Avocado Tuna Salad
Creamy avocado replaces mayo in this tasty tuna salad.
Serves4 to 6
Makes4 cups
Prep25 minutes
Not a fan of mayonnaise? This is the perfect tuna salad for you. It skips the mayo in favor of avocado, which brings in maximum creaminess and tons of flavor. In fact, this recipe uses avocado two ways to make a delicious tuna salad you won’t want to put down.
How to Use Avocado in Place of Mayo
This recipe starts just like any classic tuna salad: You’ll mix two cans of tuna with chopped red onion and chopped celery, plus some lemon zest and chopped parsley leaves. But instead of classic mayo, you’ll mix in a homemade avocado “mayo,” which consists of mashed avocado, grated garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. I also took a cue from Carla Hall’s Egg Salad and added chives to the avocado mayo. Let me tell you: There is a reason why Carla won our egg salad showdown. The chives provide so much flavor that wraps itself around the tuna salad and really knocks it out of the park.
Lastly, you’ll chop the second half of the avocado into pieces, then fold them into the tuna salad for extra avocado goodness in every bite. Serve as is, or on the bread of your choice.
Avocado Tuna Salad Recipe
Creamy avocado replaces mayo in this tasty tuna salad.
Prep time 25 minutes
Makes4 cups
Serves4 to 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 (6-ounce) cans
water or oil packed tuna
- 1
small red onion (about 5 ounces)
- 2 stalks
celery
- 1
small bunch fresh parsley
- 1
medium lemon
- 1
medium avocado
- 1 small clove
garlic
- 1 small bunch
fresh chives
- 3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 8 to 12
slices bread (optional)
Instructions
Drain 2 (6-ounce) cans tuna and place in a large bowl. Break up any large chunks of tuna with a fork.
Prepare the following, adding them to the bowl as they are completed: Finely chop 1 small red onion (about 3/4 cup). Finely chop 2 stalks celery (about 1 cup). Coarsely chop fresh parsley leaves until you have 1/4 cup. Finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon until you have 1 teaspoon zest (reserve the lemon).
Halve and pit 1 medium avocado. Cut one half of the avocado into 1/3- to 1/4-inch pieces. Add to the bowl with tuna and gently mix until well-combined, doing your best to keep the avocado pieces intact.
Prepare the following, adding them to a medium bowl as you complete them: Scoop out the flesh from the remaining avocado half, finely grate 1 small garlic clove, juice the lemon until you have 1 tablespoon juice, use a whisk to mash the avocado, then whisk until smooth.
Finely chop fresh chives until you have 2 tablespoons. Add the chives, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the smooth avocado. Whisk until smooth and well-combined. Transfer to the bowl with the tuna and gently mix until everything is evenly coated in the mixture. Taste and season with more lemon juice and kosher salt as needed. Serve as is or on the bread of your choice.
Recipe Notes
Storage: This is best eaten the day it is made, but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed directly onto the surface to slow down browning.
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