Help, My Tuna Salad is Tired

[Desert Whaler]

Big fan of tuna salad sandwiches . . . but my concoction is kinda boring & needs an upgrade.
Here's what I do . . .

- 1 large can of Bumble Bee Albacore Tuna (Drained)
- Mix / Break up chunks in medium size bowl.
-Spinkle in a few dashes of pepper.
-Add 3-4 stalks of finely chopped celery
-Mix in a couple big tablespoons of mayo (not too much to avoid mushy-ness)
- Add in a few 'fork-fulls' of relish (to taste)
- Lastly I hard boil 2 eggs, chop them up and stir them in last.

I cover the bowl & in the fridge to chill & call it good.

It's fine . . . but doesn't really do all that much for me. The celery adds a nice crunch, but outside of that it's kinda boring.

Anyone here willing to share any ingredients, techniques etc. that kind puts a little oomph in their tuna salad?

Thanks.

 

[badgas]

Try it once without the celery and eggs.

My go to is Good albacore drainded/ pressed really well. Mayo you your liking. Fresh chopped good dill pickes ( better than jarred relish ) and some pickle juice, lemon juice to taste , fresh cracked black pepper & salt to taste, little bit of dijon mustard.

If you like onions some fresh diced green onions not too many

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

Take it in another direction with Tarragon seasoning! Or Old Bay seasoning if totally other direction as well.

I'm a tuna salad aficianado ... everything else you're doing is top shelf!

 

[Desert Whaler]

Thanks you guys, I'm gonna try that next time . . . I just made this one for my Dad.

My same recipe w/ a light skim of mayo on the bread, then some lettuce, thin slices of tomato, then the salad, followed by a 1/2 avocado sliced long ways & embedded in the salad.
It's healthier for him than the Burger, Fries, Coke he'd eat daily if I wasn't around messing-up his program ! LOL

 

[Kachina26]

Yours is similar to mine, I add sweet pickles instead of relish, some diced black olives and some mustard. If I do egg, it's only one.

 

[coolchange]

Hard no on the relish here. I will occasionally add klausen dill thin slice and tomato on the sandwich.
Salt! Don’t have to taste it just add some.
Sometimes just a pinch of cayenne. If you taste it it’s too much.Makes your mouth water.
Lemon!
Garlic, less is more.
Negative on the celery, but doesn’t sound to bad, I’ll try it.
Finely chopped onion, red, yellow , green, I prefer red or green, a must.
And my secret”hmm what’s in this?”, radish.
Edit; roll in a flour tortilla with Shredded cheese

 

[Desert Whaler]

Yours is similar to mine, I add sweet pickles instead of relish, some diced black olives and some mustard. If I do egg, it's only one.

Good call on the Olives, I did chopped carrots once that was a no go . . . tried grading carrots, meh, same.
I just remembered I did chopped green apples once, that was good in an odd way.

I gotta step up to chopped dill / sweet pickles . . . the relish is just me being lazy.

Years ago when I'd come home from working in Alaska, I'd bring home a few cases of sockeye salmon that we canned . . . . if you ever get a chance to make a 'Salmon Salad Sandwich' I highly recommend it.

 

[coolchange]

Also like a tuna melt. And I tell the waitress to grill the tuna.

 

[endobear]

The wife will do half ranch dip/dressing to mayo

 

[boatnam2]

I got to have Mustard in mine, some chopped onion is good, chopped sweet pickles but sweet relish is good also. I throw it on a Ritz sometimes to change it up.

 

[mash on it]

I add chopped pepperoncini or jalapenos. Medium fresh salsa if it's on hand. Or even green chilies.

Dan'l

 

[sintax]

I add chopped pepperoncini or jalapenos. Medium fresh salsa if it's on hand. Or even green chilies.

Dan'l

This was going to be my suggestion. I really dig it. Sometimes I’ll just only pour in the pepperoncini juice for a little kick.

So the good quality tuna is key, my grandpa and uncle used to be commercial fisherman out of Morro Bay, so I used to always get cases of freshly jared albacore, so I’m super spoiled, but those days are long gone.

For store bought, the best stuff I can find in a can these days seems to be the Genova albacore in oil, has to be the oil! It’s olive oil and is honestly good for you (so they say!)

 

[rivermobster]

Sweet pickle relish

Mayo

Sirracha

And buy the GOOD tuna. Not the cheap stuff. This makes the biggest difference and the Sirracha spices it up.

 

[dspracing]

I sub olive oil for mayo and add a bit of dill.

 

[dave29]

Aside from the obvious, add dill. onions, a little sweet relish in addition to the dill relish and a touch of miracle whip.

 

[lantz]

Jicama will add a little crunch, but not a lot of flavor; pickled ginger; avocado chunks of cucumber instead of celery; bacon, nori, cooked spam, crab meat,...lots of options....save a bag of lays potato chips to put on the sammy just before you eat it.

I'm not actually a fan of tuna salad sandwich but my favorite is to use all or a lot of the stuff mentioned in above posts to make a really good slaw, and then blacken what ever fish I am going to put in the sandwich then just break it up a little when it goes on the bread and slap on the slaw. Not convenient for an easy take to work lunch.

now I am hungry

 

[coolchange]

And my lo carb gluten free tuna boat.
Halve a cucumber and remove seeds/ center then fill tuna. Great summer lunch

 

[BajaMike]

I never use ”sweet pickle anything”! Putting sweet pickle relish on a hot dog or in tuna salad is like putting chocolate syrup on it.
Use dill pickle relish or cut up some dill pickles (not kosher dills or “bread and butter pickles” GROSS!

Add a teaspoon of mustard and half teaspoon of horseradish.

 

[Kfabe]

I’ll sometimes throw a little diced jalapeños and apples in with mayo.

 

[ltbaney1]

Mustard is a must for me. garlic powder, red onion, black pepper. cut up Famous Daves spicy pickle cut up, green olives cut up and salad supreme seasoning. thats my go to Tuna recipe.

 

[Gelcoater]

Big fan of tuna salad sandwiches . . . but my concoction is kinda boring & needs an upgrade.
Here's what I do . . .

- 1 large can of Bumble Bee Albacore Tuna (Drained)
- Mix / Break up chunks in medium size bowl.
-Spinkle in a few dashes of pepper.
-Add 3-4 stalks of finely chopped celery
-Mix in a couple big tablespoons of mayo (not too much to avoid mushy-ness)
- Add in a few 'fork-fulls' of relish (to taste)
- Lastly I hard boil 2 eggs, chop them up and stir them in last.

I cover the bowl & in the fridge to chill & call it good.

It's fine . . . but doesn't really do all that much for me. The celery adds a nice crunch, but outside of that it's kinda boring.

Anyone here willing to share any ingredients, techniques etc. that kind puts a little oomph in their tuna salad?

Thanks.

Kimchi, make your tuna like you do, top with some kimchi. Adds a little kick, a little crunch and fermented foods like that are great for digestion and gut health.

 

[JB in so cal]

Of you're ever in the lake forest area by the auto center go to a little place called Peanuts. Spicy tuna is the bomb!!

 

[Desert Whaler]

Of you're ever in the lake forest area by the auto center go to a little place called Peanuts. Spicy tuna is the bomb!!

My buddy lives near there . . . I'll have to swing by . . thanks for the heads up.

 

[ltbaney1]

ill check that out as well. i tried MR pickle by the Hat a while ago. i was hoping for similair to Lil pickle in costa mesa and was bummed. it was good, just not Lil pickle good.

Of you're ever in the lake forest area by the auto center go to a little place called Peanuts. Spicy tuna is the bomb!!

 

[JB in so cal]

Great pastrami too! Cold beer!

 

[Luvnlife]

I always add some seranos, jalapeños or habaneros with the regular stuff.

 

[RogerThat99]

@Desert Whaler Try the tarragon that was mentioned. It is great. The Old Bay sounds good, but has a lot of salt.

You could also try mixing things up with canned salmon, and I also use the tarragon with canned chicken. The chicken will be similar, but with a different taste.

 

[4Waters]

No celery, add onion and mustard

 

[Boatymcboatface]

 

[HNL2LHC]

Mustard, red onions and sliced Clauson (sp) dill pickles sliced thin as well and don't forget the lettuce. Extra sharp cheddar cheese. I also buy the thins sliced in bags. Then on top until the bread is close to being soggy Italian dressing.

 

[Kachina26]

Jicama will add a little crunch, but not a lot of flavor; pickled ginger; avocado chunks of cucumber instead of celery; bacon, nori, cooked spam, crab meat,...lots of options....save a bag of lays potato chips to put on the sammy just before you eat it.

I'm not actually a fan of tuna salad sandwich but my favorite is to use all or a lot of the stuff mentioned in above posts to make a really good slaw, and then blacken what ever fish I am going to put in the sandwich then just break it up a little when it goes on the bread and slap on the slaw. Not convenient for an easy take to work lunch.

now I am hungry

I added a little fresh ginger. When I taste tested it, I didn't really notice. Then when I had the sandwich, I was thinking, "what is different about this?". It was perfect.

 

[HubbaHubbaLife]

I gotta say, I never thought we'd get so much play outta a tuna salad thread.... must be winter.

 

[The Capt]

Here is how I make it at the fire dept.
Costco albacore in water
red onion
sweet pickles
hot pepperoncini and some juice
celery
black olives
mayo
just a quick squirt of mustard
heavy on black pepper
ENJOY!!!

 

[Ct5]

Albacore
Mayo
Green bell pepper diced
Celery diced
Diced dill pickle
Shredded lettuce on top
Provolone cheese
Toast the bread
LEMON PEPPER is the key
Thinly sliced tomato and/or cucumber sometimes

I could eat it every day!