Five simple pantry ingredients are all it takes to make a truly amazing tuna salad! It’s healthy, light, and incredibly delicious, and it’s ready in just minutes!
Tuna: A Pantry Must Have
Let me show you how we’ve been making our tuna salad for generations. This simple yet delicious recipe combines creamy textures with the bold, savory taste of Albacore tuna, making it a perfect choice for sandwiches, wraps, or a standalone meal.
With its customizable ingredients, tuna fish salad is not only a comfort food favorite but also an adaptable dish. It allows you to add your own flair while maintaining its status as a timeless and easy-to-make recipe.
Tuna Fish Sandwich – one of the most underrated sandwiches out there. It’s such a classic recipe that everyone has their own version.
Tuna fish has been a beloved staple in kitchens around the world for generations, and it’s easy to see why. Packed with protein, healthy fats, and an unbeatable flavor, tuna is versatile enough to work in a variety of dishes—from hearty casseroles to fresh salads. It’s a pantry essential, offering both convenience and nutrition, making it a go-to option for quick, satisfying meals no matter the occasion.
As I got older and traveled the country, I found it interesting to see the various takes on tuna salad. The most creative/oddest I had was tuna with creme fraiche, caramelized onions, raw red peppers, capers, fresh dill, and sugar. It wasn’t bad; just different
My Favorite Recipe For Tuna Salad
Like many of you, I took my family’s recipe but tweaked it to be my own. It became the recipe we served at our pizzerias for almost 20 years. I got rid of the “chunks” of raw onions and celery and replaced them with green onions, added herbs to brighten it up, and made it more decadent, dare I say even crave-able?!
Classic Tuna Salad Recipe Ingredients
These are pretty standard ingredients that are in most pantries and refrigerators.
- Tuna – I love StarKist Chunk White Albacore Tuna in water. For this recipe, you don’t want it packed in oil.
- Mayo
- Pepper
- Green Onions
- Dill – THIS IS KEY!
Do I have to rinse the tuna?
We always did this in the pizzeria, and that’s how I was raised.
- Rinsing it helped remove the liquids it was packed in.
- The most critical thing is making sure the liquid is pressed out with it. If not, you’ll end up with watery tuna after a day or two in the fridge.
How to Make The Best Tuna Salad
Gosh, this is so easy and comes together in mere minutes!
- Open up your cans of tuna, dump them into a strainer/colander, and rinse under cold water for 20-30 seconds.
- Use the back of a spatula to press out any remaining water GENTLY.
- Add the mayo, pepper, tuna, and dill to a large bowl.
- At this point, if you’re adding other mix-ins, add them in now.
- GENTLY stir to combine. You want to keep the chunks intact as that gives your tuna salad texture and body.
- Once combined, you can serve and enjoy.
You know, I can make a million different recipes, from the most complex and time-consuming, but there is something perfect about a classic recipe like Tuna Salad.
Seriously, it’s so easy and SO versatile! And DELICIOUS!
Tuna Salad Recipe Variation
I get it; we all don’t like the same things. That’s the beauty of recipes. You can adapt them, for the most part, to fit your diet and taste preferences.
- Meat: If you’re not a tuna fan, go with drained/rinsed chicken, canned salmon, trout, or even sardines (make sure they are boneless/skinless and processed a bit)
- Mayo: Trust me, I have HUGE issues with mayo, and 99.9% of the time, I won’t eat it EXCEPT in tuna salad. If you’re that 100% mayo hater, you can use plain Greek Yogurt, mashed avocados, sour cream, cottage cheese, or hummus. Got the idea?
- Vegetarian: Want it without fish? Go with drained and partially mashed chickpeas or white beans.
How to Serve This Classic Tuna Salad
Gosh, the options are endless, but here are some of my favorites:
- Crackers with cheese (I LOVE Cabot Cracker Cut Cheeses!)
- Sandwich – I love soft rye or Hawaiian sweet bread. Toasted or plain
- Dip – this is great as a dip with veggies, corn chips, pita chips or more crackers
- Wrap – this is great in a tortilla wrap
- Tuna Melt – how can you not make this into a melt? Butter 2 slices of Texas toast and place them on a heated griddle. Brown and flip, adding shredded or sliced cheese, tuna salad, optional pickle/sliced tomato, and finish like a grilled cheese
- Lettuce Cups – add a few spoons of this to Bib/Butter lettuce and enjoy
- Salad – add some spring mix greens, chopped bell peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes, and cucumbers, and place an ice cream scoop portion of tuna salad in the middle
Add-Ins
Yes, I know your Aunt Sally put everything in hers, plus the kitchen sink, and you loved it. That’s OK. Use this as a base recipe and add your favorite stuff.
- Egg – add two chopped hard-boiled eggs to the mix for an even higher protein count.
- Celery – add one rib of minced celery.
- Onions – even though I have green onions, add one minced small red or yellow/sweet onion.
- Bacon – yes, bacon! Add three strips of chopped crispy bacon to it
- Sweet Relish/Pickles – Many delis will add up to 2 tablespoons of sweet relish or chopped pickles to their mixture
- Cheese – I love 1/2-3/4 cup freshly shredded cheese in mine when I’m putting it on warm bread. Any flavor works
What are some of your favorite ways to serve tuna salad?
How to Store Classic Tuna Salad
Tuna salad must be stored cold in an airtight, lidded container. It will last that long in the fridge, but it’s best to eat it within 3-4 days.
You may notice that after a day or two, a bit of water may pool. You can dump that out or mix it into the tuna salad if it’s just a trace amount.
Recipe For Tuna Salad
5 simple pantry ingredients are all it takes to give you a truly amazing tuna salad! Healthy, light, and incredibly delicious!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: ~6 cups
- Category: Healthy, salad, sandwiches, seafood
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: gluten free, Healthy, Keto, seafood
Ingredients
- 3 – 12-ounce cans StarKist Chunk White Albacore Tuna in water, well-drained and rinsed
- 1/2 –3/4 cup of mayo *start with 1/2 cup
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 1/2 teaspoon dill, dried
- 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Empty the tuna fish into a colander. Drain and rinse with cold water for 20-30 seconds. Using the back of a spatula, GENTLY press any remaining water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the mayo and pepper. Next, add the tuna fish, dill and green onions.
- Using a spoon or spatula gently mix to combine. Try not to break up all of the chunks as you want some chunks for texture and body.
- Taste and if desired, add additional mayo. Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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