Tuna Salad
intro
Creamy, crunchy, protein-packed classic deli tuna salad, perfect for sandwiches, wraps, or topping greens, with zero stovetop cooking required.
Ingredients
Steps
Drain the canned tuna
Open all 3 cans of water-packed albacore tuna, hold the can lid pressed firmly against the tuna to pour off all excess packing water over the sink, then transfer fully drained tuna to a large mixing bowl. Flake tuna gently with a fork into small, even shreds, taking care not to mash it into a paste; this process takes approximately 1 minute.
Dice aromatic vegetables
Wash and pat dry 2 celery stalks (100g total), trim the tough root ends and leafy tops, then dice into uniform 3mm pieces. Mince 30g of red onion into very fine pieces, and dice 50g of dill pickles to the same 3mm size as the celery to ensure consistent crunch in every bite; this vegetable prep takes 3 minutes total.
Whisk the creamy dressing
In a small separate mixing bowl, combine 120ml full-fat mayonnaise, 15ml fresh lemon juice, 15g Dijon mustard, 2g kosher salt, and 1g freshly ground black pepper. Whisk continuously for 30 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth, pale creamy yellow, with no visible lumps of mustard remaining.
Combine tuna and veggies
Add the diced celery, minced red onion, and diced dill pickles to the bowl of flaked tuna. Toss gently with a rubber spatula for 45 seconds until the vegetables are evenly distributed throughout the tuna shreds, breaking up any large, compact tuna clumps as you go.
Fold in creamy dressing
Pour the smooth creamy dressing over the tuna and vegetable mixture. Fold slowly with the rubber spatula for 1 minute, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl regularly, until all ingredients are evenly coated in dressing; do not overmix to prevent a mushy final texture.
Chill before serving
Cover the mixing bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then place it in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes at 4°C (40°F) to allow flavors to meld. Give the salad a quick, gentle stir before serving to redistribute any dressing that has settled to the bottom.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the salad once dressing is added—over-stirring will mash the tuna into a mushy paste instead of keeping a light, flaky texture.
3.For food safety, never leave prepared tuna salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if outdoor temperatures are above 32°C/90°F); store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
OMG this tuna salad is SO good! I’ve been trying to nail that classic deli taste forever and this hit every single note. I made it for my kids’ school lunch prep this week and they all begged for seconds, even my super picky 7 year old who turns his nose up at anything with mayo. Total game changer for our weekday lunches!
Brought this to our neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and the bowl was scraped clean in 15 minutes flat! People kept coming up to ask me for the recipe, I had to send the link to like 8 different neighbors. I did add a little extra celery for crunch per my preference and it worked perfectly. So easy to throw together too, didn’t take any time at all even with running around prepping for the party.
This is my new go-to tuna salad recipe for weekly meal prep! I love that it only takes 10 minutes of actual work, the chill time lets me knock out other kitchen tasks while it sits. I’ve been eating it on whole grain toast for lunch all week and it hasn’t gotten soggy or weird at all, which is usually my problem with homemade tuna salad. Only note: I cut the mayo a tiny bit and swapped in a scoop of Greek yogurt and it still tasted super creamy and rich.
I tested a small batch of this last night and it was chef’s kiss, perfect creamy deli taste! Has anyone scaled this up for a group? I’m in charge of our weekly team lunch next Wednesday and I’m planning to do a build-your-own sandwich station with croissants, lettuce, and tomato. Just wanna make sure it holds up if I make it the night before and doesn’t get watery!