beth's best tuna salad $4.12 recipe / $1.03 serving
I think I might have been at least 18 years old before I realized that you could add more to canned tuna than just mayonnaise... and when I did, a whole new world opened up in front of me! So, this recipe goes out to all of you who have never wandered outside of the tuna box.There are many directions that you can take tuna salad and I like just about every one of them, but I always come back to this basic recipe. I love the addition of lemon juice because it provides just a little bit of tang to cut through the creamy mayo. The celery and walnuts add a variety of texture in every bite and the green onions make everything savory without the harsh bite of yellow onion.
What is your favorite way to prepare tuna salad? I'm always up for trying something new!
p.s. Always check (or calculate) the price per ounce on items like tuna. I noticed that the larger cans were actually more expensive per ounce than buying multiple smaller cans! This is probably due to a supply vs. demand.
Total Recipe cost: $4.12
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Cost per serving: $1.03
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 0 min. Total: 10 min.
| INGREDIENTS | COST | |
| 3 (5 oz.) cans | chunk light tuna in water | $2.16 |
| 3 stalks | celery | $0.46 |
| 3 whole | green onions | $0.15 |
| 1/4 cup | chopped walnuts | $0.42 |
| 1 med | lemon | $0.32 |
| 1/3 cup | light mayonnaise | $0.56 |
| to taste | salt and pepper | $0.05 |
| TOTAL | $4.12 | |
STEP 1: Wash the celery and green onions. Cut the celery into very small pieces by slicing each stalk into 4-5 thin strips lengthwise and then cutting across (see photos). Slice the green onions thinly. I like to use both the green and white ends for this recipe.
STEP 2: Combine the celery, green onions, chopped walnuts, juice from half of the lemon and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl. Drain the tuna well and add to the bowl.
STEP 3: Add mayonnaise until you have your desired consistency. I used approximately 1/3 cup. Stir until everything is combined. Give the mixture a taste and adjust the salt, pepper and lemon juice to your liking. Serve immediately or chill until ready to eat.
Eat tuna salad on a bed of baby spinach or in a sandwich made with fresh no-knead focaccia!
Step By Step Photos
Cut the celery into very small pieces. To do this easily, cut each stalk into manageable segments about 5-6 inches long. Cut each segment lengthwise into 4-5 thin strips. Then, cut the strips across and you'll have nice tiny pieces.
Don't let the rest of the celery in the bunch get rubbery and go bad in the bottom of your fridge... Take five minutes to clean it off, slice it and throw it into freezer bags. The next time you make a soup or stew, you'll have celery ready to go.
Combine the celery, green onions, chopped walnuts, juice from half a lemon and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl.
Drain the tuna well and add it to the bowl.
Add mayonnaise until you have the texture that you want. I used about 1/3 of a cup. And as far as light mayo goes, I'll only use Hellmann's, all other brands taste nasty and I'd rather use regular.
Tuna on herb foccacia = BEST SANDWICH EVER.
Post your favorite tuna salad add-ins in the comments below!
31 comments:
I like making mine with half mayo, half dijon mustard. I know it sounds weird, but it gives it that nice kick that I want and doesn't make it bland! I also like to add garlic!
I normally use mayo (the Olive Oil Hellmann's - I can't stand light mayo of any kind), brown mustard, and relish! The relish helps me cut down on how much mayo I use. Sometimes I'll put in some hard boiled eggs too!
I love your blog! mmm I love tuna! it's a match made in heaven :D My favorite way to make it: Can of great northern beans, can of tuna, lemon juice from one lemon, garlic powder, onion powder, two ripe avocados. Mix all together and eat with a fork, or chips :) It's like guac but with beans and tuna...YUM!
OMG, Bec... that sounds like HEAVEN. I must try it immediately!
Yummy! My usual tuna salad is very similar, except I've never tried walnuts in it. I tried your focaccia earlier in the week and it was awesome! I'm going to mix up another batch of dough tonight and try to make pizza with it. Yummy :)
omg i love tuna salad... i went on a diet a few yrs ago and i had to ban it and it was the saddest thing ever... until i discovered MUSTARD based tuna salad! i like to put honey mustard, relish, curry powder and red chili flakes... and whatever else is crunchy in the fridge, i like to put cucumbers in if i have them!
i know it sounds totally weird... but dont knock it til you try it! :p
One of my favorite variations of tuna salad is to add Miracle Whip, apples, sweet pickle relish, and walnuts.
I miss sandwiches -- they just aren't the same with gluten-free bread.
But when I make tuna salad, I gotta have celery seed. OM NOM NOM NOM!
I love sprinkling a bit of dill and sour cream into my tuna salad. Delicious!
In college I found myself with one can of tuna, one slice of bread, and a little bit of raspberry vinaigrette in my fridge. Light bulb! I added the salad dressing (about half a tablespoon) to the tuna and it was delightful!
My favorite is to mix the tuna with minced onions, chopped jalapeno, chopped cilantro and sometimes tomato with lots of fresh lime juice - then to eat it on tortilla chips with a dash of hot sauce. Quickie lunch of champions! Thanks for your wonderful blog - you inspire me all the time.
Tuna + avocado = yummy.
My favorite is tuna, mayo, green onion, cilantro, pickled jalapeno, and celery. It needs to sit in the fridge for at least an hour for the flavors to meld.
One trick I learned is to buy the mega cans of tuna from Sam's or Costco. Use how much you want and freeze the rest in freezer bags. I freeze the plain tuna, not the tuna salad. I can buy
the large cans for under $7. It is quite a saving compared to the smaller cans. I really enjoy your blog.
Celery is an absolute must. I also love to add pickles and cucumbers, though I'd probably enjoy adding any veggie to tuna salad =)
Tuna, mayonnaise, vinegar and salt.
Perfect base tuna that tastes fantastic and you can append more ingredients after but judging by the taste, you won't.
Sour cream instead of all mayo is nice and adding mustard definitely gives more flavor. Red pepper is also another way to add flavor without salt. Totally agree with the celery, if it was chicken salad I'd add cashews and apple pieces.
I tried your walnut idea. Didn't do much for me.
My standard is tuna, mayo, dijon mustard, capers, celery, and sweet (or India) relish.
You forgot the baby lettuce and the bread in your costs!
omg, this post made me so hungry! and its only 9am so way too early for tuna (plus I don't have any in my cupboard). My best friend's babysitter made the most amazing tuna for us growing up. I think it involved a bit of dijon mustard, some fresh dill and pickled relish. There may have been water chestnuts in there for crunch too.
My mom used to make the best tuna salad with mayo, curry powder, crunchy chow mein noodles, celery and golden raisins. It was awesome.
For something different, I'll do mine with a little mayo, sliced almonds, and crushed drained pineapple in a pita pocket. Seasoned with whatever ya throw in, its yum.
Mayo, hard boiled egg, and giardiniera.
I tried your tuna salad recipe today and it was amaaaazing. I've had two cans of tuna sitting in my fridge FOR EVER just waiting to be used up, and I had all the rest of the ingredients on hand as well. Ate it on some leftover no-knead foccacia (which I made on Thursday to serve with some clam chowder) and it was delightful! I will totally make this again and again. I also threw in a dash of smoked paprika and it made it so yummy!
I make my tuna salad with plain yogurt instead of mayo. I also add dill pickle relish (I'm not a fan of regular relish, but dill pickle relish is sooo good).
I usually make mine with sweet pickle relish, fresh ground black pepper, minced onion, garlic powder and mayo. Lots of each thing makes it delish!
Also, a hint -- if you leave a little tuna water in the tuna, by not draining it al the way, it keeps it moist and you wont have to add as much mayo. :)
I made my tuna salad just as you said to, and it was out of this world good! I even made the focaccia bread, which is heavenly! You're right...it was the BEST sandwich ever!
I use half mayo and half plain yogurt and add a whole lot of dill. Like 1/4 cup. I love it, it goes great with the tanginess of the mayo and lemon juice. Also, I tend to toss in some parsley. The dill is in abundance in any herb garden that has it and the parsley can be used sparingly.
Oh, also, chives!
Instead of mayo, I like using cider vinegar & oil and a little salt & pepper. That's it! The vinegar really takes the fishiness out of the tuna.
Thank you so much for that freezing of the celery tip! Mine ALWAYS goes bad.
Thank you so much for your recipes Beth - I've just made your tuna salad recipe and it's sooooo good. I used low fat mayo so hopefully that will negate my use of white turkish bread! I stole a bit before stuffing my sandwich and was hard put to stop. And the celery tip was amazing also - it's such a good veggie to bulk up foods for hidden fibre except half of it always goes off - now I've popped it in a sealable bag and freezed it for future use - can't believe I've never though of it before.
Thanks again,
Mel@allwrappedup
This is a great recipe! I never thought about adding lemon juice to the dressing. I love to add Old Bay seasoning or Bragg Organic Seafood Delight Seasoning.
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