Wednesday, April 29, 2009

The best tuna salad you will ever eat (provided you like cilantro)


There's something stalwart and ordinary about tuna salad. It's not the most exciting of things, let's face it. It's homely and sensible, perfectly respectable and good-for-you, but maybe the slightest bit plain. If tuna salad was a person, the person would be an L.L. Bean shopper. You know? Okay.

That said, it may be hard for some of you to get excited about this recipe. I can tell you why it excited me, and it's for the dullest of reasons: my husband is a vegetarian, but now I have a job cooking (among other things) for his grandma, who will eat anything. I am, in fact, her personal chef. This is how I choose to see my job. Spread open before me now is every enticing meaty recipe I've ever laid eyes upon, possibilities, all. It's not that Patrick was particularly adamant about keeping our kitchen vegetarian, (in fact, he never said a word to that effect) but it's just, well, I'm not about to tackle a sumptuous and fussy Bon Appetit recipe for myself. But for Pearle? For Pearle, anything.

It's been so long, purchasing and opening cans of tuna fish was a thrilling experience. Hoo, boy.

In the end, my conclusions are as follows:
1. I really need to get more
2. I will never make a different tuna salad in my life, ever.

Dijon-Cilantro Tuna Salad adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2009


1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
6 tbsp sweet pickle relish
4 tbsp dijon mustard
2 5-oz cans solid albacore tuna, packed in water, drained
1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup finely minced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro


Wheat bread
Lettuce
Tomato slices


Mix together yogurt, relish, and mustard. Add the tuna and mix well. Gently stir in the rest of the ingredients. Toast the bread for extra points, and serve.


14 comments:

Heather said...

I saw you commented on our blog. Do we know you somehow? Your blog is really cool!

Huhnybee said...

"If tuna salad was a person, the person would be an L.L. Bean shopper."

So, basically what your saying is: my mother in law is tuna salad. It makes perfect sense...SERIOUSLY!!!

Hope you're well!

Huhnybee said...

Oh, and I PRAY TO GOD that she doesn't find this...

Kristina Strain said...

It's okay, I know lots of tuna salad people. There's nothing WRONG with tuna salad... many of my favorite people are tuna salad. But, sometimes you want something a little MORE... you know?

Georgia said...

That's a WHOLE lot of Tuna salad. Must be good. Although the idea of YOGHURT and tuna is a little off putting to me.

Kristina Strain said...

Georgia-- it does make a TON. I agree with you about the yugurt-- I was a little skeptical at first, but it really works well. There's so many other flavors in the salad, the yogurt just fades into the background. It's appealing to me because the healthfulness of the tuna doesn't get ruined by gobs of mayo.

ChristyACB said...

The yogurt instead of mayo would certainly make it much more accessible to folks who have to be careful not to become a wide load. ::koff::

We also like a good tuna or chicken salad sandwich on hot days after working the garden. The cilantro sounds like it would give it a whole new and refreshing spin.

Thanks much for sharing all these recipes! When are you going to write a book?

Kristina Strain said...

The cilantro was the best part of this recipe. I'll be making it again, and soon!

Um, book, um? Maybe someday, who knows. :)

kyndale said...

Yummy! I guess the yogurt is in place of mayonaise which is a good thing. I do like cilantro so I will try this!

Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog! I like your blog too :)

Jenn F said...

Thank you for the incredibly sweet comment that you left om my blog today. I like the way you described the dandelions as having "cheerful furry faces"; now that's some great imagery!

I think Pearle may be my new favorite name.
And that sandwich looks oh so good!

Rachael Schirano \\ Rachael Schirano Photography said...

that sounds really wonderful, i love that it is a really unique take on an old standby!

Melissa said...

Wonderful! I never would have put in yoguert, but I'm going to try this.

Do you have Harris Teeter up your way? I'm a tuna salad freak (to the point that I made both myself and my midwife a little nervous when I first got pregnant b/c I'm probably my own little resevoir of mercury) and their brand of tuna is my favorite-- I buy the solid white in water.

And I just saw the cardigan-- tell me how you sew the thin sweater fabric w/o it rippling up on you?

Kristina Strain said...

Harris Teeter, eh? Never heard of that brand. I'll keep an eye out next time I'm looking for tuna. Thanks!

As far as the sweater goes-- I'm not sure what I'm doing, but I didn't have any troubles with my sweater rippling up. I wish I had a better explanation than that, sorry!

Anonymous said...

Amazing!!! I just made some for me and my daughter and it was delicious...

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