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This Thai tuna salad is the perfect way to use up canned tuna in the pantry! Easy ingredients make this Thai tuna salad so flavorful and full of protein!
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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 is the perfect way to use up canned tuna in the pantry! Easy ingredients make this Thai tuna salad so flavorful and full of protein!

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!

This Thai tuna salad is the perfect way to use up canned tuna in the pantry! Easy ingredients make this Thai tuna salad so flavorful and full of protein!

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?

This Thai tuna salad is the perfect way to use up canned tuna in the pantry! Easy ingredients make this Thai tuna salad so flavorful and full of protein!

Other canned tuna recipes to try:

Zesty tuna pasta

Mediterranean tuna white bean salad

Tuna pasta bake

Mediterranean tuna orzo salad

This Thai tuna salad is the perfect way to use up canned tuna in the pantry! Easy ingredients make this Thai tuna salad so flavorful and full of protein!
4.23 from 9 votes

Thai Tuna Salad

This Thai tuna salad is the perfect way to use up canned tuna in the pantry!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4

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
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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

If you feel more sesame oil is needed, feel free to add more to your taste!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 184kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 15g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

Photography by Ari Laing

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Recipe Rating




63 Comments

  1. Tina says:

    I have made this several times. I use regular tuna, added jalapeรฑo and cilantro. Iโ€™ve also used celery when I didnโ€™t have cucumbers. Our whole family loves it. This is delicious and versatile!!

  2. Tiffany says:

    This is a recipe that you will cook over and over again- basic but with flair and loads of flavor.

  3. Melissa says:

    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.

  4. Ian sharples says:

    Hi tried the recipe thought the amount seasame oil was to overpowering i would personally put two table spoons i n.
    Cheers

  5. Porter says:

    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 itโ€™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….
    Iโ€™m thinking a Thai curry tuna salad….?

    1. Julie says:

      That sounds pretty good!

  6. Justin says:

    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 ?

    1. Julie says:

      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!

  7. Ryan says:

    Good stuff! I added a little minced garlic and celery, and a touch of siracha for heat.

  8. Angela says:

    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!

  9. Darren Emes says:

    Very tasty, the whole family enjoyed it, added chilli, fish sauce and garnished with coriander

  10. Robert Smith says:

    There are 2 ingredients missing if this is supposed to be Thai and they are chopped small red and green chillies and fish sauce.

    1. Julie says:

      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.