You CAN tuna fish
My husband is going to scowl at the bad REO Speedwagon reference in my entry title today because he despises REO Speedwagon, but he’s going to like the topic, because he loves tuna salad.
I’m a fan myself, particularly during the summer. Nothing says easy like whipping up a batch of fresh tuna salad, then dishing up big scoops on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes with a handful of crackers. Quick, simple, cool!
When it comes to making tuna salad, though, there are tons of variations and some people are quite insistent about the pickle relish issue — to add or not to add? I grew up on tuna salad made with pickle relish, and I still make my standard version with it. Basically, my recipe is two cans of tuna (white albacore if it’s on sale or I’m in a splurging mood), a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise, a tablespoon of pickle relish, a squirt of mustard, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar.
If I want to dress it up, I add chopped celery or a little onion, and if I have fresh cucumber on hand I will sometimes add diced cucumber to the salad for a refreshing change and some added crunch.
These days, I don’t tend to order tuna salad in restaurants because it’s so easy and inexpensive to make at home. But when Howard’s Soup Kitchen was still open on Church Avenue in downtown Roanoke, I could be counted on to order a tuna salad sandwich at least once a month (once a week for hubby). I never knew what it was about their tuna salad that was so good. Perhaps it was more about the homemade rolls than the salad itself.
In addition to a salad plate or a sandwich, use tuna salad to make a melt (especially good on toasted English muffins), or hollow out a big, fresh tomato and stuff it with tuna salad. Anybody have other ideas? Got a special way of making tuna salad? Want to weigh in on the pickle relish debate?
I’m adding a recipe from the August/September issue of Taste of Home magazine for Fiesta Tuna Salad. It’s made with jalapeno peppers, tomatoes, onions, mayo, garlic, lemon juice and a teaspoon of seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay. Check it out!
August 10, 2010 - 10:49 AM
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YES, relish!
Plus, my new secret ingredient is some Wasabi Sauce. I bought a small jar for a fish dish, and now I love to add a dash to my tuna salad. It adds a little extra spike, which really helps when I can’t make it ahead of time and just throw some together for Sunday lunch.
I love to make tuna melts with cheddar cheese or provolone cheese. I am absolutely in favor of the pickle relish and I prefer sweet over dill. Hubby likes to chop up an egg and put it in his tuna salad so I guess that makes it a tuna/egg salad!
Here’s a funny story: I did get a bad can of tuna one time that was over-the-top fishy. I had given the empty container to my cat to lick some of the juice before I realized it was funky. She then went and took her “bath” before a nap and her fur smelled like nasty tuna for a week. Poor kitty – I make sure I smell and taste tuna before I eat it or give some to the cat. No more smelly cats at our house!!
EWWWWWWWWW, nothing worse than HOT tunafish. EWWWWWWWW and cheese? Double EWWWWWWWWW.
As for tuna salad, add chopped olives. YUM!! Celery is a must.
Diced Green Peppers work well but you need for it to sit overnight to absorb the flavor.
The horseradish or wasabi in the tuna salad sounds really great. Make it a tuna melt and you can turn up the heat even a little more.
Personally, I think that chicken salad, egg salad, & tuna salad recipes are all great summertime meals. It would be fantastic to have a column dedicated to various versions of those three classic sandwiches.
HINT, HINT, HINT!!!…
I used to think hot tuna would be nasty, Susan, but it isn’t as bad as I thought. I do understand the sentiment though.
Ab, that’s a GREAT idea? What would I do without you guys?
I forgot that I also put a squirt of mustard in my tuna salad.
One of my favorites is Wildflour’s tuna melt – mmmm!!
Wasabi sauce sounds very good, too!
I don’t like anything that’s called “salad” and isn’t made of lettuce. No thanks to pasta salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad . . .
tuna, mayo, mustard, onion, chopped egg, garlic salt or Old Bay and definately sweet relish. Don’t forget to add a little of the pickle juice and a small squirt of lemon juice!
My dad used to add dry cured black olives and chopped onions to his tuna. I like it with chopped pickles, usually dill, boiled eggs and mayo.
I’m hoping that it was brown mustard, to ‘kick it up a notch’ – to quote a formerly famous FoodTV star…
Lindsey, you could certainly make a column out of ‘Salad Sandwiches’ recipes. Chicken Salad, Egg Salad, Tuna Salad, and any others I might be forgetting.
Give some traditional recipes and some contemporary, cutting edge recipes.
It could be both a trip down memory lane, as well as a way to make people think – ‘Wow! I’ve never thought of that before! That’s a cool idea!…’
I concur – the wasabi is a really awesome addition. I really like sliced grapes, too! We were lucky to get an ahi grade tuna loin last winter and splurged with an ahi tuna salad. (I know that’s an abomination, but we had a 12 pound loin to get through) It was wonderful!
I was recently in Burnsville, at a crafts fair. We ate lunch in a diner, and they had an offering of an Egg Salad Sandwich. I wimped out and got the Turkey Melt instead. I really wish I had gotten the Egg Salad, as it is a rare time that you can take advantage of it.
Regardless, it was a good reminder of how some things – VERY simple things, can bring you joy through a connection with your childhood.
Actually, I add yellow mustard to my tuna salad for two reasons: It’s very vinegary (sometimes I just use cider vinegar or lemon juice)and my Grandma Nair was a yellow mustard fan- it went heavy in her deviled eggs and tater salad.
Other salads that fit in the same category could be ham salad and seafood salad. I’ve put a twist on chicken salad by adding grapes, nuts and/or raisins (essentially Waldorf-style), and I love curried chicken salad with a little curry powder, some golden raisins and a few other additions. Also, a friend’s aunt made chicken salad with dried cherries and tarragon- to die for!
I’d like to make some egg salad with fresh dill and capers.
Keep these variations coming!
One local spot where I eat about every couple of weeks has what they call ‘fancy’ chicken salad. It has apples, raisins, & walnuts added to the standard.
My secret to yummy tuna salad is pre-packaged breadcrumbs. Adding them allows you to add more of the other ingredients without the whole thing being too runny. Also, instead of relish from a jar, I chop up bread and butter pickles — they just go better with tuna. Substitute a little Marzetti slaw dressing for some of the mayo (in EVERY kind of meat salad) and add a little Old Bay and lemon pepper.
Our Daily Bread in Blacksburg always has some variety of chicken salad with fruit(s)and nuts. It’s always a surprise and I look forward to the daily offering whenever I go there. Everything else is good too!
Bleh. I hate tuna. The only 2 times I had it, I got extremely sick (tuna salad). I can’t even be in the same room if someone is eating it, the smell is nauseating to me…haven’t a clue why. And we don’t feed the cats tuna or fish either. If they get any seafood-based wet food, it’s fed to them outside of the house. Give me turkey or chicken salad though, I love that and don’t get sick!
I’m not a big fan of tuna salad, but I love chicken salad Waldorf style. I like mine with dried cranberries and pecans.
I’ve used leftovers from rotisserie chicken and it adds a lot of flavor.
I can’t stomach chicken or (gag) ham salad and can only eat tuna and egg salads if I’ve prepared them. When I’m out and see people eating tuna sandwiches, I physically gag. I loathe mayo and use a little mustard, pepper, and Greek olive tapenade.
While I love the solid albacore, I can’t stand the “flake” kind. Ugh. I’m so picky where tuna’s concerned.
Like Other John, I had an unfortunate incident with tuna when I was in the 3rd grade. It remains vivid in my mind – hence the mayo loathing.
My favorite variation on chicken salad is simple but delicious: large chunks of leftover chicken (or turkey), mayo, chopped celery, salt and pepper to taste, and honey. The honey really makes it amazing!
My family always made tuna salad with tuna, mayo, chopped celery, and shredded cheddar. Yum!
I recently tried a Lobster Roll for the first time, I think that would fall into the salad-sandwich category.
I will admit that I’m not big on ham salad myself, but then I don’t believe I’ve ever had a homemade version. I just think ham is so tasty by itself that it doesn’t need to be ground up and mixed with mayo.
I’m also not big on imitation crab meat, so a lot of seafood salads leave me unimpressed. The seafood salad at Capt’n Paul’s in Salem is really good, though. I guess a lobster roll would be a seafood salad cousin, Jen!
I love curried chicken salad. Table 50′s version is wonderful.
Ooh, good call, Debbie. I’ve had their curried chicken salad and it’s wonderful.
There’s a good version here, too: http://www.roanoke.com/food/recipes/details/?rid=258&sorig=qs
Carol, Thanks for reminding me that Our Daily Bread in Blacksburg has an AMAZING Southwestern Chicken Salad! They even sell it by the pound. It is terrific!
I make tuna sandwiches with salsa and a little mayo. That’s all.