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Tuna salad is a great summer meal!

Childhood Memories of Tuna and How I Came to Love it!

When I was a little girl, I went to the Shepperd Day School for Nursery school. It was a lovely old private school built in a suburban family neighborhood near my home on Long Island where we had just moved from Brooklyn where I was in Montessori. At this new school, they served snack and hot lunch to all the children, which was so different from my other school, where we went home for lunch and nap time.

I found the napping with other children quite impossible and I had no clue how they could sleep on the floor on their little plastic mats. I took this time to sing songs to myself inside my head or play imaginary games with animals or fairies while listening to the other little children slumber.

I did how ever enjoy the hot lunches for the most part, served in a big hall with long tables full of little children all digging into their open faced turkey sandwiches or spaghetti and meatballs. The only day that I dreaded, being a good eater from the start, was the tuna fish salad sandwich day.

A plate was placed before me, as they had waiter service in this school, long since closed and replaced with suburban homes, upon which was a white bread sandwich filled with a paste made of mayonnaise and chunk light tuna. The smell alone put me off and I would simply pick bread balls out of the top of the sandwich and that would suffice as my lunch on that day.

Before pretty long, my mother, who was astute to my nature and could sense the change that Friday would bring, as fish on Friday was the school’s Christian motto, asked me why I wanted a big snack after school when I came home on Fridays. Not one to ever try to fib to my all knowing mother, I told the truth. They serve stinky old tuna fish that smells like old socks on Friday. Yuck!

My mother, I am proud to say, didn’t try to entice me to eat that stinky old tuna fish, but she did set out to convert me on it’s merits by making me a lovely white tuna salad sandwich on lightly toasted bread with herbs and spices and chunks of veggies in it and I was hooked! Every Sunday as a child and until I went away to college, my mother would make Tuna salad after church and we would look forward to those lovely special sandwiches every time! I never was converted to the taste or texture of typical deli tuna salad, but I must admit I never even tried to force myself, as I had a cat and those canned foods reminded me too closely of the horror I remembered from nursery school!

I have made my mother’s tuna fish salad, a pretty classic version for many years, but I also have experimented and come up with another version that I love just as well and it is a bit on the exotic side, so I will share the two versions with you! Suffice it to say that this is true comfort food for me and in the making of it I impart my love to those I serve it to!

Mom’s Tuna Salad

Makes 2 big sandwiches (double or triple for a group)

1 Can albacore tuna or solid white tuna in water drained (can use tuna in olive oil, simply drain well and cut back on the mayonaisse)

1/2 Medium sweet, yellow or white onion chopped very fine

2 Stalks celery cleaned and chopped very fine

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 Cup mayonaisse of choice (make your own or use your favorite brand) or more to your taste

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix the chopped vegetables and herbs well. Drain the tuna of it’s liquid and then use a fork to chunk it into the bowl. Do not make the chunks too small or it ruins the texture of the salad. Mix the tuna in well to the vegetables and then add in the mayonaisse and mix with a fork. Add in a bit more mayo if you like a very creamy salad. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. The salad can be eaten right away, but it gets better when allowed to sit for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. If storing in the refrigerator, mix well before serving and add in a tablespoon of fresh mayo to perk it up again!

Tuna Salad Nicoise

Makes 2 big sandwiches (double or triple for a group)

1 Can solid white or albacore tuna in water drained (can use tuna in oil if you drain it well and back off on the mayonaisse)

1/2 Medium sweet, yellow or white onion chopped very fine

2 Stalks celery cleaned and chopped very fine

1/4 Cup Kalamata or spanish green olives pitted and chopped into rough chunks

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 Cup chick pea hummus (I use Trader Joe’s garlic hummus and it works great!)

1/4 Cup mayonaisse of choice (make your own or use your favorite brand) or more to your taste

Sea salt and freshly ground black or white pepper to taste

In a large bowl, mix the chopped vegetables and herbs well. Drain the tuna of it’s liquid and then use a fork to chunk it into the bowl. Do not make the chunks too small or it ruins the texture of the salad. Mix the tuna in well to the vegetables and then add in the olives, hummus and  mayonaisse, mixing well with a fork. Add in a bit more mayo if you like a very creamy salad. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. The salad can be eaten right away, but it gets better when allowed to sit for about 30 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. If storing in the refrigerator, mix well before serving and add in a tablespoon of fresh mayo to perk it up again!

I serve this tuna salad on a lightly toasted rolls with a splash of hot sauce and some fresh arugula to add a little bite. You can also add in some Swiss cheese and throw it under the broiler for a lovely and slightly unusual Tuna Melt.

My husband and oldest daughthter love both versions, and find the second to be a bit more funky and light. Since my youngest daughter hates mayonaisse we will have to wait for the magical moment when her taste buds grow up and she can enjoy these extra special sandwich treats!

This recipe is a part of Dr. Laura’s Tasty Tuesday, Full Plate Thursdays, Real Food Wednesdays , What’s On your Plate and the Hearth and Soul Hop volume 54.

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