How to Make Tuna Salad

Do you need a great tuna salad recipe? Whether it's a lunch box sandwich or a Nicoise salad, tuna lovers unite! We'll walk you through several variations on the protein-packed tuna salad and suggest a few additions to the traditional recipe that may be new to you!
Tuna Salad Tips
1. Always drain the oil or water from a can of tuna before using the tuna!
2. Don't be afraid to experiment with different, tangy additions to your salad, like capers or dill.
3. Skip the mayo and drizzle a distinctive dressing over your salad.
4. Add texture by mixing in chopped apples.

How To Make a Salad: Tuna Nicoise

While many people think of tuna salad as a sandwich filling, but tuna can be featured in an elegant French preparation called a Salad Nicoise. The chef in this video demonstrates how to prepare a French salad Nicoise using canned tuna. Clean fresh salad greens are spread on a plate, and dressed with a dijon vinaigrette dressing. The salad includes tuna, nicoise olives, boiled potatoes, blanched green beens, hard boiled eggs, and julienned tomato.

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Introduction

Tuna salad is generally made with canned tuna, but you can substitute leftover cold grilled tuna for an interesting variation. You can use the tuna salad as a sandwich filling, or top a plate of salad greens with a scoop of tuna salad for a quick lunch.
Step 1: Tuna Salad with Mayonnaise
- Some people eat their tuna salad on crackers; some put it in a bowl. But the traditional way to eat tuna salad with mayonnaise is between two slices of bread!
What You'll Need
- Mixing bowl
- Fork
- 6-ounce can of tuna
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 slices of your favorite bread
- Tuna comes packed (and cooked) in water or oil. Some people prefer the taste of tuna packed in oil, but tuna packed in water retains more of the Omega-3 fatty acids that our bodies need.ShapeFit: Tuna Canning: Eating Tuna in Oil vs Tuna in Water
Popular Add-Ins
- We've culled the recipe pages of tuna experts like Bumblebee and Starkist, as well as Martha Stewart, Family Fun and Old Recipe Book to get a list of the favorite ingredients families have added to their tuna salad over the years.Bumblebee: Bumblebee Tuna Recipes Starkist: Classic Tuna Sandwich Martha Stewart: Martha Stewart's Favorite Tuna Salad Sandwich Family Fun: My First Tuna Salad Old Recipe Book: Tuna Salad
- Depending on your taste, you can add any of the following ingredients to your tuna salad:
1. 1 or 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
2. 1 teaspoon of spicy mustard, like Dijon
3. The white of one hard-boiled egg, chopped up
4. 1 teaspoon or less of finely-chopped onion
5. One small stalk of celery, chopped up
6. 1 apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch piecesMartha Stewart: Martha Stewart's Favorite Tuna Salad Sandwich
7. A half-dozen capers, chopped roughly
8. Chopped olives or pickles
9. Salt, pepper, fennel or tarragon to taste
Directions
1. Open the can of tuna with a can opener and drain it. Drain it? Here's how:
  1. Hold the can of tuna upright over the sink.
  2. Hold the lid of the tuna can over the tuna, where it used to be. Push on the lid so that it presses down on the tuna.
  3. Tip the can and lid, so that the excess water or oil runs out of the can, into the sink.
2. Plop the tuna into a bowl and break the chunks apart with a fork.
3. Add all of the other ingredients—the mayonnaise, condiments, egg and veggies—and mix it up good.
4. Smear it on a piece of bread.
  1. Make it as thick as you want—it's your sandwich, after all.
  2. Add some lettuce or tomato, if you like, then put the other piece of bread on top.
5. Eat!
Step 2: Tuna Salad without Mayonnaise
- This type of tuna salad is not meant to be spread on bread. It is typically served in a bowl or over lettuce leaves.
- You still drain a can of tuna and break it into chunks with a fork, but everything else is negotiable. As you might guess, dozens of recipes abound, each with a long list of ingredients. We've included a few suggestions below, but check out the references section of this page for even more ideas.
1. This type of tuna salad begs for the addition of fresh vegetables and savory herbs. Which veggies and herbs make the best combination? Depends on your taste! Here are some examples, with links to complete recipes:
  1. Tuscan Tuna Salad, made with fennel, parsley, tarragon and greensDulcedo Blog: Tuscan Tuna Salad
  2. Tuna Salad Surprise, featuring walnuts and Romaine lettuce in a dressing spiked with ground sunflower seedsWorld's Healthiest Foods: Tuna Salad Surprise
  3. White Bean Tuna Salad uses cannelini beans, arugula, basil leaves and red wine vinegar for a very Italian flavorFood Network: White Bean Tuna Salad
2. Many recipes call for the use of a distinctive dressing. If you want to experiment with making your own, try this basic recipe:
  1. In a small bowl, add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil to an equal amount of lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to suit your own taste.
  2. In a large bowl, fork apart your tuna and sprinkle in the herbs and vegetables you've selected.
  3. Drizzle the dressing over the tuna mix, or toss everything together.
Conclusion
- Now you know that canned tuna is not just for lunch boxes anymore. It's a versatile salad goodie that goes with a variety of different foods, but you can still enjoy your mayo-packed classic!
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