My husband has been asking for tuna salad and, even though it is not a usual go to, I have started to crave a good tuna salad as well. I don’t know if it’s because it’s lent (my husband follows no meat Fridays) or spring is in the air but I have been wanting to make this tuna salad for almost two weeks. Those few weeks of thinking about it resulted in one darn good tuna salad. Now, this isn’t your typical tuna salad but that’s why I like it even more.

With this tuna salad, I wanted to add in some vegetables (obviously), color, flavor, and texture. The salad will be a perfect pairing with your favorite crunchy cracker and/or cucumber. The ingredients and methods of preparing the salad are below in more detail but one of the best things about this salad is you can make it your own. Feel free to slice and dice the vegetables differently or completely swap out or add in different ones. Get creative and make it easier on yourself.

The Ingredients

Let’s start with the most obvious, tuna. For this recipe I used two packs of tuna, if you want more of a tuna flavor, by all means, add in another packet. I really like Wild Planet Tuna, probably one of the best, but if you do not want to spend $5 per 5oz can I like SafeCatch as well, plus they test ever fish for mercury in order to keep levels low in their product. I bought the Tuna in water as I knew I would be adding in other seasonings to the dish.

Vegetables / Color for the salad includes cucumbers (crunch, freshness), red onion (flavor, crunch), tomato (color, moisture), arugula (flavor, color), lemon (flavor) and canned artichoke hearts (flavor). Obviously, these all pack nutrients into the salad as well. Feel free to add sweet peppers, hearts of palm or celery. The great thing about this salad is you can make it your own with the vegetables and beans you have on hand. Swap out ingredients with things you do have on hand (carrots, peppers, avocado, roasted tomatoes, celery etc. etc.)

Wanting to balance the dish out with some starch and added protein, I went for the milder Northern White Bean. I have seen other use chickpeas but wanted something soften. I will let the cucumbers and crackers take the texture attention. I love using white beans in my salads, on naan bread or in soups. Drain and rinse these bad boys before throwing them in the bowl. I fight thought about adding orzo or quinoa but decided about the white bean due to convenience.

Next up, cheeeeeeees (old school anyone?). Anyways, crumbled feta was a no brainer giving saltiness and creaminess to the salad. I like to buy a brick of feta, then crumble it myself (less processed and more moist). If not feta, try mozzarella or go without any at all.

Finally, the dressing: Super simple with really no secret ingredients. Plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic (powder or 2 diced cloves) and a squirt or two of mayo (for good measure). I also added cilantro (or dill), pepper and red pepper flakes at the end for more flavoring. No plain greek yogurt, no big deal, use a little more mayo, tbsp (apple or red wine) vinegar as well as tbsp or two of olive oil.

how to eat it

Feel free to put the salad on a platter for enjoy with crackers and cucumbers or top it with some toast. A salty crunchy cracker is my go-to with this dish. The crunchiness of the cracker (or cucumber) really bring all the flavors, and textures together. Is your mouth watering yet? Whether you’re preparing tuna salad for Friday’s during lent or Saturday lunch, this ‘not your everyday’ tuna salad will not disappoint. Try it and let me know what you think! Store in a glass container for three days, day two is usually my favorite as it’s like the tuna salad marinated overnight. And as always, enjoy!