In this video, Nicole makes three of the best tuna salad recipes using inexpensive canned tuna! Featuring spicy tuna salad, Italian no mayo tuna salad, and a classic tuna salad, these lunchtime favorites are packed with protein and comforting taste.
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00:00I think I'm one of the weirdos that just loves canned tuna.
00:02I've been eating it like my whole life.
00:06I could eat this every single day.
00:08This one makes me happy.
00:09The humble can of tuna is just the secret weapon
00:12in the kitchen that you always need to have on hand.
00:14It is a very inexpensive source of good protein
00:18and it makes delicious things like tuna salad.
00:21So I'm showing you three delicious tuna salad recipes.
00:26I'm gonna start with the viral kind of spicy tuna
00:29and this is kind of your fun new take
00:32on tuna you haven't had before.
00:33When it comes to what kind of tuna to use,
00:36it doesn't really matter.
00:37Whatever you like the best.
00:38I think people are like scared of the smell
00:40but it's tuna in a can, duh.
00:43And you just want to drain it really well.
00:45Now this one can has 29 grams of protein.
00:49So all you high protein dieting people,
00:52hopefully you have found your love for canned tuna.
00:54Okay, and then I just kind of press it out.
00:56Not the most glamorous part of the video
00:59but it's real life cooking here.
01:01All right, so I'm gonna add in some chopped cucumber.
01:03I'm gonna use an English cucumber.
01:06This is kind of like instead of relish.
01:08A lot of tuna salads obviously have
01:10some sort of pickle relish.
01:11These kind of things don't get much easier.
01:13It's just a dump and go, no cooking required.
01:16Okay, and then I'm gonna do two jalapenos.
01:19I want this to be spicy.
01:20And then just about like quarter cup of chopped carrots
01:25and some green onion.
01:26Not too many, just enough to add a little crunch.
01:28All right, and then just a little cilantro.
01:30This can be optional.
01:31Looks beautiful, smells delicious
01:33because you can smell the green onion,
01:34the jalapeno, that cilantro.
01:36Okay, and then mayonnaise because tuna salad.
01:39It's like peanut butter and jelly, tuna and mayonnaise.
01:41I'm going to cut the amount of mayonnaise
01:44just in this recipe with a little bit of Greek yogurt.
01:47Plus, that's even more protein.
01:49I know, Nicole, stop talking about
01:51healthy things like protein but everybody's doing it.
01:54Okay, all right, and then I'm gonna
01:56kind of make that like spicy mayo vibe here.
01:59And then a little bit of fresh lime juice.
02:01For another little salt factor for this, a little soy sauce.
02:04And now let's mix.
02:06I like to break that tuna up kind of like finely
02:09so that it kind of helps kind of create
02:10a little creaminess to hold everything together.
02:13Not like super chunky.
02:15Now, as promised, let me show you how I serve it up.
02:20Tostada, tostada style.
02:22It just so happens to be the perfect vessel
02:24for tuna salad.
02:26Don't I look good?
02:27And some avocado.
02:29I feel like a chef or something.
02:31I'm going on with a little more because I do
02:33like things with a little kick.
02:36And some everything bagel.
02:39We just made a can of tuna, super fancy and extra delicious.
02:43The whole thing is just a million perfect bites.
02:47Mm.
02:50Mm.
02:51This was a good place to start.
02:53You definitely get all that savory flavor
02:55and then the kick of spice kind of hits you in the end,
02:57but you have all that crunch and creaminess mixed together.
03:00A little fresh avocado on top.
03:02This is freaking delicious.
03:0710 out of 10.
03:08Everyone's always looking for like a no mayonnaise
03:12based salad.
03:13This is one of those times when,
03:14even when it doesn't have mayonnaise,
03:16it's still like incredibly delicious.
03:19So this is kind of like the Italian,
03:21like Mediterranean style tuna salad.
03:23Very hearty, very filling,
03:24also very fresh and freaking delicious.
03:28I'm gonna do a little red onion.
03:29I love using red onion when you're gonna eat it raw
03:32because it just has like just the right amount
03:34of pungency.
03:36And then I'm also gonna put in a little bit of celery.
03:38I'm also gonna purposely choose some of the celery
03:41that has a little bit of leafiness to it
03:44because there's a lot of good flavor in that.
03:46And then a little bit of Italian parsley.
03:49You could also add fresh basil in here if you want.
03:51And then some like salty briny.
03:54You've already got a little bit of that in the tuna,
03:56but adding some olives and capers here.
04:00Okay, and then another thing you see
04:03in a lot of like tuna, Italian preparations
04:06are white beans mixed in with the tuna.
04:08And I'm gonna put it in this tuna salad
04:10because it sounds delicious.
04:11I am gonna give them a good rinse.
04:13So as you stir these into the tuna salad,
04:15they're gonna break down just a little bit
04:17and add a little bit of like rich creaminess,
04:20but without the mayonnaise.
04:22And then I'm gonna go ahead and dress it at this point.
04:23So I'm just gonna do a little bit
04:25of extra virgin olive oil, some red wine vinegar.
04:29I'm gonna do a pinch of oregano,
04:31a little bit of garlic powder, and then salt and pepper.
04:36Oh, I forgot something else.
04:38Some tomato.
04:39Just like finely chop this tomato.
04:42Okay, so, and now I'm just gonna add the tuna in.
04:46I'm gonna drain this off.
04:47This is Italian packed in oil.
04:50So it's just got more flavor.
04:52Okay, and then I'm just gonna kind of flake it
04:54into the bowl.
04:57And then just fold it all in together.
04:59Does that not look delicious?
05:04Mm.
05:06You get the fresh juiciness from the veggies,
05:09then you also get that salty brininess
05:11with a little like hint of vinegar in there.
05:14This one might be your favorite.
05:16Crusty bread, like the good Italian I am,
05:19I'm serving it on crusty bread.
05:23It's warm, and then just pile it on.
05:26This to me is my perfect dinner.
05:29This and a glass of wine.
05:32I could eat this every single day.
05:34However, I could only enjoy it if I was like home alone,
05:37because my family would be like, this is what's for dinner?
05:40Yeah.
05:42Yeah, it is.
05:42And I would just wanna hit it with just a little more oil.
05:47And then some cracked pepper.
05:49Oh.
05:54Mm.
05:55Is it all over my face, because it feels like it?
05:59It's like the Italian I am.
06:00Mm.
06:01This is so heavenly.
06:03To me, this is like heaven on a piece of bread.
06:05And the olive oil, I mean, it's crunchy, it's salty,
06:09it's briny, it's creamy.
06:11It's so perfect.
06:13And those beans.
06:15It's another 10.
06:16For my final trick,
06:18everybody needs a good classic tuna salad.
06:21This one, you've got all the usual suspects.
06:23You've got relish, celery, onion, mayonnaise-based,
06:28hard boiled egg.
06:30Do you put egg in yours?
06:31I don't know, but my mom did,
06:32and it's just the way you have to do it.
06:35So I'm just gonna finely chop my celery and onion.
06:39And in this one, the veggies are just more
06:42of like a little addition.
06:44You want more tuna than veggies here.
06:46I'm using red onion here.
06:48You could use really whatever type of onion you want.
06:51Okay, this is where people are gonna,
06:53you know, wanna debate me here.
06:56Sweet relish or dill relish?
06:59Personally, I prefer the dill relish now.
07:03But growing up, my mom only put sweet relish
07:06in her tuna salad.
07:08But for my tuna salad, I'm going dill.
07:12I like the really crunchy refrigerator fresh dill.
07:15And then just kinda chop them up, just like pickles.
07:18Doesn't have to be relish.
07:19So I don't like it too eggy.
07:21My mom kinda puts a lot of egg in hers.
07:23I just think one egg is all I like.
07:25It's just enough.
07:26So I like to chop it super fine.
07:29It almost kinda adds into the sauce,
07:31like with the mayonnaise, that yolk and stuff.
07:33And that's it.
07:34So for the tuna, I'm just gonna go mom's style,
07:37which is cheap, old school, chunk-like tuna.
07:40You wanna drain this, like, so well, okay?
07:42As this sits, it's going to, like,
07:44release some of the liquid from the veggies.
07:46So you don't need to help that along with tuna juice.
07:49Okay.
07:50So you can see how dry it is.
07:51And then I just kinda flake it out with the fork.
07:53This is one of those times where you do want it broken up.
07:56So what you're saying is if you have a slap-chomp.
07:59Oh, nobody has slap-chomps.
08:02Okay, and then this one gets seasoned very simply.
08:04I happen to like lemon pepper here.
08:07Just a little bit of Dijon.
08:09And then mayonnaise.
08:12This one is kinda non-negotiable.
08:15Yes.
08:17I mean, we can call this one mom's tuna salad.
08:19This is, like, the OG, classic.
08:24Mm.
08:26I saved that one for last,
08:27thinking it wasn't the most exciting,
08:28but it just might make me the happiest,
08:31because it's just, like, old school.
08:32The lemon pepper has salt and pepper in it,
08:34and so I think it's, like, just enough.
08:36This really doesn't even need any more seasoning.
08:38Perfect.
08:39This is mom's.
08:41This is the one you know and love.
08:43And if you don't love it already, make this one,
08:47then tell me about it.
08:48Old school tuna deserves the old school preparation.
08:52Typically don't get bread this healthy,
08:54but I was trying to be a show-off.
08:56So I'm just gonna lightly toast that.
09:00Do you wanna sit here while I toast the bread?
09:02No.
09:02So I'm going to go in just a little mayonnaise
09:05on one of the pieces of bread.
09:07And then our tuna.
09:09This is the deli-style tuna salad.
09:11Something I love to put on my tuna sandwiches
09:14are just some banana peppers.
09:16So a couple banana peppers right over the tuna.
09:20They're not spicy, but they just kind of have that,
09:21like, vinegary kick, and with that, like,
09:24rich tuna, salty, it's just a good combo.
09:27Whenever you put tomato on a sandwich or anything,
09:30don't forget to season it.
09:35That looks so good.
09:36That's comfort food.
09:38Perfect bites, nostalgic.
09:41It's the perfect sandwich.
09:42I love making these at the beach, too.
09:44Something like, something about tuna salad,
09:47you know, feels summery,
09:49because it's like a lighter meal.
09:50This is like your beach sandwich,
09:52your school sandwich, your work sandwich.
09:55This one makes me happy.
09:57Truthfully, though, it's best served up
10:00just right on a cracker.
10:05Mm!
10:07When I try hard for y'all,
10:09it's like the best batches I've ever made.
10:11Perfect scores all around.
10:14That's it.
10:15I wouldn't steer you wrong.
10:16I know you trust me, and I promise you
10:18that if you love tuna salad as much as I do,
10:20then I guarantee you will love all these recipes.
10:23One simple ingredient, three delicious recipes.
10:27Please try at least one of them
10:29and let me know what you think.
10:30It's tuna time.
10:33Ugh, I still gotta go find that wine for this one.
10:37Mm.
10:39Oh, my, I'm not gonna get it, no.