Perfect Tuna Salad

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This classic tuna salad recipe is just what you need for a quick and easy protein-rich lunch or dinner! With the perfect consistency and balance of flavors, enjoy it on bed of lettuce, piled between sliced bread, stuffed in wraps and pitas, scooped up with crackers or toasted in a mouthwatering tuna melt!

What is Tuna Salad?

Tuna salad is a classic dish made from combining canned flaked tuna with mayonnaise and ingredients like celery, onion and pickles. It’s commonly eaten as a sandwich filling but can be enjoyed in a number of ways, which I’ll share further below.  

Tuna salad has its precursors in Europe with early references dating to the late 19th century, but it was in the early 20th century United States that saw the development into what we know as tuna salad today. Specifically, it was the advent of canned tuna during the Industrial Revolution that eventually made its popularity soar. Though its reception was initially lukewarm (in an era where canned goods were still a revolutionary idea, I can imagine the thought of fish-in-a-can wasn’t met with much eagerness), it was heavily marketed as a non-perishable protein during World War I and the public soon discovered that mixing it with mayonnaise, celery, pickles and onions transformed it into something really tasty. Before long, it became a favorite classic throughout the country: Tuna salad sandwiches became New York deli staples, tuna melts became a Midwest tradition, and the South was incorporating it into pasta salads and casseroles. Tuna salad and its cousin Egg Salad have remained two of the most popular sandwich fillings in the U.S..

Tuna Salad Ingredients & Substitutions

This classic tuna salad recipe uses just a handful of pantry staples. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Canned Tuna: You can use use any canned tuna of your choice but I recommend solid white albacore tuna packed in water.
• Mayonnaise: Use homemade or a quality store-bought brand. If you prefer a lighter, lower calorie tuna salad, you can swap out part of the mayonnaise for plain Greek yogurt.
• Dijon Mustard: I vastly prefer Dijon over yellow mustard in tuna salad; it gives it a much more refined taste without being overpowering.
• Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice always does wonders for fish. Its brightness also helps cut through the heaviness of the mayonnaise. You can use white wine vinegar instead, but I prefer fresh lemon juice. Alternatively, you can add some finely minced Preserved Lemons to the salad.
• Celery, Onion and Garlic:  These contribute both flavor and a nice crunchy texture and the garlic adds that nice dose of umami. For the onion you can use red (for color) or yellow onions. You can also add in some chopped green onions/scallions if you like. For a pop of tanginess, you can add some chopped Pickled Red Onions.
• Pickle Relish: Yes, I understand this is controversial in some circles, but in my book it’s a must. If you disagree you can omit it. You can use either Dill Pickle Relish for a slightly tangier option or Sweet Pickle Relish for a milder option. Alternatively, you can finely chopped up dill pickles or bread and butter pickles.
• Parsley:  This cuts through the heaviness of the tuna and mayonnaise and adds a nice contrasting freshness. You can omit it if you prefer or substitute dill.
• Salt and Pepper: That’s all the seasoning this needs. Add it to taste.
• Optional Mix-Ins: I prefer my tuna salads on the simpler side, but some people like to add things like chopped hard-boiled egg or diced Granny Smith apple. Other options include chopped dill, sweet peas, finely chopped fresh or roasted red bell pepper or pimientos or some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. There are also curried tuna salad variations that call for some curry powder, raisins and chopped flaked almonds. For a touch of heat and flavor you can also add a little horseradish. And you can also swap out the tuna itself for salmon and lighten it up a bit with some Greek yogurt or creme fraiche.

What’s the Best Tuna for Tuna Salad?

For the best tuna salad, I like and recommend solid white wild albacore tuna that’s packed in water. Tuna that’s packed in oil it will add heaviness and greasiness to the tuna salad as well as a stronger, fishier flavor. Packed in water, it has a milder flavor and a lighter texture that binds better with the mayonnaise. I especially like wild Albacore tuna for its light and mild flavor and moist texture (e.g., Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna).

Chef Tips

Here are few tips to ensure you get that perfect tuna salad:

• Thoroughly drain the tuna in a fine mesh strainer. This will avoid a watery mayo dressing (which nooobody likes!).
• Canned tuna is usually quite dry and biting into a big chunk of it can leave your mouth feeling chalky. To avoid that and for a pleasantly moist tuna salad you need to thoroughly break up those large pieces into small pieces and mix them well with the mayo dressing so that they’re coated on all sides.
• While your tuna salad can be served immediately, for the best flavor I recommend chilling it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving to give the flavors time to meld.

Tuna Salad Recipe

This recipe comes together in just 5 minutes for a quick and nutritious meal on a busy weekday or weeknight. Here’s how to make tuna salad:

• Thoroughly drain the tuna in a fine mesh sieve or colander.
• Place the tuna in a medium sized mixing bowl and use a fork to thoroughly break the all the chunks into very small pieces. Stir in the celery, onion, garlic, relish/pickles and parsley.
• In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Pour the mayo dressing over the tuna salad and stir it until thoroughly combined.

Chill the tuna salad in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. This makes 4 generous servings.

How to Store Tuna Salad

Store the tuna salad in a covered bowl in the fridge and avoid leaving it out at room temperature for long. It’s best eaten the same day while the contrasting textures and nice and crunchy, but it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Serving Suggestions

This delicious tuna salad is more versatile than one might think! There are a number of ways to enjoy it, here a few ideas:

• Tuna Sandwich: Place lettuce and tomato on bread and pile on a generous amount of tuna salad before placing the other slice of bread on top. Some people prefer their tuna salad sandwiches soft and squishy while others like to lightly toast the bread first for a bit of crispiness. I’ll leave that up to you!
• Tuna Wrap: Wrap the tuna salad in flour tortillas or for a low-carb option it is absolutely terrific in lettuce wraps.
• Tuna Melt: Butter the outsides of bread slices, layer the tuna salad on the inside of the bread slices along with cheese and any other desired toppings. Then cook the sandwiches in a skillet over medium-high heat until the bottoms are toasted an the cheese is melted, carefully flipping the sandwiches over to toast the other side.
• On a Bed of Lettuce: Scoop some tuna salad on top of a bed of salad greens or spinach.  
• Stuffed Celery: For a satisfying low-carb lunch or snack, I like to fill celery sticks with this tuna salad.
• Stuffed Avocados or Stuffed Tomatoes: Cut the avocados or tomatoes in half (hollow out the tomatoes) in half and scoop some tuna salad into the cavities.
• Pasta Salads: Combine it with elbow macaroni for a simple and delicious tuna pasta salad.
• Tuna Casseroles: Use it in recipes calling for canned tuna.
• As a Dip: Serve it with crackers, chips, pita chips, celery and carrot sticks for a snack or appetizer.

Enjoy!

Be sure to also try my Chicken Salad, Moroccan Chicken Salad and Egg Salad!