Canned tuna is an underrated snack. Its reasonably priced, easy to find and full of protein, omega-3 essential fatty acids, iron and many vitamins and minerals. Although it is tasty on its own, it is even better when mixed with a few veggies and tossed in a creamy, tangy dressing.
This tuna salad is great on buttery crackers, scooped up with ribs of celery or between a few slices of your favorite sandwich bread. It chills great, so it is wonderful choice for lunches on the go.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 15 ounces of canned tuna, 2 tablespoons of red onion, 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro or parsley, 1 rib of celery, 1/2 of a small sweet bell pepper, 1/3 cup of mayo, 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and a pinch of granulated sugar, black pepper, onion powder and celery salt.
Note: The granulated sugar is added to compliment the vinegar, but it will not add any sweetness to the overall flavor of your tuna salad. You can leave it out if you are avoiding sugar though! Also, I love the way that this dressing is seasoned, but if you don’t have celery salt for example, you can omit it or add something else that you enjoy.
Flake the drained tuna into a large bowl and add the finely chopped red onion, celery, sweet pepper and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of mayo with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and a pinch of granulated sugar, onion powder, black pepper and celery salt. Add the dressing and mix until everything is evenly distributed.
Transfer the tuna salad into a bowl or divide it into airtight to go containers.
This tuna salad is one of my favorite weekday lunches. It is so full of flavor and the vegetables add a great amount of crunch to eat bite.
The red onions are tangy, the bell peppers are sweet, the cilantro adds fresh herbiness and celery is such a classic pairing with tuna. The addition of rice vinegar and the seasoning to the mayonnaise adds a great depth of flavor that transforms regular canned tuna into something quite tasty.
Note: If you do not have rice vinegar, I highly recommend you getting some, but you can swap it out for another vinegar. It will change the overall flavor, but will still be tasty! You can also add lemon juice instead of vinegar, if you prefer.
This tuna salad also makes a wonderful tuna sandwich. Using some soft sandwich bread and a few pieces of crisp lettuce, you can enjoy one truly tasty sandwich and if you don’t have bread on hand, you can also put it in a tortilla or over greens.
There are so many ways to enjoy tuna salad and you are going to love this one!
Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 15 ounces of canned tuna, drained
- 2 tablespoons of red onion, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 rib of celery, finely chopped
- 1/2 of a small sweet bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup of mayo
- 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- a pinch of granulated sugar, black pepper, onion powder and celery salt (see notes above)
Instructions
- Combine 15 ounces of canned tuna, 2 tablespoons of finely minced red onion, 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, 1 finely chopped rib of celery and 1/2 of a small finely chopped sweet bell pepper in a mixing bowl
- In a small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of mayo with 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar and a pinch of granulated sugar, black pepper, onion powder and celery salt until combined
- Add the mayo mixture in with the tuna and mix until evenly distributed
- Serve with crackers or bread
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator
