In addition to tuna, it has red onions, celery, capers, lemon juice, parsley, mayo, and the kicker? Cottage cheese. You might think that cottage cheese is a weird thing to add to tuna salad, but believe me, it really works!
The Best Canned Tuna for Tuna Salad
To make the best tuna salad sandwich, it helps to start with high-quality canned tuna. We prefer tuna that is packed in extra virgin olive oil, because the oil intensifies the flavor of the tuna. Both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods have excellent canned tuna packed in olive oil that work perfectly for this tuna salad. The brands we most often use are Wild Planet Albacore Solid Wild Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil. If you don’t like the oil that the tuna is packed in, you can always drain it, and add back a tablespoon or so of your own high quality extra virgin olive oil. If all you have is tuna packed in water, drain it, and add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to it. Finding the best canned tuna for your taste may require a bit of experimentation with brands.
Doubling This Recipe
This recipe makes enough tuna salad for 1 large sandwich or 2 smaller sandwiches. You can easily double the recipe. Any leftover tuna salad will keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Add More Vegetables
If you’d like extra veggies in your tuna salad, go for it! Try a 1/4 cup or so of chopped cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots, celery, or even fresh greens, such as spinach or arugula. You may have to add more mayo or cottage cheese to get the consistency you want, but it works!
Swaps and Substitutions
Hate Dijon mustard? Use yellow, stone-ground, brown, spicy, or your favorite mustard.Don’t have fresh parsley or dill? Use tarragon, or any other fresh herb you enjoy.Swap in scallion or yellow or white onion for the red onion.Dislike onions? Leave them out!Don’t have capers? Just add some chopped pickles, chopped green olives, or pickle relish to get that extra brine and vinegar flavor.
Love a Good Tuna Sandwich? Try These Other Recipes!
English Muffin Tuna Melts Pan Bagnat (French Tuna Sandwich) Tuna Burgers with Dill Olive Mayo Tarragon Tuna Melt Avocado Tuna Salad
If you are using canned tuna packed in olive oil, you can use as is, without draining it. Or, if you don’t like the oil the tuna is packed in, you can drain it, and add back in 2 teaspoons of your favorite extra virgin olive oil.
