Sicilian Tuna Salad

Looking for a twist on the traditional tuna salad?  Why not try our Sicilian tuna salad? 

It's packed full of wonderful treats like Queen olives, capers, sun dried tomatoes, and marinated artichoke hearts, and the best part is there is no mayo!

Questions

Is tuna healthy?

Yes, it is a healthy choice in moderation.  Here are some health benefits of this delicious fish.

• High quality protein
• Almost no fat
• Contains amino acids
• Contains heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids

What kind of canned tuna is the healthiest?

Consider all the options below.  What you'll need will vary depending upon the recipe you are using, the cost, and the availability.

• Water packed: lower in calories, more omega 3's
• Oil packed: more flavor, packed in soybean oil which is heart healthy
• White Albacore: firmer texture, lightest flesh, mildest flavor, higher mercury levels
• Skipjack: strongest flavor, highest fat, light brown in color, lowest mercury levels
• Yellowfin (Ahi): pale pink, mild flavor, higher in mercury than skipjack.
• Tongol: less mercury, smallest, comparable to skipjack.
• No Salt Canned: If you can't find this, rinsing it for 3 minutes will remove a lot of the sodium.
• Are you pregnant?  Choose one with the lowest mercury or the Safe Catch brand.

How can I serve this?

• Serve on a bed of mixed greens.
• Scoop out the seeds and flesh from large beef steak tomatoes and stuff with this salad.
• Make lettuce wraps.
• Slice cucumbers and serve a teaspoon of this on top.
• Crackers
• Pita bread
• Tortilla wraps
• In a sandwich with olive tapenade, roasted red peppers, and arugula

Can I freeze this recipe?

Even though it doesn't have mayonnaise in it, it does have celery which doesn't freeze well.  It's best to eat it all up within 3 to 5 days of making it.

How to Make

Gather all the ingredients.  Drain the tuna, slice the onion, mince the garlic, chop the celery, olives, artichokes, oregano, parsley, and sun dried tomatoes.  Zest the lemon, then juice it.

To deflame the red onion, pour red wine vinegar over it and let it sit for 15 minutes, then drain.

Add the tuna, olives, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, artichokes, celery, garlic, capers, parsley, and lemon zest to a bowl.

Mix together with your hands.

Pour in the freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Add the extra virgin olive oil.  (Use a good quality oil from Italy or Greece.)  Sprinkle on the kosher salt and the freshly ground black pepper.  Mix together with your hands to coat each piece with the dressing ingredients.

Add the deflamed red onion and mix it in with your hands.

Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Variations

• Want other fresh herbs?  Try basil, thyme or dill.
• What else can I serve this with?  Try sliced boiled egg, baked potato, or quinoa.
• Want other add ins?  Try avocado, chickpeas, or green onions.

Pro Tips

• Use white albacore; it has a firmer texture and the mildest flavor.
• Use fresh herbs.  Canned tuna tastes best with fresh herbs.
• Use freshly squeezed lemon juice; it tastes the best.

Recommended Tools

• Anchor Glass Prep Bowls: store prepped ingredients in these pretty bowls.
• Anchor Glass Storage Containers: these are great for storing food in the fridge or freezer.
• Cuisinart Knife Set: we love the versatility of this fifteen-piece knife set.
• Serving Spoon Set: this set comes with regular and slotted spoons for convenience.

Looking for more easy salad recipes?  Check out these great ones.

• Traditional Greek Salad
• Pesto Caprese Pasta Salad
• Low Carb Bell Pepper Salad

The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated.

Recipe

Sicilian Tuna Salad

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Brooke
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 7 cups 1x

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Description

Sicilian tuna salad is a healthy, low carb recipe.  This simple salad has no mayo and is perfect for parties, for lunch, or for a crowd.  Learn how to make this popular summer salad with capers, olives, artichokes, and sun dried tomatoes.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Salad

• 4 cups albacore, oil packed (765g)
• ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced (77g)
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar (60 ml)
• 20 green queen olives, chopped (121g)
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed (22g)
• ¾ cup celery, thinly sliced (95g)
• 2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped (27g)
• 12 ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (1 ¼ cups, 210g drained)
• 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• 2 ½ tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

For the Dressing

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (60 ml)
• 1 ¼ teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed (30 ml)
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

1. Drain the tuna and place in a large bowl.
2. Deflame the onion.  Thinly slice half of a red onion, place the onion rings in a dish, and pour the red wine vinegar on top.  Let it soak for 15 minutes.  This will help take some of the bite out of the raw red onion and will give it a slight vinegar taste.  Once done, drain the onion.
3. Prep the ingredients.  While the onion is soaking, mince the garlic and chop the olives, celery, sun dried tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, oregano, parsley.
4. Make the salad.  Add the garlic, olives, capers, celery, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, lemon zest, and the fresh herbs to the bowl.  Mix all the ingredients together with your hands.  Pour in the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle on the Kosher salt and black pepper.  Continue mixing with your hands until all the pieces are coated in dressing.  Add the deflamed onion and gently mix it in.
5. Garnish and serve.  Top with some extra red onion and serve.  Eat immediately or keep covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

• For the best flavor, use white albacore as it has a firmer texture and the mildest flavor.
• Canned tuna fish tastes best with fresh herbs.
• This recipe tastes better when freshly squeezed lemon juice is used.

• Prep Time: 35 minutes
• Category: Salad
• Method: Chopped
• Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: tuna salad, Italian, olive oil