Summary:
Check out the recipe below, followed by photos, cooking tips, and reader reviews.
This tuna salad has refreshing Mediterranean and Italian inspired flavors, tossed with a light dressing without mayo. It’s great for keto, low carb, and paleo diets, and easily customizable to suit a variety of tastes. Visit Keto Salad Recipes for more low carb ideas.
Check out the recipe below, followed by photos, cooking tips, and reader reviews.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 (5-ounce) cans solid albacore tuna packed in water
- 1 large rib celery, ends trimmed and minced (1/2 cup)
- 1 (6-ounce) package grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), quartered (1 cup)
- 4 scallions (also called green onions), ends trimmed and thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup drained capers (can be substituted with diced olives)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
Open cans of tuna and overturn them into a fine-mesh strainer or colander over the sink. Firmly press down with paper towels to squeeze out the water. This step helps avoid a watery tuna salad. - Transfer now-dry tuna to a mixing bowl. Mash tuna with a fork until finely flaked, which will help it distribute more evenly throughout the salad.
- Add all other ingredients to the same mixing bowl; stir until ingredients are well-distributed throughout the salad and evenly coated with dressing.
- Taste, adjusting salt and pepper as desired. For stronger lemon flavor, stir in another tablespoon lemon juice. Serve. For serving ideas, see section below called "Tips For Perfect Tuna Salad."
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 day. For longer storage periods, keep more delicate ingredients (tomatoes and scallions) uncut and separate from other ingredients until ready to serve. Before serving, toss the salad to re-incorporate any separated dressing.
NUTRITION
| Makes 3 Servings |
| Amount Per Serving (1 cup): |
| Calories 220 (62% from fat) | |
| Total Fat 15g | 23% |
| Saturated Fat 2g | 10% |
| Cholesterol 23mg | 8% |
| Sodium 880mg | 37% |
| Net Carb 5g | |
| Total Carb 6.5g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.5g | 6% |
| Sugars 2.5g | |
| Protein 14g |
❗Tips For Perfect Tuna Salad
- After washing, pat the ingredients dry with paper towels to avoid contributing extra liquid to the salad, which dilutes the dressing and overall flavor. This applies to the celery, tomatoes, and scallions.
- Customize this salad to your preferences by adding in extra ingredients such as chopped avocado, hard-boiled eggs, olives, or cucumbers.
- Serve this salad by itself or wrapped. You can wrap the tuna salad in lettuce cups, or low carb tortillas. For the latter, I use store-bought ones by Mission that range from 3g to 6g net carbs apiece. You can also use this tuna salad as filling for a bagel sandwich (see Keto Bagels Recipe).
