Savory, fresh and delicious, this nutritious tuna salad is packed with protein and goes a little lighter on the mayo!
Filled with fresh dill, crunchy celery and a handful of other tasty add-ins, it's terrific enjoyed on its own, in a sandwich, or over greens!
Tuna Salad, a Crave-Worthy Pick-Me-Up
Tuna salad is one of those foods that I find myself getting intense cravings for when I need a little boost of good protein.
And here's the thing that's kind of funny to me about this: while I do enjoy fish, it isn't necessarily my favorite food—the same goes for mayo!
So the fact that I absolutely LOVE tuna salad as much as I do is sort of an interesting thing to me.
But I guess it goes to show how complex our palates are and how perhaps it's the little details that make a difference when it comes to why we adore certain things.
I've been making this particular tuna salad recipe for years now, and I rarely ever deviate from it. It's that good!
It's a riff off of the one that I remember my mom making whenever she'd whip one up; and honestly, I really do think that it's all the little fresh and crunchy add-ins—those bells and whistles—that make me love this particular salad as much as I do.
Without them, tuna salad just wouldn't be the same for me, and wouldn't be nearly as delicious (and crave-worthy!) as it is!
A Fresh and Flavorful Tuna Salad Recipe
I'll admit that my tuna salad recipe has a few more ingredients in it than a classic “tuna and mayo” version; but these fresh, flavorful and crunchy ingredients are what make this tuna salad the best tuna salad recipe, at least in my book.
I love the flavor of fresh herbs, so I chop up some fresh dill, and add that in—huge flavor boost!
I also love the sweet-spiciness of a little touch of very finely minced red onion, as well as some finely diced crunchy celery; so those tasty ingredients get tossed into my prep bowl as well.
And for even more flavor, I add a touch of either yellow mustard or Dijon mustard, plus a kiss of lemon zest, sea salt, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Because I'm not a big fan of what I consider too much mayo, I keep my tuna salad on the lighter side, which makes this a slightly lower-calorie and lower-fat tuna salad recipe—bonus!
The combination of fresh, flavorful and crunchy add-ins give an otherwise typical tuna salad a big flavor pop with a bit of a kick and some extra texture—a total must for me and my tastebuds!
Plus, this salad makes for the best tuna salad sandwich!
Just add a bed of fresh lettuce and some sprouts or micro greens onto some rustic bread or a toasted “everything” bagel, and you've got an incredibly satisfying and healthy meal.
How to Make Tuna Salad, My Way:😉
- Add your favorite variety of tuna (mine is solid white albacore tuna packed in water) to a bowl after draining it very well of the water (or the oil) it was packed in.
- Add in your mayo, your mustard, your fresh dill (or your favorite herb—chives are great, too), your red onion, the lemon zest, and some salt and pepper.
- Carefully fold all the ingredients together until well-combined; and either enjoy immediately, or keep in a covered container in the fridge for future use on sandwiches, crackers, over greens, or even with nothing more than a spoon!
Tips & Tidbits for Tuna Salad:
- Choose your favorite variety of tuna: My personal favorite is solid white albacore tuna packed in water; I also use chunk light tuna (in water) as well, but feel free to use your favorite.
- Fresh herbs for flavor: Fresh dill is wonderful with fish, but other delicious and complementary herbs include chives, parsley, thyme, or even cilantro.
- A hint of mustard: Typically, I use a bit of yellow mustard because I happen to like the intensity of it; but Dijon mustard is really tasty as well—or even whole grain mustard, which happens to be my hubby's fave in tuna salad!
- Ways to enjoy tuna salad: I like to enjoy my tuna salad in sandwich form on a toasted bagel or on rustic bread; but it's mighty tasty scooped up with “everything” pretzel thins (from Trader Joe's!) or crackers, or enjoyed over fresh greens, or even on its own.
Feast your eyes on these, or just jump to the recipe:
Recipe
Tuna Salad
by Ingrid Beer
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
• 2 (5 ounce / 142 grams) cans no-salt-added solid white tuna in water, drained very well
• ¼ (scant) cup finely diced red onion
• 2 large ribs celery, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon real mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon yellow, Dijon, or whole grain mustard
• ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon salt, plus an extra pinch
Preparation:
-In a medium bowl, combine the well-drained tuna with the remainder of the ingredients, and mix well; keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Cook's Note: This post has been updated with even more love! And new photos!
Hungry for more cool salads? Check out this Chicken Salad with Honeycrisp Apples, this Sweet Curried Chicken Salad, or this creamy Lemon Chicken Salad!
LittleMissChubby
I love your blog! So much creativity with yummy food <3 I'm going to try out this recipe. It sounds simply delicious!
thecozyapron
Thank you very much!
Lynda Rice
This is my all time favorite sandwich! The variety of crunch you put in this tuna recipe, make it a step above ordinary tuna salad for sure!
Andi
Other add-ins to consider: diced granny smith apples, dill pickles (Claussen!), craisins, banana peppers, cucumbers, sunflower seeds, hard boiled eggs..... My family has never been a mayo-only tuna salad family. Just try a couple of these at a time!
SP
Love tuna salad. Never tried it with dill. I definitely need to try this recipe out.
LP @dishclips
Tuna salad is one of my favorite sandwiches. This is very bistro worthy.
kari
My fave is tuna with mayo, green olives, and just a bit of juice from the olive jar. So, so good.
Kel
Looks divine!
Mel
Very delicious! For a little extra crunch and color, I added finely shredded carrots.
Pam
This looks like a great recipe. I was also tired of the usual tuna salad with mayo, and was told about tuna with mayo, onion, dill, and a red apple finely chopped. So good!!
The Cozy Apron
What an interesting addition, the red apple! Thank you for stopping by Pam!
Em
I made this today...it's basically heaven on a bun! Instead of using just plain mayo I used the mayo made with olive oil & cracked pepper, and skipped adding the fresh black pepper. I also squeezed a bit of fresh lemon juice into the mix! Very delicious!!
The Cozy Apron
Aww, thanks Em! Good substitutions/add-ins to make this your own version, too!
Pam Remington
Sounds fabulous, I also add dry roasted sunflower seeds as well as a little grated parmesan cheese...not to mention sweet gherkins chopped finely.
Bailey
I found this recipe on Pinterest. I, personally, am not a tuna fan... BUT my husband raved about this. And I took a bite and loved the dill. We are dill fans in this house. Great recipe 🙂
The Cozy Apron
Hi Bailey, thanks for sharing that with me! So tickled to read that even you, not the biggest tuna fan, enjoyed a bite! 🙂
Elise
I do that, I steam little bit the celery, and add french cornichon and capper. Delicious.
Serva
Will dry dill work with this recipe?
The Cozy Apron
Hi Serva, you certainly can use dry dill! I've done this when I don't happen to have the fresh, but do know that the fresh gives the salad quite a bit more extra flavor. Hope you enjoy!
Roseanne
Oh, Ingrid! Your photos alone are enough to make me hungry for this!!! You are taking such gorgeous shots lately. Honest. I love your idea of the addition of mustard. I often add sunflower seeds and in the autumn, an apple. It's such a versatile fish.
PS: I use your same recipe above when I have leftover salmon. OMGoodness!
xo
The Cozy Apron
Wonderful! Then I'm doing my job, lol! 😉
Thanks so much for your kind and encouraging words, Roseanne. This food photography stuff is hard work! Each week there are new and unique challenges (especially in the extreme heat of the summer when everything simply wants to wilt, even with the air conditioning running!), but I must say I'm grateful because nothing helps me learn quicker than being "thrown into the fire" with this sort of stuff.
Your addition of sunflower seeds into a tuna salad recipe sounds tasty and crunchy! And somehow it doesn't surprise me that you make a similar recipe as mine, only with salmon. (And do have a try with a touch of mustard to see what you think at some point!) xo
Michelle
YUM! Ditto on the fish is not my fav. This is eerily similar to my tuna salad--the crunch is everything in my opinion! If I'm out of red onion, I'll sub radishes or green onion. If I'm out of celery...I'll find another lunch, ha! Works great using chickpeas as well. I still can't believe that chickpeas can sub for tuna--blows my mind every single time!
The Cozy Apron
Haha! Small world, Michelle!
Yes, there’s just something about that celery/ red onion (and dill, for me) combo that is a must-have when it comes to tuna.
The chickpeas are a great vegetarian idea, too— I’ve seen that!
Thanks for sharing.
Tasha
I made this recipe today after 4th of July afternoon activities when everyone was too hot to eat, much less cook. Thankfully I doubled recipe and it made plenty with leftovers as it's so good! I actually measured the dill. Glad I did as it's the perfect flavor. A side note- I missed the part about using salt- free tuna and added the recommended salt- too much! I would say stick to the taste and then salt rule just in case 🙂 (Also left out the mustard as not fans.) Loved the results! Thanks for a great recipe! Happy 4th of July!! "Home of the Free Because of the Brave"
The Cozy Apron
Hi Tasha, so glad to read you enjoyed the salad...especially since you ended up doubling it! 😉
Happy 4th to you as well!
Summer Yule
I piled some of this tuna salad on ciabatta bread with some broccoli sprouts, butterhead lettuce, and pickles. It made a very easy and yummy dinner! Sometimes I just don't have it in me to create a complicated meal on a weeknight (or even to cook at all). Thank you for the meal inspiration!
The Cozy Apron
Hi Summer, glad you enjoyed the recipe!