A classic, easy tuna salad recipe is always handy for a quick weeknight lunch or dinner.
Easy tuna salad with a sweet twist
I love tuna salad. I feel like I was one of like 13 people in the world who regularly ordered a tuna salad wrap from Subway. And often. I think I would eat two or three of these wraps every week, always with lettuce, tomato, and red onion. Over the years, I find myself making tuna salad just once every so often. Lately, though, I’ve been craving it more and more. There’s something about the simplicity of it that I just love.
I’ve made this tuna salad recipe so many times over the past few months that I just had to share it here.
I know adding raisins to tuna salad isn’t a new or novel concept, but I’ve never had it served to me with raisins or dried fruit in it. This is such a shame because it’s so delicious with golden raisins. The sweetness works so perfectly with the tangy mayo dressing.
How to make tuna salad
What tuna to use for tuna salad
When you’re in the canned fish aisle, there are a variety of canned tuna options to choose from. Generally, the canned tuna to use in tuna salad comes down to albacore and chunk light. Albacore contains a lot more mercury, so you do want to be careful with how much you consume. Chunk light is generally a mixture of less expensive tuna, including yellowfin and skipjack. In terms of texture, albacore is heartier and meatier, while chunk light may offer you a more classic, homogenous texture.
Chunk light tends to be a bit mushier, in my opinion, so it’s not my preferred choice. I opt for all albacore because it holds up well for leftovers and has a meatier texture. A compromise may be to use one can of solid albacore and one can of chunk light to give you the best of both worlds.
What you need
You can modify this recipe depending on what you have available, but here’s what I use:
- Celery
- Red onion
- Minced parsley
- Cornichons, or a small pickle
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Golden raisins
- Mayonnaise
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- White vinegar
- Albacore tuna
- Sumac, optional
How to make it
- Step 1: Make the hard-boiled eggs. I always make a big batch of hard-boiled eggs for the week, so I’ll just grab a few from the refrigerator for my tuna salad. If you don’t have these made in advance, make them first.
- Step 2: Prep all your ingredients. There is a decent amount of dicing and chopping, so do that as your eggs boil.
- Step 3: Combine all the chopped ingredients–the celery, red onion, minced parsley, and diced pickles–together in a bowl. Add the hard-boiled eggs and tuna. Gently flake the tuna as much as you like.
- Step 4: Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until smooth. Pour it over the salad and mix to combine. Sprinkle sumac on top for a little extra tanginess.
- Step 5: Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. I think it’s better the next day, but just 30 minutes in the refrigerator is better than eating it straight away.
Serve the tuna salad on a big slice of toasted bread with fresh tomato and greens. Delicious!
How long does tuna salad last in the refrigerator?
Transfer the tuna salad to the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last for 3–4 days.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 eggs (hard-boiled; peeled and finely diced)
- 4 ounces celery (from 2 small ribs; finely diced)
- 2 ounces red onion (finely diced; about ¼ red onion)
- ⅓ cup parsley (loosely packed, minced)
- ⅓ cup golden raisins
- 4 cornichons (or 1 small pickle, finely diced)
- 2 5-ounce cans albacore tuna (or chunk light tuna, drained)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Pinch sumac (optional)
- Salt and pepper
For serving:
- Toasted bread, baby greens, and tomato slices
Instructions
Make the eggs:
- Bring a pot of water to a low boil over medium-high heat. Carefully add the eggs. Cook for 14 minutes. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath. Use a small metal spoon to crack the shell all over before peeling it off. Finely dice the eggs and set aside.
Prepare the salad:
- Combine the diced eggs with the celery, red onion, parsley, and golden raisins in a large bowl. Add the drained tuna and flake it into pieces with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
Make the dressing:
- Combine the mayonnaise, vinegar, Dijon, and honey in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Finish the tuna salad:
- Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently to combine, breaking up the bigger pieces of tuna until the salad reaches your desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of sumac to taste.
- Transfer the tuna salad to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
To serve:
- Serve the tuna salad on thick slices of toasted bread with tomatoes and baby greens. If you like, finish each toast with more black pepper and sumac. Enjoy!
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