Good Tuna Salad/Sandwich Recipe

[Beth H]

The August issue of Bon Appetit has some great recipes -- the theme is "Easy Does It." I just finished having a wonderful tuna salad sandwich from the issue -- thought I would share the recipe:

Tuna, Pickle, and Chopped-Vegetable Pita Sandwiches

1 6 oz can tuna in water, drained
1/2 cup chopped drained sweet pickles (I used dill)
3 tablespoons plain nonfat yogurt
3 tablespoons light mayo

1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (such as Vidalia)
1/2 cup chopped peeled cored Granny Smith apple
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

2 cups thinly sliced red leaf lettuce
4 pita breads, halved, pockets opened

Mix first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Season tuna mixture with salt and pepper.

Mix bell pepper, onion, and apple in a medium bowl. Add half of vegetable mixture to tuna mixture and stir to blend. Add vinegar to remaining vegetable mixture, toss to combine. Season vegetable mixture to taste with salt and pepper.

Place 1/4 cup lettuce in each pita half. Spoon 1/8 of tuna mixture, then 1/8 of veg mixture into each pita half. Place two pita halves on each of 4 plates and serve. (Per serving: calories, 304, total fat 5g, saturated fat, 1 g)

I actually just combined the tuna mixture and the veggie/apple/vinegar mixture all together in one bowl as I was making this for my lunch for the next few days and didn't see the need to have a separate container for the veggies and the tuna. It was really yummy and very easy, too!

[BlueMoose]

Thanks for sharing that recipe. It sounds really good!

[Linda in MO]

Looks good! Not that you asked for more recipes ;), but here's a tuna salad recipe that we really like. Thought you might be interested.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Apple-Nut Tuna Sandwiches

Recipe By : slightly adapted from Quick Cooking, May/June 2000 pg. 32
Serving Size : 3 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Sandwich

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 can tuna in water -- (6 oz.) drained
1/2 cup chopped red apple
1/3 cup light Hellman's mayonnaise
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped dates -- optional
2 T. finely chopped onion (or 1 T. onion flakes)
1 T. sweet pickle relish or green tomato relish
1 t. sugar, optional
1/4 t. salt
fresh ground pepper -- to taste
6 slices wheat bread -- toasted
6 leaf lettuce leaves

In a bowl, combine first 11 ingredients.

Spread 1/2 cup on 3 slices of bread. Top with lettuce and remaining bread.

[linsleyd]

Thanks Beth H I was just drooling over this recipe and I will be making it tomorrow for lunch! YUM!

[wallycat]

I use albacore tuna and toss in some peas....DH loves peas.:D (and onions of course)

[Jasmine-Rose]

Just wondering... Do the tuna mixes with apples hold up okay? I guess I was expecting them to turn brown and be very unappetizing. I like to prepare stuff for lunch ahead of time and bring lunch to work with me, so can you tell me if this needs to be eaten right after you make it or will it hold up okay for a day or two?

[Beth H]

Actually, I found it better the first day, OK the second, and not super appealing (to the point of discarding) the third. So -- it's probably best to either omit the apples or only use them the first day.

[Cathy]

Thanks, Linda in Mo. I'm always looking for new ways to make tuna sandwiches. This sounds great!

[Linda in MO]

Your welcome, Cathy. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do. It's a nice change of pace from your typical tuna salad.

Jasmine-Rose, I don't think I've ever kept it longer than two days because there's never any left.

[Jasmine-Rose]

Thanks to Beth and Linda for the feedback. I'll make it one Saturday for lunch and see how well it's holding up on Sunday. Sounds delicious :) !

[Pony]

Thanks for posting this recipe Linda. I have had this in my "to try" pile for a while and finally made it last night for our lunches today. Haven't heard from DH, but I really liked it. I tend to be boring with my tuna salads and this was such a nice treat!

I used a Fuji apple which was soooo sweet and good. DH does not like celery so I didn't add any, added a little more apples :D I did not add the relish b/c we don't usually have that on hand, did not add the sugar or salt. Next time, I might add the sugar b/c mine was a tad salty even w/o the salt, I guess b/c of the canned tuna. I thought the sugar would make it too sweet with the apples and dates, but will try that next time. We had them on our freshly made Moomie's Bun's :D

Thanks for the recipe.

Michelle

[Linda in MO]

Glad you liked it, Michelle! I'm not a big fan of pickle relish but I keep it on hand for my DH. It's good in this though. Now, if I have a jar of homemade green tomato relish (yum!), I use that instead.

[Jazzmatazz49]

I grew up eating tuna salad made with apples, sweet pickles and mayo. That was it. The apples held up fine for a day or two, never kept any tuna salad longer than that. I think the apples cut that canned fish taste and give it a fresher taste. I did try grating the apples on a coarse grater, but that didn't work as well as chopping them.

[Cooky]

I've made this one. Yummy. Also, I made it once and didn't have the apples, so I cut grape tomatoes in half. That was yummy also and now I make it that way sometimes.

[ElinorC]

Thanks Linda for posting the Apple-Nut Tuna recipe. It was superb! I didn't even make sandwiches, just ate it on lettuce and it made a great lunch. The combination of sweet and crunch with the tuna was a real contrast and made the salad. It took a while but I'm glad I tried it. I won't be able to eat another tuna salad again! :D

[cookieee]

I was about to tell Beth H thanks, but she was 15 minutes to late with the recipe. Then I looked at the date she posted it, and realized I was 4 years to late. :rolleyes: :D

[Linda in MO]

Thanks Linda for posting the Apple-Nut Tuna recipe. It was superb! I didn't even make sandwiches, just ate it on lettuce and it made a great lunch. The combination of sweet and crunch with the tuna was a real contrast and made the salad. It took a while but I'm glad I tried it. I won't be able to eat another tuna salad again! :D

So glad you enjoyed it! :) I still want to try it with craisins in place of the dates.

[tidee]

here's one i got from lynne casper's radio show on pbs and it got raves:

Tuna Melt With Avacado
Adapted from It's All American Food: The Food We Really Eat, the Dishes We Will Always Love by David Rosengarten (Little, Brown and Company, 2003).

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 (6-ounce) cans solid white albacore tuna, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
1/2 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
4 slices rye bread
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 avocado, peeled, pit removed, thinly sliced, and lightly salted
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Place the chopped red onion in a small strainer and place strainer in a bowl of ice water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Drain onion and pat dry.

In a bowl, combine the onion, tuna, celery, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Lightly toast the bread, and spread each slice with butter. Distribute avocado slices evenly over the 4 slices of bread. Spread tuna mixture evenly on top of avocado and sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of tuna. Place under the broiler until cheese melts, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 4 luncheon servings.