I’m not sure when it first occurred to me that tuna can be eaten with a heck of a lot more than just mayonnaise. I imagine this bore mainly out of a need to clean out my fridge while being short on both time and money. Regardless of why, one fine day I discovered that throwing in a bit of diced red pepper adds a nice color and crunch. Eventually, I started adding a jalapeño or two. And voilà! There you have my earliest spicy tuna salad recipe.
When I met my husband, he was all about this newfound world of flavor. Apparently, “jazzing” up tuna hadn’t occurred to him either. So now, Tuna is a household staple – the gallant pantry item that’s always there when dinner plans go awry. I’ve got my style, and he has his. But we have one thing common. We like to make our tuna salad spicy! But if that’s not your thing, these tuna salad recipes would totally work sans the spicy peppers. And there are a million ways to serve it – we’ve even been known to enjoy it with a bit of injera!
So, in case you’re looking for more ways to celebrate fish or are simply feeling tired of plain old tuna and mayo, here are two of our favorite ways to tuna. Got your own favorite ways to liven up traditional tuna salad? Share them! We’re always looking for new flavors to explore (:
From our family to yours, enjoy!
Curried Tuna Salad
Tuna salad inspired by flavors of India
Ingredients
- 5.2 ounces light tuna
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 TBSP garam masala
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2-4 cloves garlic
- 1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
- 1 habanero pepper (optional)
- fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Mince fresh garlic, add to medium sized bowl*
- Dice jalapeno and habanero, add to garlic
- Add tuna, mayo, and spices to bowl of garlic and peppers. Mix ingredients well.
- Serve on toasted bread with cheese and tomato or any way you like**
Notes
*After mincing the garlic, we typically set it aside to make a not-so spicy batch of tuna for our 2.5-year-old daughter sans jalapeno and habanero. We typically use three 2.6 oz packets of tuna total
**There are a ton of ways to serve up tuna salad. Our favorite ways include making tuna melts, alongside cheese and crackers, or in a wrap/tortilla. This particular recipe is excellent with a toasty piece of naan!
Southwest Tuna Salad
Tuna salad with a bold southwest flavor
Ingredients
- 5.2 ounces light tuna
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tsp Mrs. Dash Southwest Seasoning
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2-4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp fresh cilantro (optional)
- 1 jalapeno pepper (optional)
- 1 habanero pepper (optional)
- A dash of Cholula hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Mince garlic and cilantro, add to medium bowl*
- Dice jalapeno and habanero, add to garlic
- Add tuna, mayo, and spices. Mix well.
- Serve with tortillas or any way you like**
Notes
*After mincing the garlic, we typically set it aside to make a not-so spicy batch of tuna for our 2.5-year-old daughter sans jalapeno and habanero. We typically use three 2.6 oz packets of tuna total
**There are a ton of ways to serve up tuna salad. Our favorite ways include making tuna melts, alongside cheese and crackers, or in a wrap/tortilla.
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