Tuna is a food that tends to be quite polarizing. Really, this could be said for fish in general. You either love it or it grosses you out. Every now and then a person may kind of like one type of fish enough to choke it down but mostly I would say, seafood is an under-utilized food in our regular diet. I encourage people to remember seafood as they are thinking about things to eat – especially new things to eat – and planning out dinners or lunches for the week. The fats in fish and other seafood are highly nutritious and the best way to get those coveted omega-3 fatty acids naturally from our diet.
If you live in a land-locked area (or an area where steak or BBQ is the preferred way to consume meat) you tend to not think too much about seafood. You may also be concerned about the quality of seafood you could buy at the grocery store or order at a restaurant. And then there’s the cost involved when you do begin to source wild-caught, fresh varieties of fish and shell fish.
Here are some tips:
Do look for wild-caught seafood.
Check the freezer section.
Scope out sales at places like Market Street, Whole Foods, Costco or Sams, Central Market, Sprouts or any other grocer with a butcher counter you trust.
Higher end, chef-driven restaurants often fly in fresh-out-of-the-water seafood every few days for their patrons to enjoy. So, on the occasion you’re out to a nice dinner, go for the seafood. In Lubbock, try The West Table or Cocina de la Sirena for very good seafood menu options. If you have another favorite restaurant just call and ask about their seafood options.
Buy or order in bulk. There are many options for wild caught seafood in the freezer section at Costco, for instance. There are also reputable online sources from where you can order quality, fresh seafood. For example, Vital Choice Wild Seafood & Organics
So, what about canned tuna or salmon? You can source higher quality, wild-caught canned tuna and other fish. For my family I purchase Wild Planet brand tuna. I pick it up at Costco where it comes in a 6 pack and is significantly less expensive than buying 6 separate cans at another store. If you make tuna salad often, this may be a good option for you as well.
You will find mayonnaise – free recipes for tuna salad on the internet. This is often a major plus for folks because, even if you like tuna, the icky store-bought mayo used to make traditional tuna salad may remain an obstacle for you.
Never fear!
We have an easy homemade mayo tutorial here and once you make it, you’ll never go back. It allows you to prepare this nutritious tuna salad as well as our Honey Almond Chicken Salad, VK Deviled Eggs, Ranch Dressing and the dressing for this delicious BLT Salad. The possibilities are endless…
This particular recipe is dairy-free, sugar-free and even sneaks in some nutritious, probiotic-rich fermented pickles. It’s delicious and can easily be made to better suit your taste with the added suggestions in the ‘Fanci-fy it’ section of the recipe. This recipe is for 1 can of tuna but could be doubled or tripled without a problem. Tuna salad doesn’t have to be eaten between two pieces of bread or on a cracker. Try it on a bed of greens or stuffed into a bell pepper. My daughter loves to just eat it with a spoon and maybe slices cheese or cucumber on the side. Give it a try!
ingredients
- 1 can tuna, drained
- 1 large stalk of celery, small diced
- 1 small dill pickle, small diced (Bubbies brand is fermented) OR
- 1 – 2 Tbs dill relish (Bubbies brand is fermented)
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp onion powder
- a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper or more to taste
- 1/4 C homemade mayonnaise (or more to taste)
- 2 drops liquid stevia if you like a little sweetness
Fanci-fy it:
- add a hard-boiled, chopped egg
- add fresh, chopped herbs such as parsley or basil
- add fresh, chopped onion or garlic instead of using the dried versions
- add some diced bell pepper
- give it a little spice by adding diced, fresh jalapeno!
instructions
- Drain liquid from the can of tuna if you like and put tuna in a medium-size bowl. (Give tuna juice to your cat, if you have one.)
- Use a fork to break up the tuna until it’s nicely flaked. It’s easier to incorporate the other ingredients if you do this first.
- Add chopped celery, garlic & onion, salt & pepper, and pickle or relish to the bowl. You can also add any of your other ‘Fanci-fy It’ ingredients at this point.
- Add the mayo and if you’re using stevia put a few drops right on top of the mayo before stirring. This helps the stevia incorporate evenly.
- Stir it all up and
- Enjoy!
