With so many people going back to work but without the luxury of being able to use their break room microwaves or refrigerators, classic cold lunches like tuna salad are making a comeback! So let’s talk about tuna salad a bit, shall we? Tuna salad doesn’t have to be the gloppy mess you find in a cafeteria. I’ve got a classic tuna salad recipe below, a few tips for making a good tuna salad with plenty of flavor and texture, plus a few modifications to make it your own. So let’s go get it!
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What Makes a Good Tuna Salad?
I think tuna salad gets a bad rap for being gloopy, bland, and smelly. But it doesn’t have to be (well, I’m not sure I can do much about the smell). To make a good tuna salad you want to use good tuna, make a dressing that has flavor dynamic, and add in some crunchies to give the salad some texture, something to chew on. No more bland mush.
What Type of Tuna to Use:
There are several canned tuna varieties to choose from, depending on your needs. “Chunk light tuna” is probably the most common and one of the less expensive options. Chunk light is smaller pieces and may appear a little shredded. “Solid albicore” is more expensive, but you’ll get nice big solid chunks of fish that will give your tuna salad more texture, and it can be a little less smelly. For more canned tuna language defined, check out Tuna Terms You Need to Know from Cooks Illustrated (they have great photos, too).
As for whether you should get your tuna packed in oil or water, that is a personal choice. Oil pack will give you a richer tuna salad, while water pack will give you a less caloric tuna salad. I find oil pack to be messy and difficult to drain, so I choose water pack for that reason alone.
Tuna Salad Dressing:
To give my tuna salad dressing flavor, I make sure to add in a little lemon juice to brighten it up and cut through the heaviness of the mayonnaise. I add a couple sliced green onions to add a little savory layer of flavor, and plenty of freshly cracked black pepper for a pop of flavor. They’re small additions that add up to a big difference in flavor.
Add Texture:
There are several things you can add to your tuna salad to add texture (and flavor). I like to add celery and walnuts. They each have their own “brand” of crunch that really adds to the interest of the tuna salad as you chew (mushy is boring). Here are some other ingredients you can add in to your tuna salad for texture:
- sunflower seeds
- shredded carrots
- pickle relish
- shredded radish
- olives
- capers
- dried cranberries
- white beans
- hard boiled eggs
How to Serve Tuna Salad
The recipe below is for the tuna salad only (not the sandwich fixings) because there are several ways you can serve tuna salad. We’re all familiar with the classic tuna salad sandwich, which is often built on toast with lettuce. You could also serve your tuna salad sans-bread, over a bed of greens, as an actual salad. Sometimes I eat it with just some crackers or celery for dipping, or you can stuff it into a pita or tortilla as a wrap. Also check out my Tuna Salad Lunch Box. Lots of options, all delicious!
Classic Tuna Salad
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 12oz. cans chunk light tuna in water ($3.98)
- 1 cup diced celery (about 2 ribs) ($0.35)
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ($0.30)
- 2 green onions, sliced ($0.12)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise* ($0.40)
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice ($0.04)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
Instructions
- Drain the canned tuna well. Finely dice the celery, chop the walnuts, and slice the green onions.
- Combine the tuna, celery, walnuts, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, pepper, and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine.
- Serve as a sandwich, salad over a bed of greens, or with crackers and vegetables for dipping. Refrigerate up to four days.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Classic Tuna Salad – Step by Step Photos
Drain two 12oz. cans of chunk light tuna in water. Finely dice about one cup of celery, chop 1/4 cup walnuts, and slice two green onions. Add the tuna, celery, walnuts, green onions to a bowl with ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir the ingredients to combine, then serve, or refrigerate up to four days. I do like my tuna salad a little bit dry, so if you prefer you can always add an extra tablespoon or two of mayonnaise to make it a little “softer.”
Serve your tuna salad as a sandwich, a salad (over a bed of greens), with crackers and vegetables for dipping, or stuffed into a pita or tortilla/wrap!
Hmmm it looks so yummy…nice
This is a great, light tuna salad, and was delicious both in sandwiches and on crackers. I think next time I’ll nix the walnuts, since I found it added a bit too much crunch for me, and I might add some more mayo and/or lemon juice, since this was a little dry for me.
Love this recipe and the encouragement to add texture. I followed it mostly (less mayo) + added shredded cheese and Hot Cheetos — this will help me curb some fast food cravings believe it or not! Thanks for the creative, quick recipe.
When I get Smoked Salmon on sale (usually 50%off comes to just over $4.50cdn a package [1.7 oz or 150 grams]) then i chop half of it up and use it in the Tuna with some dill. Talk about a wonderful flavour. The remaining I use with cream cheese and dill for sandwiches outside for lunch with my wife.
That sounds amazing!
Raisins also proved texture and at the same time balance the savory with sweet.
My local Dollar Tree sells cans of Bumble Bee Chunk White Albacore, best bargain tuna around.
That is so lucky!
Tuna salad is delicious. It looks healthy and yummy.
Hello Beth,
I always add a teaspoon of worstershire sauce to my tuna and sardines. Can add more if you enjoy the taste of the sauce. Read this tip some time ago, and it really does help tone down the smell especially in the sardines.
Love your recipes and appreciate the work you put into pricing etc. Thank you for helping me stay on budget.
Can I ask what type of brown bread that is in the sandwich? Looks so good.
Hands down the best tuna salad I’ve had. I added in chia seeds, bacon and shredded cheddar to change it up a bit. Delicious.
I never though to add a bit of acid. I used lime juice because I was too lazy to squeeze a lemon and I had lime in a bottle. It really adds a nice touch! I also add a little dill to my tuna salad along with the pepper.
Mmmm, now I want a tuna melt for lunch!
Celery is evil and needs to die, so I make mine without it. I do add some dijon mustard in for a nice kick. It balanaces out the mayo well.
Agreed re: celery. Blech!!!
I love this recipe. I do leave out the nuts or sometimes use Pecans instead. You can also make it as an inexpensive lunch or dinner and add your favorite cooked pasta. You would have to adjust the mayo for the added pasta.
Super good. Dig the walnuts.
Vegetarians (or tuna-smell-averse readers) can substitute a can of chickpeas, drained and slightly mashed.
I always add some Tony’s to mine–i like the More Spice version.