Salads with tuna have long gained popularity not only as snacks for the festive table, but also in the form of everyday dishes. This fish in itself is dietary and low-calorie and in combination with light components can be the basis of a healthy diet. Below are the most interesting tuna salad recipes that you can easily complete in a short time.
The lightest snack
As noted above, tuna itself is a light product and when mixed with vegetables and fruits, it allows you to get a diet dish. For one of these options you will need:
- 1 can of tinned tuna (drain the liquid);
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries;
- 1/2 large apple, chopped;
- 1 leek, chopped;
- 2 teaspoons tea yogurt without additives;
- salt;
- Romaine lettuce.
How to make a diet salad?
A diet tuna salad is prepared like this. Combine all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl except lettuce. Place the romaine leaves on a plate and lay the tuna mixture on top. This recipe allows you to cook only one serving, but it is usually enough to feed an adult and two young children.
Restaurant option
The home version of your favorite restaurant dish always feels like a personal culinary victory. As a rule, you manage to save a little and enjoy your own version of the recipe. Nicoise salad is no exception. The advantage of this salad is that it can be pre-made. So, you can cook it in the morning and take it to work for lunch or leave it in the refrigerator for dinner. The recipe for Nicoise salad with tuna requires the following ingredients.
For salad:
- 2 large eggs;
- a handful of green beans;
- some boiled young potatoes;
- 1/2 red pepper, sweet;
- 8 large olives;
- 1/8 red onion;
- 1 tablespoon capers;
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill;
- 1 jar of tuna in olive oil;
- 1 bunch of spinach or arugula.
For refueling:
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil;
- 1/8 cup white vinegar 5%;
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard tea;
- 1 teaspoon anchovy paste;
- 1/2 shallots, finely chopped;
- salt and pepper.
How to cook this restaurant salad at home?
The recipe for Nicoise salad with tuna is as follows. Boil water in a medium saucepan to prepare eggs, beans and potatoes. Using a spoon or tongs, place the eggs in boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove them and place in a container of ice water to prevent further cooking. Continue to boil water in a pan, place potatoes there for 15 minutes. Remove it then and set aside so that it can cool. Place the green beans in boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Drain the water. The ingredients prepared in this step can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After this, it is necessary to prepare the remaining components. Next, a salad with tuna and vegetables is prepared as follows. Remove seeds and stalk from bell pepper, cut it into thin strips and divide them in half. Chop 1/8 red onion. Mix capers, dill, olives and tuna in a salad bowl.
Peel the eggs and cut vertically into quarters. Place spinach or arugula (or a mixture of them) in a salad bowl, put on top and mix all the other ingredients. If you are preparing this dish in advance, cover it or wrap it with foil and add dressing immediately before use. You can keep this salad with tuna and vegetables in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
To make a dressing, combine all the ingredients for it in a tightly closed container. Close and shake vigorously to mix everything thoroughly.
Tuna and Corn Salad
If you mix canned tuna with corn, rice and cherry tomatoes, you will get a hearty and mouth-watering dish in the shortest possible time. In total you will need:
- 150 grams (3/4 cup) basmati rice;
- a can of canned corn;
- 2 cans of tuna in olive oil (185 grams each);
- 250 grams of cherry tomatoes, cut in half;
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill;
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest;
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil.
How to make rice salad?
Boil the rice in a pot of boiling water until cooked. Drain and cool.
Combine rice, corn, tuna, canned oil, tomatoes, dill and lemon zest in a large bowl. Beat lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Try and season with salt and pepper. Pour the lemon mixture onto a salad with tuna and corn and mix everything very well. Serve immediately.
Mexican recipe
This Mexican tuna salad recipe offers a healthy meal that will support you for hours. A vibrant mix of vegetables, supplemented with plenty of protein, is an excellent post-workout meal. For him you will need:
- 1 cup canned corn, without brine;
- 1 cup canned beans, without liquid;
- 2 small bell peppers;
- 1 avocado;
- 1/4 purple onion;
- 1 head of salad;
- 400 grams of canned tuna;
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise or any salad dressing;
- 1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning mixture.
How to make a mexican salad?
Prepare the ingredients for this diet tuna salad. Cut all the vegetables into small pieces. Drain the tuna. Mix the ingredients with the dressing right before serving.
Italian Potato Salad
Italian Potato Salad is a lightweight version of a traditional root vegetable dish. In this case, the young potatoes are covered with olive oil and mixed with crisp cucumber, tender tomatoes, olives and capers, as well as eggs and tuna. For him you will need:
- 1 kg medium potatoes, peeled;
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil;
- 1 long cucumber, cut into cubes;
- 4 small tomatoes, quarters;
- 1/2 red onion, very thinly chopped;
- a can of olives cut into rings;
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil;
- 2 tablespoons capers, without liquid;
- 3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar;
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano;
- 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled, cut into quarters;
- 2 cans of tuna canned 175 grams each (in olive oil or in own juice).
How to cook Italian salad?
Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt and put potatoes there, cook until tender for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and wait until it is cool enough to handle.
Slice the potatoes into large cubes and place in a serving bowl. Pour on top with olive oil and stir. Next, a salad with tuna, cucumber and egg is done as follows.
Add cucumber, tomatoes, onions, olives, basil and capers to the potatoes. Beat vinegar and oregano in a small bowl, pour the mixture into a salad and gently stir.
With your fingers or a fork, divide the tuna into small pieces, put on top of the remaining ingredients of the dish. Put quarters of eggs on it. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish a salad with tuna, cucumber and egg with sprigs of herbs and serve.
Salad "Waldorf"
This salad recipe was first mentioned in cooking in 1893. It includes chopped apples, celery, grapes and toasted walnuts, all in a mayonnaise dressing. Modern options often mention cooking this tuna salad for satiety. This dish is especially relevant in the fall, when apples and walnuts are seasonal products.
Some people prefer to cook Waldorf salad with yogurt rather than mayonnaise. In this case, you may need some honey to compensate for the yoghurt acid. In addition, in this case, you do not need to use lemon juice. For a basic recipe you need:
- 6 tablespoons of mayonnaise (or plain yogurt);
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice;
- 1/2 teaspoon of tea salt;
- some freshly ground black pepper;
- 2 sweet apples, chopped;
- 1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in half (or 1/4 cup raisins);
- 1 cup celery, finely chopped;
- 1 can of tuna in its own juice, without liquid;
- 1 cup chopped, lightly toasted walnuts;
- lettuce leaves.
Cooking Waldorf Salad
In a medium-sized bowl, beat mayonnaise (or yogurt), lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Stir with apple, celery, grapes, tuna and walnuts. Serve this simple tuna salad on green leaves. It can be served as an independent appetizer or as a side dish for another dish.
Rice and Pea Salad
This salad with tuna and green peas is great for a wholesome and tasty mid-week meal. It contains little fat and is very satisfying. To cook it, you will need:
- 1 cup brown rice;
- 1 cup white rice;
- 1/2 cup green peas;
- 2 large tomatoes, diced;
- 3 leeks, thinly chopped;
- 2 cans of canned tuna without additives;
- 2 large lemons;
- 1 tablespoon olive oil.
How to do it?
Cook brown and white rice, boiled separately in salted water. Then drain and rinse with cold water, leave to cool completely. Then mix it with peas, tomatoes and leek in a large bowl. Drain the liquid from the tuna and mash it into large pieces. Add to salad and mix gently.
Squeeze the juice from one lemon, cut the second citrus into wedges. Mix 1/4 cup lemon juice, oil and salt and pepper in a jar with a screw cap. Fasten the lid and shake the mixture well. Pour the prepared dressing into the salad and gently stir. Serve this classic tuna salad with lemon wedges.
Variant of Mimosa salad using tuna
This is a classic puff salad with mayonnaise. If you think that this dressing is too high in calories, you can replace it with Greek yogurt. To prepare this version of puff salad with tuna, you need:
- 1 large can of tuna in oil;
- 2-3 medium carrots;
- 2-3 large potatoes;
- 3 eggs;
- 100 ml of mayonnaise.
How to cook "Mimosa"?
Puff salad with tuna is prepared as follows. Boil carrots and potatoes right in the peel. In a separate pan, cook hard-boiled eggs. Cool all of the above components.
Drain half the oil from the tuna, mash the fish with a fork in mashed potatoes.
Peel the carrots and potatoes, rub them individually on a fine grater and place them in a separate bowl. Divide the eggs into proteins and yolks, grate them as small as possible.
Then you need a ring from a detachable round shape. When closed, place it on a large serving plate. Spread the tuna with the first layer, slightly press down with a fork. Put grated egg white on top of it, and then a little mayonnaise. Then lay out the carrots and mayonnaise again. The last layer is grated potatoes and mayonnaise. Egg yolk should be used as decoration. Spread it in a continuous even layer on the surface of the salad. To remove the ring, carefully unfasten it, turn it to the side, and then slowly lift it up. It is best to cool the salad overnight or at least several hours before serving.
Warm salad
Since tuna is a universal product, it is possible to cook not only cold snacks from it, but also warm salads. Such dishes are usually made with the addition of potatoes. All you need is about half an hour. To prepare a warm salad with tuna and potatoes, you must:
- 4-5 medium potatoes;
- 1/2 cans of canned tuna without additives;
- 2 large eggs;
- 2 pickled medium cucumbers;
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice;
- 90 grams of mayonnaise;
- leaf salad;
- salt;
- some fresh parsley.
How to cook a warm salad?
Boil water in a large pan and boil the potatoes without peeling them. In a separate container, boil hard-boiled eggs.
At the same time, chop the parsley and cucumbers very finely. Drain the tuna, divide it into small pieces with a fork. In a large serving plate, tear lettuce leaves with your hands. Lay on top of them pieces of tuna.
Peel the boiled potato without peeling it until the end. Cut into large pieces and put in a salad bowl.
Mix lemon juice with mayonnaise, add chopped parsley and cucumbers. Mix all the ingredients very well and slightly warm the mixture. It should be warm, but not hot. If you want to make the salad less nutritious, you can use plain yogurt instead of mayonnaise.
Add warmed dressing to a salad bowl, mix all the ingredients. Peel the boiled eggs, cut them into quarters. Spread them on top of the cooked salad. Serve immediately.
If you wish, you can make this dish a regular cold salad. For this option, you will need to cool the prepared eggs and potatoes to room temperature, and do not heat the dressing. If you decide to make the salad cold, you can add any additional ingredients to your liking: canned corn or green peas, olives, olives, capers and so on.