I love tuna salad. Or maybe I love mayo? Possibly both? I used to be the type who would order a tuna salad sandwich from wherever then get added mayonnaise to the already mayonnaise laden salad. It was obviously amazing. My husband on the other hand, is not a fan of mayo rich foods. I know, he’s missing out. I’ve also since realized that loading mayo on top of mayo typically equals mucho calories. Ah…I miss those high school/middle school days of eating whatever whenever don’t you? I shall live vicariously through my two year old. Back to my current tuna salad obsession.
The issue of course with no mayonnaise added to tuna salad is it becomes dry. The tuna experience is not the same when you’re literally choking it down. A while back when I attempted paleo, I saw some people substituting mayonnaise for avocado. Brilliant! So, there’s your added creamy fat: healthy and delicious. From there, I take the tuna one step further and add some much needed crunch. I throw in some almond slivers (they are great to add to so many things) and chopped up green apple and it really hits the spot. It just reminds me of a tuna salad I might order at a restaurant (not talkin’ Subway).
Here’s a more detailed breakdown:
Crunchy Tuna Salad
- can of whole tuna
- 1 tbsp of relish or chopped pickle
- 1/2 an avocado (or as much to your taste. Don’t fear the fat!)
- 1/2 a chopped green apple
- a Tbsp or so of almond slivers (or whatever nut you like)
- optional: I usually add in a hard boiled egg because it just works so well with tuna. It provides some additional protein too!
Today, I served this on a bed of spinach with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
This is a side note, but Costco (Kirkland brand) balsamic vinegar is so good! I have some friends who are generally obsessed with balsamic vinegar and I’m typically not so for me to say it’s good (I think) means it’s pretty darn good. Maybe I’ve just been buying poor quality balsamic all these years? Certainly possible.
My husband loved the tuna too and didn’t miss the mayonnaise at all! He had it on a couple pieces of toasted wheat bread.
If you don’t have an avocado available, some other ideas for mayo substitutes are guacamole, hummus, or you could make your own mayonnaise. All of those things really give you that nice creamy consistency that store bought mayo brings to the table.
Give it a try!
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