I go to several restaurants and cafes around my office on a regular basis during my lunch hour and I always get the same thing at each. I always fear that if I try something new, I’ll regret not getting what I usually get, but then I always feel I’m missing out on other great offerings if I continue to get what I always get. Tough decision, huh? Man, eating sometimes is just so hard, haha =P
One of my favorite things to do is to re-make restaurant favorites at home. It’s fun to try to dissect all the flavor and ingredient combinations and try to mimic the restaurant. I love sitting in a restaurant with Jason and being so into a dish to the point where I’m whipping out my iPhone to write down what ingredients would go into the dish and how I’d remake it. I know, I’m such a nerd foodie, aren’t I?
That’s what I’ve done here. There’s this cafe near my office that has this Thai tuna salad and it is so.freaking.addicting. My coworker actually introduced me to it. She told me that I “have to try it” and that our manager raves about it. I didn’t understand why until I went to get it.
Oh.my.gosh. It’s like an Asian symphony of flavors dancing in your mouth. It’s full of sesame flavor but the cucumbers, peppers, and red onions just play so well with the tuna and sesame oil. It’s a fairly light dish but it’s so filling because of all the protein you get from the tuna. Omega 3’s anyone?
I made a huge batch of this and we put it atop crostini. There’s so many other ways you can serve this. You can serve this over a bed of lettuce or spinach leaves or you can serve this atop cucumber slices as mini appetizers for a party or even on beds of endive or celery sticks.
I don’t know why it’s called a Thai tuna salad. Again, it’s a restaurant remake and I’m just naming it what the restaurant called it.
Thai Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 3: 70 gram cans of tuna, drained
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 1 cucumber, sliced thinly and diced
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Sesame seeds, as garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, break up the tuna into smaller pieces.
- Mix in the red bell pepper, red onion, and cucumber. Pour the sesame oil on top and stir to combine everything. Lastly add the juice of 1 lime and stir again to combine.
- Salt and pepper to taste and garnish with sesame seeds before serving.
Notes
I love Thai & I love tuna salad so I will have to make this ASAP! & I’m totally the exact same as you when it comes to ordering something new at a restaurant!
Great twist on a classic!
Julie. This is everything I’ve ever hoped for & more. My life is now complete.
Ooooo, I would totally love this! Looks perfect!
OMG you have me laughing so hard!! I am the EXACT same way when I go out to eat…scared to be disappointed so I always order the same thing at each place and then wonder if Im missing out on something great…but again, what if its not good?! Its an awful habit! haha
P.S. I am always looking for new ways to eat tuna!! This one is already in my lunch rotation this week! Fab.u.lous job!
I was thinking I wanted tuna salad for lunch (is that gross when you’re still drinking your coffee at 10am?) and then you posted this! Done…being made today. :)
LOVE this. I’m having tuna salad today, it’s a staple, but mine definitely needs some thai action!
Love the flavours in this!
Yum! I’m always looking for new tuna salad recipes. I need to try this one out!
Aaaand, why have I never thought to jazz up my tuna like this before? This looks so delicious, Julie! Love all your additions. I might even spice it up with some sriracha. Thanks for sharing!
Great way to spice up regular ol’ tuna salad! I have a mild-ish obsession with sesame oil. And by mild I mean I wish my house always smelled like it… I LOOOOOVE it! Totally trying this soon :)
Being able to enjoy restaurant favorites at home is one of the best things ever! This sounds amazing Julie :)
I remember seeing this on Instagram and I couldn’t wait for the recipe! I love that it doesn’t require too many ingredients and it can be made in 5 minutes. Those are the best lunches. Or dinners :)
Oh this looks fantastic and so clean and tasty! Okay, this is on the list.
Ummm, do you deliver? I want this for lunch.
omg. YES YES.
I’ve been craving Tuna Salad! I’m definitely gonna try your recipe!
Oh, YUM. this looks very delicious. i already ate lunch, but if you give me this now, i`ll definitely chow it down!
Always looking for a new spin on tuna salad. This looks great!
This sounds wonderful! I was planning on making a tuna salad anyway now I think I’ll try it your way :-)
I don’t love Tuna, but I love Thai flavors! This looks gorgeous!
This looks DELICIOUS! I love thai flavors.
Oh yum! I love tuna salad and incorporating Asian flavors definitely takes it up a notch :)
man oh man I wish I had tuna. This looks amazing.
This is such a great idea! Love it!
love the creative twist on tuna salad Julie! i also love that there is no mayo… can’t stand the stuff!
This salad looks so good. We would all love this at my place.
This is a great way to jazz up a tuna salad :)
Now I’m wishing I hadn’t had an egg sandwich for lunch. That sounds amazing.
I’m excited to try this! As a wife and mom trying to find healthy recipes can sometimes be a long process. Thankful to stumble across this and can’t wait to make it for my family =) Definitely adding to next weeks Meal Plan. http://www.tanastable.com/
Just had this tonight and we loved it! We had Triscuit Original crackers on the side and really enjoyed it
This is so yummy! I had to control myself to keep from eating the entire thing! I did make one little adjustment. I only used 1/4 cup of the sesame oil and it was just right for me. It seems like 3/4 cup would be very oily!
So glad I found this! Thank you. =)
Hi , I was browsing your recipes, they look great! Do you have a nutritional value at up for the Thai tuna salad? If you do, would you mind sending to me ? Thx!
Unfortunately, no. There are many reasons as to why I don’t post nutritional information on my recipes, one of which is that I simply do not have the time to do this. Also, I’m not a registered dietician or nutritionist so for me to give any sort of nutritional information would be incorrect and inaccurate. There are also many differing factors when it comes to nutritional information and since I do not have the knowledge in this, I do not feel comfortable posting this sort of information. If you must have this information, there are many calculators out there (free and paid) that can help you with calculations. A simple Google search would pull up some of these calculators, but again, I’m not endorsing them as I do not know how accurate they may be.
Hey, this salad sounds amazing! I was wondering how long you think it would keep for?
I would say at least 3 days!
Thankyou!
what size tins of tuna do you use?
I think it was a 5-6 ounce can.
Inreally like your recipes but being a novice at cooking I sometimes second guess myself and mess up. It would be REAL helpful if you would post pictures of the process of making the dish.
Thanks!
I just made this and used less sesame oil by half, but it still tastes too strongly of sesame. Does sesame oil have a short shelf life in the regrigerator. Could that be the problem?
Hi Lisa, sesame oil is really strong so that’s why. If you don’t like it as strong, use a even less next time. It’s a very potent oil :)
Hey Lisa, Thanks for the heads up. I will keep the sesame oil content really low.
Other than that, how was the taste? I know sometimes the picture looks good but the taste isn’t really all that great. I’d appreciate your review.
Thanks!
Sorry about the typos. My screen wouldn’t let me see the words as I typed.
Sounds delicious but be careful with this one if you’re watching calories. 3/4 cup of sesame oil is a large quantity – even for 3 cans of tuna . Would be over 360 calories per serving for just the oil (based on 4 servings.
There are 2 ingredients missing if this is supposed to be Thai and they are chopped small red and green chillies and fish sauce.
Thanks for enforcing the rules on Thai cuisine, Robert! I’m sorry to have strayed from what is “standard.” Recipe development these days gets harder and harder when you’re stuck in a bubble and restricted from being creative.
Very tasty, the whole family enjoyed it, added chilli, fish sauce and garnished with coriander
I’ve made this twice now for work lunches! The second time I ran out of sesame oil but it still tasted great with the reduced amount. I love it over spinach. It’s a great option when I want something light and healthy for lunch!
Good stuff! I added a little minced garlic and celery, and a touch of siracha for heat.
Hi. I’m trying this recipe for the first time today. I’ve used 3 x 185g cans of tuna. The 3/4 ssesame oil seems a little much. Are your cans of tuna 185g ?
Our cans of tuna are 70g and yes, 3/4 cup does seem like a lot, I agree. Perhaps, start with 1/4 cup for yours and then up the amount :) I will adjust that to the recipe. Thanks!
Firstly a confession….I have a slight addiction to Amazon.com warehouse discounted items. With that in mind, I recently purchased a small container of Thai Shrimp paste for $2.50. Prior to the purchase my mind was all a buz with recipe ideas, now that it’s here, (along with 16 cans of tuna, 2 bottles of dihydraded onions, curry powder, and a container of cumin ) My mind has simply shut down….
I’m thinking a Thai curry tuna salad….?
That sounds pretty good!
Hi tried the recipe thought the amount seasame oil was to overpowering i would personally put two table spoons i n.
Cheers