The Best Tuna Salad

I recently met a former coworker for lunch at a nearby park. We prefer picnic lunches at the park to going out because it not only saves money, we get to spend some much-needed time outside breathing in the fresh air. I wanted something easy to bring to lunch and remembered Melissa posting about The Best Tuna Salad awhile back.


I cut the recipe down to one can since I only needed enough for one sandwich. I really, really enjoyed this version of tuna salad, which isn't all that different from how I usually make it. I saved a little bit of the tuna to make a tuna melt for Baby Girl's dinner. She also enjoyed it, although by the end of the sandwich she was picking the cheese and tuna off the bread. The kid is a carbaholic so that says something. Tuna melts were apparently all I would eat at her age so I was happy to see she enjoyed it as much as I used to.

The Best Tuna Salad
From Cook's Country Magazine, as seen on I Was Born to Cook

1 can solid white tuna packed in water
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Drain tuna and pat dry with a paper towel. Place oil and onion in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes, until onion begins to soften. Mix with tuna, lemon juice, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Let marinate for 10 minutes. Stir in mayo and celery and chill before serving.

Valentine's Day: Tuna Tataki and Cold Sesame Noodles

SP and I always use Valentine's Day as an excuse to make a nice meal at home. This year I asked him what he wanted for dinner and he said seared tuna. I scoured the Food Network website and came across this Wolfgang Puck recipe for Tuna Tataki. The ingredients sounded fantastic and the dish was really easy to put together.


The recipe says to cook the tuna 30 seconds per side and it barely seared the tuna, which was fine by us. If you want a little more crust I'd say 45-60 seconds per side. The dressing was delicious, although the recipe made a ton of it. I used maybe half for the salad, although it was just the two of us and this recipe feeds four. I couldn't think of anything to serve with the tuna then it dawned on me to make cold sesame noodles.


The noodles were rich and peanut-buttery. Absolutely delicious. This was a wonderful meal. I can't wait to make it again for another special occasion.

Tuna Tataki
Wolfgang Puck

1/2 cup minced ginger
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1/2 pound very fresh, sushi-grade ahi tuna
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons peanut oil, for searing
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 medium-size, ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, quartered and sliced
2 cups mixed greens
12 thin slices red onion
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced
Ginger Sauce, recipe follows

On a shallow plate, mix together the ginger, sesame seeds, and cracked black pepper. Season the tuna with salt.

Make 1/2-inch deep slices in the tuna, every 1/4 to 1/2-inch or so to make it easier to slice at the end. Roll the tuna in the ginger mixture, pressing lightly so the mixture sticks to the tuna.

Place a saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and sear the tuna on all sides, about 30 seconds per side. Remove the tuna from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with lime juice. Pour the lime juice over the tuna.

In a bowl combine the avocado, greens, red onion, and tomato. Toss with some of the Ginger Sauce. Slice the tuna, following the incisions made earlier. Place some of the dressed greens on 4 plates. Top with sliced tuna and drizzle with some more of the ginger sauce.

Ginger Sauce

1 small shallot, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, combine the shallot, ginger, a few grinds pepper, soy sauce, and lime juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and set aside. When ready to serve, whisk thoroughly to combine.