Folks, we can honestly say, lunch never tasted so good!
Our Best-Ever Chicken Salad is our most popular recipe on the blog, and when you try it, we think you’ll understand why. We have worked on this tuna recipe for many iterations, and we’re certain it rivals our chicken salad. We think you’ll agree. Even picky eaters love it! And it is so easy to prepare!
How To Make Tuna Salad
There’s a lot to love about this dish. It’s easy, it is scrumptious, but you can also easily adapt it your own tastes!
There’s really very little prep work, too!
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The Ingredients You Will Need
As mentioned, we’ve tweaked this recipe over and over until we found what we think is the perfect combination of flavors. But, you can add or subtract any ingredients to fit your tastes and likes!
Here’s What You’ll Need to Have on Hand
Tuna – Canned tuna is perfectly fine. Go with quality, though. We love skipjack tuna. It’s deeply flavorful, loaded with nutrients, and low in mercury.
Red onion – Chopped.
Apple cider vinegar – For briefly pickling the onion. Not 100% necessary, but it mellows the onion nicely.
Dried fruit – We highly recommend dried cranberries. So good!
Celery – Finely diced.
Capers – Drained. They are salty and briny and match wonderfully against the slightly sweet cranberries.
Dill – Fresh. This herb is key to this salad. We recommend using fresh dill, but dried can be used in a pinch. Just go with a teaspoon.
Parsley – Fresh is best.
Mayonnaise – Homemade is wonderful, but good quality store-bought is just fine.
Dijon mustard – Another key ingredient for this salad.
Lemon juice – From the juice of 1 lemon. Brightens the salad wonderfully.
Seasonings – Kosher salt and pepper is all you need.
Tips for Making the Best-Ever Tuna Salad
Use Quality Canned Tuna – We like going with top-notch tuna that is packed in water, rather than oil. Our favorite brand is Wild Planet.
Go with Fresh Herbs – We can’t stress this enough. The fresh dill and parsley are what set this tuna salad apart from other recipes.
Let the Flavors Meld – Once you’ve mixed the salad together, you can serve it immediately, but, we find that if you allow the salad to chill in the fridge for at least an hour, the flavors meld together. It’s amazing served the next day!
EXPERT TIP: The dressing can be made up to several days in advance. Once you’ve prepped all of the dry ingredients, simply pour in the dressing and mix to coat.
How To Serve
This tuna salad is ideal for serving at a special occasion, such as a bridal or baby shower, potluck at the church, or just a lovely brunch with dear friends.
We often will double (or triple) the recipe and place it in a nice serving bowl. Be sure to have slider buns or dinner rolls so folks can build a sandwich.
Or, for a beautiful presentation, make the sandwiches before guests arrive and place on a large platter or cutting board. We add a layer of green leaf lettuce on the bottom of each sandwich.
You can also serve this wrapped in leaves of lettuce. Carb free, beautiful, and so delicious!
Other Classic Mayo-Based Salads to Try
We love this tuna salad so much, but these other salads are really wonderful, too. Give them a try! We’re pretty sure you’ll be happy that you did!
Best-Ever Chicken Salad
Curry Chicken Salad
Grilled Chicken Salad
Best-Ever Egg Salad
Fresh Lobster Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad with Mandarin
Tzatziki Cucumber Salad
These are all classic in their own right, but, in the meantime, isn’t this calling your name?
This has become one of our most popular recipes on the blog.
And can we tell you, this salad makes an amazing Tuna Melt that is one for the record books.
We have family members who do not like any kind of seafood at all, but always go back for seconds for this dish. It’s really that delicious!
Every single bite is a true taste sensation.
Ready to make the best tuna sandwich this side of the Atlantic Ocean? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Best-Ever Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 5 oz. can albacore tuna in water we love Wild Planet, drained
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- 2 celery ribs chopped
- ¼ cup capers drained
- 2 tbsp dill fresh, chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 large lemon the juice from
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Kosher salt start with 1/2 teaspoon, then add more, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the red onions in a small bowl and cover with apple cider vinegar. Set aside for 15 minutes, and then drain.½ cup red onion, ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- In a large bowl, add the drained tuna, pickled onions, cranberries, celery, capers, dill and parsley.2 5 oz. can albacore tuna in water, ½ cup dried cranberries, 2 celery ribs, ¼ cup capers, 2 tbsp dill, 1 tbsp parsley
- In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper (add the salt in 1/2 teaspoon increments, to taste).¾ cup mayonnaise, 1 large lemon, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp Kosher salt, Freshly ground black pepper
- Add the mayo mixture to the tuna mixture, and using a large wooden spoon, stir the salad to fully incorporate all ingredients.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hours before serving. (Can be prepared 24 hours in advance of serving).
- Serve on a bed of greens or as sandwiches.
Notes
Nutrition
POST UPDATE: This recipe was originally published in April 2018, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in August 2023!
Definitely one of my favorite recipes! I enjoy making this specific recipe with many different Soups. It’s always interesting to dip my tuna sandwiches in different homemade Soups to add a little more spin on the flavor, making it an almost new experience everytime! Thank you for sharing!
Homemade tuna salad with homemade soup is nothing short of culinary perfection! We love the way you cook!! Thanks so much for sharing! Stay in touch!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Very interesting recipe. I’m just wondering if it really called for 2 12 Oz cans of albacore tuna? Only because I have so much dressing left over and the tuna is already swimming in it. Or perhaps 4 5 Oz cans of tuna? The flavors are delicious – I just want to make sure you really meant 2 5 Oz cans of tuna
Hi Alexandra! That is interesting! When we make this we use two 5 oz cans, but we make sure the tuna is thoroughly drained. Could that be the issue? We truly hope you were still able to enjoy the tuna salad! It’s is definitely one of our favorites and a fan favorite, too! And thank you for the 5 Stars!! xo
I don’t know if you, the creator(s) of this recipe are still looking at comments regarding this tuna salad, but here goes. I was looking around for an interesting spin on good ol’ tuna salad, when I came across this recipe. We’re in the middle of a heat wave, and I couldn’t even think about cooking! It sounded so interesting, that I absolutely had to try it. That it did not disappoint would be an understatement. This was a party in my mouth! The balance of sweet (dried cranberries), salty (capers), and that tiny bit of sour (“pickled” onions) came together in this extraordinary balance of flavors. This is truly a next-level creation! It’s my new way to make tuna salad! Thank you for sharing this creation with us!
Hi Valerie! We ABSOLUTELY read every single comment and especially that ones that make us so happy like yours does! Woo hoo! We are thrilled you made the tuna salad and had such great success! It’s one of our favorite dishes to make, too! And you are so right…especially when it’s hot as blazes outside! You might want to consider making the Best-Ever Tuna Melt! It’s to die for!!! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the amazing review! That means the world to us! Please stay in touch and stay tuned…so much more fun and food on the way!!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I have made this recipe a number of times. It was always a hit. The capers, marinated red onions and dried cranberries take this recipe to a new level. Keep sharing your recipes.
Hi Dwight! We can’t even begin to tell you how much this means to us! We are so so happy you enjoy this tuna salad recipe and our others, too! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the awesome review! That means the world to us! Please stay in touch! Kris & Wesley
OMG, I am saving this. I usually like to add grapes and walnuts, but the grapes contribute a lot of water when leftovers are stored.
COLD tuna salad on a hot day – unbeatable!
Nancy!! We really think you’ll love this version! And we agree…cold tuna salad on a hot day is such a treat! Let us know if you make the salad and what you think! xoxo
I make this with rotisserie chicken cut into cubes instead of tuna and it is fabulous!
Hi guys. Happy 4th! I can’t believe how good wild planet tuna is! Enjoy!
This is sooo incredible!! I make it regularly & everyone raves. Thanks for such an amazing, easy, fresh & healthy recipe!!
Hi Melanie! That is so wonderful! We are thrilled you are having such great success with the tuna salad recipe and thank you SO MUCH for sharing and for the GREAT review! That means so much to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley