Our Favorite Tuna Salad
- PREP 10min
- TOTAL 10min
We buy canned Albacore tuna that’s been caught with hand-operated pole-and-lines. We also prefer the cans with tuna that’s been cooked in the can. This tuna tends to be more succulent and retains all of its natural juices and fats. (We share more details in the article.)
Tuna alternatives: If you cannot find sustainably-caught canned tuna, our recipe can still be used with flaked salmon or mashed chickpeas — use about 2 cups.
You Will Need
2 (5-ounce cans) sustainably-caught tuna, see tips
3 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise, try our homemade mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, optional
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped or use 1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 to 2 dill pickles, finely chopped, try our homemade pickles
1 tablespoon dill pickle juice, optional
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
If you have tuna packed in water or oil, drain it. If you have tuna that has been cooked in the can, there is no need to drain it. See tips for an explanation.
Place tuna in a bowl and break it up with a fork. Add three tablespoons of mayonnaise, the mustard, lemon juice, celery, scallion, pickles, pickle juice and a generous pinch of fresh ground black pepper. Mix well.
Taste, and then adjust with salt or another tablespoon of mayonnaise. Store in airtight food-safe containers in the fridge for up to 5 days. We do not recommend freezing the salad.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Best tuna to buy: We buy canned Albacore tuna that’s been caught with hand-operated pole-and-lines. We look for the little blue logo with MSC on it (Marine Stewardship Council Certified) as well as key terms like “hand-operated pole-and-lines” or “pole and line caught.” Albacore tuna caught with trolling lines can also be a good option (be careful not to confuse trolling lines with trawling, which is very different).
- Do I need to drain tuna cans? The answer to this depends on the brand of tuna you have in your kitchen. If you have purchased tuna that was cooked directly in the can, then no, you definitely do not want to drain the tuna. If you did drain it, you would be draining all the natural juices and fats (like the omega 3 fats). Alternatively, if the can of tuna you have says something like packed in water or packed in oil, then yes, we prefer to drain it. That tuna was most likely cooked before being canned, which means all those delicious natural juices have been lost. Most brands that do cook the tuna in the can say it on the packaging or mention that there is no need to drain.
- Nutrition facts: The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We have used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
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