Tuna Salad

[fierydrunk]

mmmmm...where to start?

I think I want to try to green apple version but, pardon my new to the kitcheness, what is "brunoised"?

[Malawry]

Itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny exactly cubic dice.

Lovely to marvel at, difficult to accomplish until you've got some serious knife skills under your belt.

[rlibkind]

David Rosengarten has a great recipe, and the key component is celery -- lots of it, diced practically to invisibility. I use light tuna, preferrably the Italian-style packed in olive oil. Other than mayo, that's all I'll use in this variation, though I'll frequently do it differently with whatever pickled/fresh veggies are handy. Capers never hurt, either.

[Toliver]

Some other tuna discussions:

Tuna Fish Sandwiches!, Well....do you or don't you?

Pickles in tuna salad, One of the many things I don't get

(yes, I add diced dill pickles )

[KatieM]

When I worked at Ortanique, sometimes we'd have extra fresh tuna on hand that we didn't sell. One of the cooks would roast it until just well-done, dice it, and combine it with a bunch of brunoised goodies for tuna salad: red onion, celery, carrot, and GREEN APPLE. Fresh mayo and a spot of mustard. We'd eat it on toasted baguettes with lollarossa lettuce and manchego cheese. Definitely a favorite staff meal!

Oh man . . . where's the drooling smiley? That sounds phenomenal! I could definitely eat that every day.

Now don't stone me, but I put sweet pickles in mine, plus a splash of the juice! My mom always did that, and I just kind of like a little sweet in there. I do it do egg salad, too. And I put grapes in my chicken salad. Ducking under my desk dodging punches now . . .

Always toast the bread. Toasted pita is very nice. Although, I really like chicken salad on a croissant. Different animal, that chicken salad though.

[cakewalk]

And don't forget the potato chips!

[LindaK]

I’ve never given much thought to tuna salad. Good canned tuna, mayo, chopped celery leaves (NOT chopped celery), salt and pepper, maybe a squeeze of lemon.

Tonight I came home with an inexplicable craving for tuna salad. No mayo or celery in the house. A quick Eatyourbooks search turned up a recipe in Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table for “tuna rillettes.” It’s basically a tuna salad made with chopped shallots, curry powder, and crème fraiche—and oddly, I had them on hand. It really hit the spot. And it made me realize that that there might be other tasty variations of tuna salad out there.

How do you make tuna salad?

[Chris Hennes]

In Rick Bayless's Fiesta at Rick's he's got a recipe for Atún en Escabeche de Chile Jalapeño (Tuna in Jalapeño Escabeche) that has become my go-to tuna salad. It's almost more of a pickled jalapeno salad with some tuna in it. You start with sauteed onions, then add chopped picked peppers and a can of tuna. It's awesome.

[gfweb]

I do something similar. Canned tuna, mayo, chopped bottled jalapenos with some of the juice added. Its still mostly tuna, though the peppers and juice give it a nice bright taste. Broiled as an open faced sandwich with some cheese on top is really nice. I can imagine making mini sandwiches for canapes.

[LindaK]

I do something similar. Canned tuna, mayo, chopped bottled jalapenos with some of the juice added. Its still mostly tuna, though the peppers and juice give it a nice bright taste. Broiled as an open faced sandwich with some cheese on top is really nice. I can imagine making mini sandwiches for canapes.

Yum, I love the idea of jalapenos and tuna. This sounds like a great variation of a tuna melt. Tuna melt topics: here and here

[faith]

Mine's tuna, apples, celery, a few currants, mayo, Worcestershire, salt & pepper, parsley, maybe a little relish or chopped capers, maybe lemon zest. I think that's the universe. And as dry as possible while still holding together.

[LindaK]

Apples and capers, wow--sweet, salty, crunchy, love it. Does it work for a sandwich or is it more suitable as a plated salad?

[faith]

I like it better as a plated salad, but I've never been much of a sandwich person (unless it's peanut butter. go figure). I've served the tuna salad at lunch meetings as a sandwich component, and most people other than me seem to eat it with bread.

For contrast, I do something similar with cranberry relish and turkey after Thanksgiving; I think that goes further toward defaulting as a plated salad rather than a sandwich (even when other people are eating it).

[gfweb]

Mine's tuna, apples, celery, a few currants, mayo, Worcestershire, salt & pepper, parsley, maybe a little relish or chopped capers, maybe lemon zest. I think that's the universe. And as dry as possible while still holding together.

nice

[LindaK]

And as dry as possible while still holding together.

I'm on the fence here. In a sandwich, anyway, I don't like dry tuna salad.

[Pierogi]

I usually like a little chopped dill pickle, onion and bell pepper in mine. Along with mayo and Dijon. *MAYBE* a slight drizzle of Crystal hot sauce.

Or, instead of the dill pickle, cornichons and capers. Or even pickle relish in a bind, but since I usually only have the dill pickle relish in the house, its essentially the same as a dill pickle. Scallions sometimes instead of the onion.

The curry powder is a nice, different touch, and I'm loving the idea of the sweet/savory ideas, like the apples and the currants.

And Bayless' tuna escabeche that Chris H. talked about makes a killer tostada.

[merstar]

Canned solid white tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, hot sauce, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped sweet onion.

Also with mayonnaise, chopped sweet onion, and horseradish.

[RWood]

Basic for either added to pasta shells for a cold salad or a tuna melt:

tuna, lemon juice, dill, green onion, s&p, mayo.

Another favorite was called tuna waldorf from a small lunch place I used to hit: tuna, chopped apple, walnuts, celery, lemon juice, red onion, mayo.

I used to make one with chopped green olives that was good too.

[...tm...]

One of my favorite really healthy dishes is an Italian tuna and white bean salad. It's just olive-oil cured tuna, white beans, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, and lots of parsley. It is also really flexible--I've made it with different beans, other seasonings added (sumac is great) and other herbs or arugula.

[HungryC]

I had tuna for lunch yesterday. Solid white tuna packed in oil...drain the oil out of the tuna, mix w/a T or so of tahini, one minced clove of garlic, and a large handful of chopped parsley. Stir the dressing together w/the tuna & a drained, rinsed can of chickpeas. Add cracked pepper (I don't add salt, as the canned stuff is already pretty salty). Especially good w/toasted olive bread.

[rooftop1000]

One of my favorite really healthy dishes is an Italian tuna and white bean salad. It's just olive-oil cured tuna, white beans, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, and lots of parsley. It is also really flexible--I've made it with different beans, other seasonings added (sumac is great) and other herbs or arugula.

I have done this as a crostini for party appetizers, maybe with a strip of roasted pepper or chopped olive on top.

Also makes a tasty pasta topping when you are trying to prove you Can make dinner out of what is laying around LOL

tracey

[Blether]

The one I improvised decades ago and stuck with for years went: tuna, pour off the oil or water; mayo, seed-y moutarde de meaux, white wine vinegar, garlic salt, ground black pepper, Lea & Perrins. A bit of the oil added back in, maybe.

Recently I like to use grated onion, and generally to follow the will o' the wisp at the time for the seasonings, but I've pretty much always used mayo. I too like some of the new thoughts I've read in this thread.

[C. sapidus]

Bayless recipe sounds like something I need to try.

Go-to quick tuna salad: Drain tuna and mix with mayo, a big squirt of Sriracha, and curry powder. Add sweet pickle relish, maybe a little grainy mustard, and serve on toasted and buttered bread. Top with crunchy Romaine lettuce if available. Maximum enjoyment for minimal effort.

If you have a little more time, Madhur Jaffrey has a nice recipe for tuna ki kara (curried tuna - click).

[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.

[Jaymes]

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.