Loaded with tuna, crunchy sweet red pepper, green onions, celery, relish and seasonings, this tasty Ultimate Tuna Salad Recipe is great for a light meal or anytime snack!
Ultimate Tuna Salad Recipe
Is your tuna salad tired? You know… the same old same old mix of tuna, mayo, relish and celery. Then try a fresh take on your old school version that adds zip and tons of flavor.
This tuna recipe lightens up with celery and green onions for crunch and my secret weapon: fresh red bell pepper. It adds lots of flavor and great color. Spoon on the whole grain mustard and toss in fresh herbs for a fresh taste you thought could never come out of a can. Serve it on whole grain bread with thick slices of tomato and baby spinach for a super healthy meal. This is definitely not your grandma’s tuna!
Other quick meal ideas you might like are our Best Ever Chicken Salad or Easy Italian Panini.
The secret to great, flavorful tuna salad is the fillers. Tuna tends to be heavy and if you only mix it mayo, celery and maybe onions or relish, it can feel like your spreading paste on your sandwich. More veggies and adding flavor to the mayo will take your tuna from just good enough to simply amazing.
The Best Tuna for Making a Tuna Salad Recipe
There’s a lot of variety to choose from when picking tuna to use for tuna salad. Tuna in a can or pouch, flavored or natural, oil or water, white albacore or regular. There is no best choice. My advice is to choose the one you like the flavor of best, and that works for you.
I like to use regular pouch tuna that’s packed in water. It’s a little more expensive, but for me it’s worth the convenience. There’s no liquid to drain and it’s lower in calories than tuna packed in oil. Tuna packed in oil tends to have a stronger smell and the mayonnaise doesn’t always mix in well.
Tip – Buy in bulk when it’s on sale, that helps keep it budget friendly.
If you are looking to make something quick and easy for lunch or dinner, tuna is a great choice. Tuna is high quality protein, a potent source of omega-3 fatty acids, and the antioxidant selenium.
*Tuna may contain mercury, so limit yourself to enjoying it once or twice per week.
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Ultimate Tuna Salad Recipe
Loaded with tuna, crunchy sweet red pepper, green onions, celery, relish and seasonings, it’s a tasty sandwich great for a meal or anytime snack!
Ingredients
- 10 ounce tuna packed in water
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise regular or light mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp celery thin sliced
- 2 tbsp red bell pepper diced small
- 2 tbsp green onion thin sliced
- 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley minced
- 1 tsp whole grain mustard
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- pinch salt
- whole grain bread, tomato and spinach leaves for serving
Instructions
- Place tuna in a large bowl. Use a fork to separate and fluff the pieces. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve cold.
Chef Tips
Nutrition Facts
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment and rating. I would appreciate the chance to troubleshoot any issues you might have had before you leave the rating!
Hi Mark, so glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment and rating, we really appreciate it!
Great recipe, easy to make with all ingredients on hand in my kitchen and probably yours too. It kicks tuna salad up a couple of notches. Try it you’ll like it!
Just made for tonight’s dinner.
Made 1/2 recipe, used nearly all of it on Dave’s Killer GoodSeed bread with PA grown tomatoes and baby dark green lettuce leaves. Yumm!
Had no relish, so diced a couple of bread & butter pickles. Had no stone-ground mustard. Left that out.
Nice alternative to my usual recipe.