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Thai Tuna Salad
Canned tuna is definitely one of those ingredients that tend to get overlooked.
However, during this pandemic, I feel like tuna is getting a new take on life and is SHINING! A lot of people are trying to figure out how to make tasty and easy recipes with their canned tuna and this Thai tuna salad, one of my oldest yet trustiest recipes, is here to help!
This Thai tuna salad recipe was posted on my blog years ago and its origination was from this cafe near my office. The cafe calls it Thai tuna salad so I didn’t change the name of it.
When my coworker introduced me to it, I was kind of skeptical. I didn’t think it’d be that good. She told me that I “have to try it” and ever since I got it, I realized that it is so.freaking.addicting.
Unfortunately, this cafe closed and now I’m not able to have my Thai tuna salads from there anymore but thank goodness I recreated it and now I can have it whenever I want at home!
I made a huge batch of this and I put it atop crostini but there’s a multitude of ways to serve Thai tuna salad. 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.
Or, you could make a sandwich with it – kind of like a tuna melt. Or you can use butter crackers and kind of eat this like a dip.
I have also eaten this straight like this as a meal. It’s really versatile and it is full of sesame flavor. 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?
Other canned tuna recipes to try:
Mediterranean tuna white bean salad
Thai Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 70 grams canned tuna, drained
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 cucumber, sliced thinly and diced
- 2 tablespoons 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
Nutrition
Photography by Ari Laing
I have made this several times. I use regular tuna, added jalapeรฑo and cilantro. Iโve also used celery when I didnโt have cucumbers. Our whole family loves it. This is delicious and versatile!!
This is a recipe that you will cook over and over again- basic but with flair and loads of flavor.
This was really great, I’m so sad somebody only gave it 2 stars and now that is what google shows. It was easy, tasty, and went a long way towards powering my afternoon.
Hi tried the recipe thought the amount seasame oil was to overpowering i would personally put two table spoons i n.
Cheers
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 itโs 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….
Iโm thinking a Thai curry tuna salad….?
That sounds pretty good!
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!
Good stuff! I added a little minced garlic and celery, and a touch of siracha for heat.
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!
Very tasty, the whole family enjoyed it, added chilli, fish sauce and garnished with coriander
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.