Canned tuna has been a pantry staple for as long as I can remember but in the beginning, it took me a while to get used to this humble ingredient. What did help was how my kids took to it, and this simple tuna salad became one of their favourite lunches.
Canned fish comes in many forms. There’s tuna, salmon, sardines, even oysters and octopus, all packaged together in an easy to open, long-life container. What’s not to love, right? A few reasons for starters.
For one I was unfamiliar with most canned fish. I didn’t really know what to do with it. My first memory of fish in a can is connected to my uncle. He loves canned herring and sardines, still does today. And every time one of us left to come “abroad” there was only one item on his shopping list. CAnned fish. What did I know that he was far ahead of his time.
Years later in Calgary, my older one came home from daycare one day and couldn’t stop talking about tuna salad sandwiches. She had had them that day for lunch and wanted them again. Since then this pantry staple has become a weekend lunch staple in our home.
After years of flying under the radar and being taken for granted, today canned tuna has regained favour with many people. It’s chock-full of heart-healthy micronutrients and very close in nutritional characteristics to fresh fish. Healthy, budget-friendly and with a long shelf-life, did I miss anything? Oh yes — delicious!
Simple Tuna Salad Recipe
This tuna salad recipe is quite easy to put together and my kids regularly put this together for their weekend lunches.
Real-Life Kitchen Tips
- Drain the can after you open it.
- Buy MSC certified fish as much as you can. You are making a more earth-savvy choice.
- I often add capers and olives to my portion. The kids love the simplicity of this tuna salad just as it is.
- If you’re serving this as a salad then a little bit more yoghurt is good. In a sandwich stick to the recipe because if it’s too moist then the bread will fall apart.
Simple Tuna Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can canned Tuna Opened and drained
- 1/2 cup Cucumber chopped
- Salt
- Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp yoghurt
- 1 tbsp mayo
Instructions
- Add the yogurt and mayo together along with salt and pepper
- Add tuna and mash it all together, gently
- Add cucumber and gently toss together
- Serve as salad, or between two slices of bread as a sandwich
