Tuna Salad

[SaltySnack]

Celery! blech! Celery in tuna salad is an abomination! Can't stand it.

My parents housekeeper makes the best tuna salad. I don't know what she does but it is like crack. I will call her up and ask her to make me some or she'll just regularly think, I haven't made any in a while, it must be time. I think she uses, sweet pickles, usually gherkins and adds a little bit of pickle juice, mayo, usually apples, sometimes chopped up pickles, sometimes hard boiled eggs and I don't' know what else but it's the best. When she delivers it to me, I will live on it morning, noon and night until it's gone.

I appalled my ex-boyfriend when I first met him when I told him that I didn't like fresh tuna only tuna salad.

[Goatjunky]

I eat this on mixed greens at least twice a week. Tuna, little olive oil, good squeeze of lemon, capers, green onion, salt and pepper.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Goatjunky (log)

[SobaAddict70]

I make two kinds depending on how much effort I want to put into it.

The usual -- chunk-light albacore packed in water, Hellman's mayo, onion, celery, salt and pepper.

The "foodie" version -- Italian tuna packed in olive oil, homemade mayonnaise, shallots, celery, capers or chopped pickled peperoncini, salt and pepper.

Back in the other tuna thread, Soba, you mentioned adding chopped sardines and an anchovy to your tuna salad dressing. I have to tell you that I tried it after reading about it, and thought it was a very nice twist.

I've come a long way since the days of chicken breasts and Mrs. Dash, huh?

[eternal]

I find it totally awesome that you didn't have mayo and celery on hand but did have creme fraiche and shallots.

[Katie Meadow]

I do a couple of things that are maybe unusual. The first is that I now use Ortiz Bonito del Norte instead of regular tuna. Please tell me if I am fooling myself, but my understanding is that bonito is a small type of tuna, so supposedly the mercury content is far less. It's pricey, but very good, always packed in oil. I pour off most of the oil.

The other thing I do is to add my lettuce to the actual salad. Very finely shredded romaine gets mixed in to the salad along with mayo and the following, finely chopped: celery, a little red onion, pickled jalapeno. In summer I might add a little chopped tomato, but I prefer the tomato on the side. Sometimes I sprinkle on a bit of sweet smoked paprika. Works great in a sandwich, tuna melt or just on crackers.

I've never put capers in my tuna salad, but I could see that. And the Bayliss recipe sounds yummy. As for celery, well, if I didn't have any celery I wouldn't make tuna salad, I'd just make a peanut butter sandwich.

[Lindacakes]

A. Tuna, chunks of potato, green beans, capers, black olives, lemon, salt and pepper.

B. Tuna, Granny Smith apples, raisins, curry powder, mayo.

C. Tuna, pasta in wheel shapes, peas, onions, olive oil, salt and pepper.

D. Tuna, celery bits, onion, Miracle Whip.

E. Tuna, white beans, onions, olive oil, vinegar.

[kayb]

I had a leftover grilled tuna steak once (go figure; someone didn't show up for dinner!), and the next day, I chopped it up, and tossed it with some leftover brown rice and a dressing of rice wine vinegar, mirin, miso paste and a touch of sesame oil, some ginger and some cayenne pepper. Served it alongside some pickled vegetables. Now, when I'm grilling tuna steaks, I try to always have an extra so I can do this again!

For the canned tuna variety -- canned albacore, drained; sweet gherkins, chopped; hardboiled egg; salt, pepper, a little lemon juice, mayo. Can't abide onions or celery in my tuna. Diced apples and slivered almonds make a nice add for textural purposes. I love a scoop on top of a slab of fresh, red-ripe tomato. Or two scoops and two slabs.

[Blether]

I do a couple of things that are maybe unusual. The first is that I now use Ortiz Bonito del Norte instead of regular tuna. Please tell me if I am fooling myself...

Hi, Katie. 'Bonito' is the same as 'katsuo' is the same as 'skipjack'. I think I remember 'albacore' is the same thing ? Yes, skipjack is a smaller fish lower down the food chain; unlike other large tuna 'ranched' in the Mediterranean, I think it's (worldwide) exclusively wild-caught.

Edited March 24, 2011 by Blether (log)

[toolprincess]

A- Tuna - solid white albacore or just "regular" tuna packed in oil or water (usually water) - mayo, sweet pickles or sweet relish, onions (optional), a small squirt of yellow mustard.

B- Tuna- solid white albacore, mayo, chopped spanish olives with pimentos.

[LindaK]

So many delicous ideas. I need to buy more tuna.

The garbanzo and white bean suggestions made me remember that I'd tried a lentil, preserved lemon, and tuna salad recipe from the Cooking with Dorie Greenspan's "Around my French Table" topic. Here's the pic:

I find it totally awesome that you didn't have mayo and celery on hand but did have creme fraiche and shallots.

You'd be surprised at how long the crème fraiche had been hanging around!

[ChrisTaylor]

One of my favourite things in the world is salad Nicoise. Canned tuna of a reasonable quality, white anchovies (hey, expensive tastes ...), boiled eggs, good tomatoes, cos leaves, olives and, possibly, capsicum and boiled potatoes. And, yeah, I know that purists would question a couple of those vegetables.

[nickrey]

My favourite is Marcella Hazan's tuna and bean salad. Small can Italian tuna in oil. Can of cannelini beans, drained. 1/2 Spanish onion, finely sliced and soaked in water for an hour (change water a few times) then drain. Mix it all together. Add salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil to taste.

My wife normally won't go near canned tuna. She does with this recipe.

[suzilightning]

i never had tuna salad from a can until i was around 25 - and still don't like it much.

we grew up eating "fish salad" which meant any leftover fish flaked up with some celery salt, minced onion, pickle relish - just a touch and make sure you drain it - and some miracle whip. blowfish was a favorite. striper or blue fish not so much.

now a days i like to make a bouillon with some peppercorns, bay leaf, onion and garlic. poach a piece of tuna. when cooled shred then shallots, celery salt(can't eat celery)and some miracle whip.

i do keep a retort package of tuna as a total back up in the pantry.

[Mark Muller]

I like the following untraditional combo:

Canned tuna, healthy splash of olive oil, tiny bit of plain yogurt, a bit of mustard, capers, chopped black olives (preferably oil cured), herbs de provence and salt.

I think of it as "Mediterranean"

[Jaymes]

This should probably go on the "What's the WORST..." thread -- but we like it:

Drain 1 can of the cheapest tuna you can find (rinse if oil-packed).  Dump in bowl.  Add: lots of finely chopped celery, a grated carrot or 2 if small, a splash of lemon juice, some mango chutney (chop fruit if big), a big dose of curry powder, and enough mayonnaise to bind.  Mix well.  Eat as is or chilled, on Thomas's english muffin, well-done, open-face.

I've had tuna on my mind since the recent thread, and remembered this suggestion from a while back to add curry powder and chutney. So over the weekend, dug this out to be sure I remembered it correctly.

Admittedly, I'm a huge fan of curries and chutney, so my experience might not be the same as everyone, but I absolutely loved this. Ate it with crackers. It's very unusual, but really, really good.

[Jaymes]

a problem i always had with tuna at home is that when you realize you want it, you have to make it.  now that's not a big deal, but then you end up eating warm tuna salad, which is pretty disgusting.  one of the many things mrs. tommy has taught me over the years include this little gem:  store the cans of tuna in the fridge, rather than the pantry.  she's brilliant. or maybe that is common knowledge and i'm just thick.  either way, it works.  

Love this tip.

But I'm wondering...

I don't note much discussion in this thread about the tuna itself.

What kind of tuna do you nice folks prefer? Chunk? Light? Dark? Packed in oil? Water? A name brand? Whatever's on sale? Does it matter?

My son-in-law (who shall go nameless) always buys whatever tuna is on sale, packed in water. I've never said anything, but I think his tuna salad turns out watery, with a pretty bland flavor.

They have a big family, and I know it's too expensive to fill up those kids with tuna sandwiches made with imported Italian tuna packed in good olive oil, which is what I buy when I'm making tuna salad just for myself, but I'm wondering...

What are y'all's thoughts about types, brands, oil vs water, etc.?

[suzilightning]

JAYMES i like the individual retort packs of light tuna for tuna salad if i'm not using freshly cooked.

i have used oil packed in the past but found it was too......something. i can't put my finger on it but i didn't care for the flavor/consistency.

[toolprincess]

If I am going to add mayo I usually go for tuna packed in water. I go back and forth about whether I prefer solid white or mixed tuna for sandwiches.

Edited to add: I do prefer solid white for my mayo and green olive tuna salad.

Edited April 6, 2011 by toolprincess (log)

[C. sapidus]

Tuna salad with mayo, Sriracha, and “Southern how chow-chow.” The chow-chow substituted for my usual sweet pickle relish. I often add curry powder, but did not this time.

[BeeZee]

Bruce, that looks yummy, I like pickle-y things with my tuna salad if it is mayo-dressed.

[C. sapidus]

Thank you, BeeZee. I agree about pickle-y things with mayo. To my taste, the acid from the pickle juice also adds an essential something.

[toolprincess]

After reading through this thread I decided tonight to try an amalgam of the ideas and made this combination:

Can of tuna packed in olive oil (drained excess oil off)

Enough Duke's mayo to hold it all together

2 chopped spanish olives stuffed with pimento

2 cripps pink apple slices peeled and chopped

1/4 of a cup or so of shredded lettuce

Mixed it all together and ate as sandwich on wheat bread. Not bad, the only change I would make in the future was to use granny smith apples as they have more tartness.