This Is The Best Classic Tuna Salad Recipe Ever

Tuna salad will always be a go-to lunch for me. It comes together quickly with simple ingredients, and its ability to elevate sandwiches, lettuce wraps, crackers, and more to new heights is unparalleled. That being said, I’ve found that many tuna salad recipes have the potential to wildly succeed or epically fail, so when it came to creating mine, I wasn’t messing around.

I settled on a precise mixture of mayo, lemon juice, fresh dill, salt, and black pepper for a light, zingy dressing that generously coats the tuna without overwhelming it. I included celery for crunch, as well as chopped red onion and dill pickle for brightness and tang. The result is a classic deli-style tuna salad you can make anytime from the comfort of your own home. Keep reading on to learn how to make it your own:

What People Are Saying:"Nice and lemony - that zing! Would be great on a ripped sourdough boule " -3sixty5

"Great texture! Every bite was nice and crunchy." -maddiegate

How To Make Tuna Salad

INGREDIENTS

• Canned Tuna: I tested this recipe with a variety of canned tunas and ultimately preferred unsalted, chunk white tuna packed in water for its clean tuna flavor and ideal flaky texture. I like the way the absence of added salt gives you more control over the seasoning.
• Mayonnaise: The mayo is the medium in a tuna salad: It binds together all the marvelous flavors of the dressing and adds richness to the tuna. Choose a brand you love. I’m partial to Hellmann’s, but you do you.
• Dill: Taking a cue from the pickle, I chose to add a couple of tablespoons of chopped dill to the dressing. I love the freshness it brings, but feel free to leave it out if you are dill-averse.
• Salt: All the recipes at Delish are created and tested with kosher salt, a large-grain salt without additives. It also tastes significantly less salty than table or sea salt, so if you're using those instead, salt to taste!
• Lemon Juice: Tuna salad loves acid. A generous amount of lemon juice really makes the dish sing. If you’re out of lemon juice, then substitute with white wine vinegar.
• Dill Pickles: Tangy, garlicky dill pickles are indispensable for true deli-quality tuna salad.
• Celery: Not a member of Team Celery? This tuna salad might have you reconsidering. I adore the pop of freshness thinly sliced celery brings to the proceedings.
• Red Onion: Juicy red onion delivers crunch, sharpness, and allium punch—just the things any self-respecting tuna salad needs. Shallots offer much the same, but toned down a bit. Don’t hesitate to swap them in if you like.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

First things first: Thoroughly drain the tuna; a watery tuna salad is not your friend. As for the dressing, do make sure to chop all the ingredients really well—no one likes to bite into a huge chunk of rogue red onion or pickle.

After you've folded in the flaked tuna, taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice and/or salt if needed. If you're going the sandwich route, whole-wheat bread nicely complements the strong flavors of tuna salad. If you're going the salad route, serve over leaves of lettuce like Bibb or Boston.

The full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• What kind of tuna should I use? I tested this recipe with a range of canned tunas, but I kept coming back to water-packed chunk white. Chunk tuna tends to be a little softer than tuna labeled “solid,” making it easier to incorporate into the dressing, while "white tuna" is label-speak for albacore tuna, a mild-flavored fish that is perfect for tuna salad.
• How far ahead can I prepare tuna salad? Tuna salad is technically ready to eat as soon as it’s mixed, but if possible, we recommend making it at least a few hours and up to 3 days ahead of serving it. Allowing the tuna salad to "marinate" a little in the refrigerator gives all the flavors a chance to meld together, which improves the overall flavor of the salad.
• How to drain canned tuna. No matter what type of tuna you use, draining it is the most important step for keeping your salad from becoming watery. I find draining it inside the tin to be the easiest, most effective method. Use a can opener to completely detach the top of the can, but instead of lifting the lid out, firmly press it down against the tuna, then invert the can so the water streams out (do this over a bowl to catch any rogue tuna, just in case). When you flip the can right side up and lift off the lid (use a fork for safety!), the tuna should be compacted into a dry disk at the bottom of the can. From there, you can dump it into a bowl and flake it apart with a fork before folding it into the dressing.

Storage

This tuna salad should stay good for 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Just keep in mind that it might need a pinch more salt or a half squeeze of lemon juice to revive it.

Made This?

Rate and review it below!

Yields: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2

  (5-oz.) cans white tuna, packed in water

• 1/2 c.

  mayonnaise

• 2 tbsp.

  finely chopped fresh dill

• 1 tsp.

  kosher salt

• 1/2 tsp.

  freshly ground black pepper

• 2 tbsp.

  fresh lemon juice, divided

• 1/2 c.

  finely chopped dill pickles (from about 2)

• 1/2 c.

  finely sliced celery (from about 3/4 large stalk)

• 1/4 c.

  finely chopped red onion (from about 1/4 small)

• 8

  slices whole-wheat bread (optional)

• 4

  large Bibb lettuce leaves (optional)

Directions

1. Drain tuna well and transfer to a small bowl. Using a fork, flake tuna apart into strands.
2. In a large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, dill, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Stir in pickles, celery, and onion, then fold in tuna. Taste and add remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice as desired.
3. Serve on bread or lettuce (if using).
4. Make Ahead: Tuna salad can be made 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.