your favorite toppings.
If youre craving more traditional tuna salad that tastes just like mom used to make, then try this recipe that cooks the tuna for you. With a crispy top and a soft creamy center, its packed with flavor and guaranteed to be a family favorite!
1 can tuna fish packed in water
2 tablespoons plain yogurt or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon spicy brown mustard, Dijon Mustard, or other preferred flavors
Dash of cayenne pepper if desired
Instructions:
Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna Salad Bowl
This Sesame Crusted Seared Tuna Salad is light, fresh, and colorful with hints of sweet and savory flavors from an Asian-style dressing. Its a quick and easy weeknight salad recipe that requires a one-minute sear for delicately creamy tuna every time.
This Sesame Crusted Seared Ahi Tuna Salad recipe is an adaptation from this Asian Tuna Salad that was published back in 2013. I also like to think of it as a fancier tuna recipe when compared to the classic Tuna Melt Sandwich or Chickpea Tuna Salad.
An original Barefoot Contessa recipe, it is one of our favorite salads. Since a lot of people loved the Salmon Nicoise Salad I published a while back, I thought it would be fun to share our other favorite seafood dinner, Sesame Tuna Salad.
Since one of my goals for this year is to incorporate more seafood recipes into my diet, it was time to recreate a classic.
So the other day when I saw these beautiful yellowfin tuna steaks at our local supermarket, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to revisit this recipe. However, this time, with a little more detailed information on how to pick the freshest tuna and a fresh and flavorful recipe.
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Hot Tuna Salad Recipe
Packed with protein and flavor this hot tuna salad is a twist on the traditional sandwich favorite. Just like the hot chicken salad recipe Ive shared, this recipe is the perfect warm lunch served alongside a fresh salad.
I know Ive said this many times, but one of my favorite things about making classic recipes like this hot tuna salad recipe is that Im immediately taken back to my childhood. Packed with tons of protein and flavor this hot tuna salad is super simple to make.
My mom talks of how she made this when she was in college to get an inexpensive, yet filling lunch. The combination of flavors are unique and satisfying. I personally like the pops of flavor from the peas.
Speaking of the peas, I would use canned peas in this recipe. The nutty flavors that come from the canned peas are my favorite in this recipe in contrast to fresh peas.
Tips To Make Tuna Salad
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Ingredients For Asian Ahi Tuna Steak Salad Recipe
The ingredients you need to make this tuna steak salad come in three parts the Asian dressing, the sesame-crusted tuna, and the mixed greens.
- The Dressing: For the Asian seared tuna salad dressing, you will need zest and juice of two limes, soy sauce, Sriracha, garlic and olive oil.
PRO TIP: Make sure to zest the limes with a Microplane before you juice them . Its much easier to zest the rind of a whole lime rather than one that has already been cut in half and squeezed.
- The Ahi Tuna: For the sesame-crusted tuna, gather together the tuna steaks, kosher salt, black pepper, and black + white sesame seeds.
- The Salad Ingredients: Then, prep the salad ingredients including baby arugula, avocado, scallions, and jalapeno.
What To Eat With This Salad
You can eat this salad all by itself but you can also serve it with:
- Toast just but a couple of slices in a toaster
- Baguette is great to eat with this salad
- Dinner rolls are also great to serve with tuna salad
- Crackers are also great to eat with tuna salad
- Soft tortilla as the tortilla can be eaten with everything
Have fun making this healthy salad!
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Blue Ribbons Tuna Salad
Blue Ribbon’s Tuna SaladSee the recipe for Blue Ribbon’s Tuna Salad »Back to Salad Days »
This recipe, calling for fresh, steamed tuna in place of canned, comes from Bromberg Bros. Blue Ribbon Cookbook by Bruce Bromberg, Eric Bromberg, and Melissa Clark . This recipe first appeared in our April 2011 special Sandwich Issue with the article Salad Days.
How To Serve Ahi Tuna Salad
I love to serve this Asian tuna steak salad recipe just as is, with a crisp glass of white wine.
But another option is to serve it as atuna salad bowl over a bed of forbidden rice. The earthy and nutty tones of this kind of rice complement the salad very well.
You can also try any other starch like brown, wild rice, quinoa or even white rice. This is optional, but extremely satisfying on those days when you want a meal a bit more substantial.
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How Do You Cook Ahi Tuna
In this particular case, I used Bumblee frozen cooked ahi for my salad However, you can also purchase fresh or frozen ahi tuna steaks to use in this recipe. Simply pat your fish dry, then season on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. Cook the ahi in a skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil until browned on the outside, yet pink in the interior. This typically takes about 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your tuna steaks.
How To Sear Tuna Steak
Since yellowfin tuna has low-fat content, it can easily dry out if cooked all the way through.
The solution: searing.
Searing the tuna for just 1-2 minutes on each side in a super hot skillet ensures a golden-brown crust and creamy center. Its a simple technique that produces restaurant-worthy tuna every time.
As you will read in the recipe below, after I coat the steaks with toasted sesame seeds, I lightly sear them in a non-stick skillet, only 1-minute on each side.
Plus, just with ceviche recipes, the acid in the Asian ahi tuna salad dressing I am using here will continue to cook the seared tuna steak.
That being said, if you prefer it cooked medium or medium-well, you can sear it up to 2 minutes on each side and let it sit in the sauce for a bit longer. I wouldnt go over 30 minutes, however, as the tuna will cook all the way through and youll lose that ultra-creamy texture.
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How To Make Tuna Salad From Scratch
Use these simple to follow instructions to make this delicious tuna salad recipe from scratch:
Coat the fresh tuna in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Grill the tuna on both sides until dark grill marks have formed and cooked throughout. Chill completely in the refrigerator.
Add all the prepared vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper to a bowl.
Roughly mince the fresh tuna and add it to the bowl with vegetables.
Mix until completely combined and serve or cover and chill until ready to serve.
Freshen Up Your Tuna Salad Recipe With Fresh Tuna Steaks
You may never go back to canned tuna after you make tuna salad with freshly grilled steaks. Fresh, grilled tuna has a richer texture and flavor than canned tuna. It tastes amazing tossed with mayonnaise, lemon juice, and other classic tuna salad ingredients. Since fish cook quickly, you dont have to worry about a long prep time. Youll still be able to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.
If this is your first time buying fresh tuna, here are a few tips:
Pick up fresh tuna at a local fish market like City Fish Market or a grocery store thats seafood counter has a good reputation. Going to a trusted fishmonger is important because you can taste the difference when you get fish thats practically just out of the ocean. Look for Albacore tuna or Yellowfin tuna. Both have a mild flavor thats great for tuna salad. Albacore tuna looks white. Yellowfin tuna is a light pink color. Trust your eyes and nose. Fresh tuna steaks should have a uniform color and look moist but not super wet. If it looks brown around the edges or dry and flaky, it isnt fresh. Uncooked tuna steaks should have little to no smell. If the tuna has a strong fishy odor, thats another give away that it isnt fresh. We recommend 4-ounce Albacore tuna steaks for fresh tuna salad. This recipe calls for three, 4-ounce steaks.
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