Lunch · American

Classic Tuna Salad

Name: Classic Tuna Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 2 cans (5 oz / 142 g each) solid white tuna in water, very well drained; 3 tbsp mayonnaise; 1 celery rib, finely diced; 2 tbsp finely diced red onion, or 1 green onion, sliced; 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped, or 1 tsp dried dill; 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 0.25 tsp salt; 0.25 tsp black pepper; Pinch of sugar, optional, it rounds the lemon; Bread, crackers, or lettuce, to serve

Tuna salad has a reputation problem, and it was earned by decades of over mayoed, under seasoned desk lunches. Done right, it is one of the great cheap lunches: two cans of tuna, real crunch from celery, fresh dill, a squeeze of lemon, and just enough mayonnaise to bind it all into something you would happily order at a sandwich shop.

The ratio that fixes everything is one heaped tablespoon of mayo per can, not per bowl. Tuna salad should hold together when scooped but fall apart into flakes when you bite it. When it looks like wallpaper paste, there is twice as much mayo as there should be, and no amount of pepper can save it.

Drain the tuna properly too, pressing the lid down hard in the open can. Watery tuna makes watery salad, and watery salad makes soggy bread by lunchtime. Ten minutes and two cans, and this beats almost any sandwich you can buy.

Jump to recipe

By the TasteBoard team. Timed in a home kitchen, with total time added up and safe temperatures checked.

Photo: @Sodanie Chea from Norwalk, Ca, United States / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

30 min promise: 10 min total
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 0 min
Total: 10 min
Servings: 3
Course: Lunch
Calories, about: 260 per serving

Ready in 10 min, honestly. No hidden waiting.

Instructions

1Drain the tuna thoroughly: open the cans, press the lids in hard, and pour off every drop of liquid. Wet tuna is the root of all bad tuna salad.
2Flake the tuna into a bowl with a fork, breaking up the big chunks but leaving some texture.
3Add the mayonnaise, celery, onion, dill, lemon juice, Dijon, salt, pepper, and the pinch of sugar if using.
4Fold together with the fork until just combined. Stop before it turns into paste; visible flakes of tuna are the texture you want.
5Taste and adjust. It usually wants a little more lemon, sometimes a pinch more salt.
6Serve immediately on soft bread with tomato and lettuce, or chill 30 minutes and pack it for tomorrow.

Tap a step to mark it done, saved on this device only. Timer buttons count down right here and beep when time is up.

Why you will love it

10 minutes, no cooking, and about a dollar per serving.
Pantry stable, so it is the lunch you can make when shopping has not happened.
High protein, low calorie, and naturally gluten free as written.
Better on day two, which is rare and wonderful for packed lunches.
The formula flexes to whatever is in the fridge, from apples to pickles.

Tips

Solid white albacore gives big flaky chunks; chunk light tuna is softer and cheaper. Both work, and this recipe is written for either.
Dice the celery small, pencil eraser size. Big celery pieces fall out of sandwiches and take their crunch elsewhere.
For lunch boxes, pack the bread and tuna separately and assemble at lunchtime. Ten seconds of assembly saves a soggy sandwich.
A hard boiled egg, chopped in, turns this from a light lunch into a serious one.

Swaps and variations

Greek yogurt instead of mayo: what changes: lighter and tangier, a favorite for training season. Use 4 tbsp since yogurt is thinner.
Sweet relish version: what changes: the diner style tuna salad with 1 tbsp sweet relish replacing the onion.
Avocado tuna salad: what changes: half mayo, half mashed avocado, eaten same day before the avocado browns.
White bean version: what changes: fold in 0.5 cup rinsed white beans for more fiber and a bigger lunch.

What to serve

Soft white bread with butter lettuce and tomato, the platonic tuna sandwich.
Butter crackers and cucumber slices, for the grazing lunch.
Toasted sourdough, open faced, with the tuna piled on and a fork for the overflow.

Storage and reheating

Fridge: 3 days in a sealed container, and it genuinely improves overnight as the dill and onion settle in. Stir before serving; some liquid separates. Do not freeze, mayonnaise breaks and the celery turns to mush. Food safety note: tuna salad should stay refrigerated and never sit out longer than 2 hours, so use an ice pack in lunch bags.

Calories shown are an estimate from standard ingredients, not medical advice. Brands and amounts change the number.

Questions cooks actually ask

Oil packed or water packed tuna?

Both are correct. Oil packed tastes richer; drain it well and use a spoon less mayo. Water packed is leaner and lets the dill and lemon lead. I keep both in the pantry for different moods.

Can I make it the night before?

Yes, and you should. Chilled overnight, the flavors marry and the celery stays crunchy. Keep the sandwich bread separate and assemble in the morning.

How do I stop it tasting fishy?

Good tuna, full draining, and acid. The lemon juice and Dijon are not decoration, they brighten the whole bowl. If tuna salads have always tasted flat to you, the missing ingredient was almost always the lemon.

Is canned tuna healthy?

It is one of the best protein per dollar foods there is, rich in omega 3s. If you eat tuna often, vary between light and albacore and keep portions moderate; light tuna is lower in mercury, which is why I use it for most weekday lunches.

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Classic Tuna Salad

Instructions

Why you will love it

Tips

Swaps and variations

What to serve

Storage and reheating

Questions cooks actually ask

Cook something similar next

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Keep exploring

All lunch recipes

American recipes

Gluten free recipes

High protein recipes

Low calorie recipes

Low carb recipes