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Tuna Salad

Creamy, crunchy tuna salad done right. The draining trick and even dice that keep it from going watery, and it's ready in minutes.

15 min
Tuna Salad

The story behind

How did a thrifty pantry fix become a lunchtime icon across half the world? Tuna salad as we know it took hold in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when canned tuna grew cheap and plentiful and cookbooks began folding it into creamy dressing with crunchy vegetables. Its charm is its versatility: it fills a sandwich, tops a cracker, or rests on a bed of greens. The line between a watery salad and one with real texture comes down to a step people skip, which is draining the tuna properly. Leave liquid in the can and it thins the dressing, turning everything soggy. Dicing the onion, pepper, and celery to an even size is more than tidy looks; it guarantees every forkful carries the same balance of creamy tuna and fresh, crisp vegetable. A hit of acidity, lemon or a little mustard, lifts the flavor and cuts the richness of the dressing. The salad actually improves after a short chill as the flavors marry. Serve it cold and freshly made, while the celery still snaps.

Instructions

  1. 1
    Drain the tuna and place it in a medium-sized bowl.
  2. 2
    Finely dice the onion, bell peppers, and celery into uniform cubes.
  3. 3
    Mix the tuna with the vegetables and add mayonnaise until the mixture is homogeneous.
  4. 4
    Serve in a bowl and season with black pepper to taste.

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