Kitchn Love Letters

This No-Cook Lunch Is My Favorite Way to Use Canned Tuna (I Make It Every Week!)

published Jun 13, 2024
We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.
Tuna avocado salad in serving dish.
Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman / Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell

Let’s set the record straight: I’m a mayo person. I don’t allow ketchup anywhere near my french fries (only mayo), and during the months of July and August I eat a slice of tomato toast with a generous layer of mayo almost every day. (Specifically, Duke’s mayo.) So I didn’t seek out a tuna salad recipe without mayo for any reason other than it sounded absolutely delicious. Tuna salad with avocado for extra creaminess and flavor? Yes, please!

Get the recipe: Avocado Tuna Salad

Typically I guess you could say my tuna salad style is old-school. My dad is famous in our family for his “tuna royales” (I promise to write about them one day), which have all the classic fixings: mayo, celery, cheddar, black olives. So this was a curious departure for me. But during the warm summer months the idea of a lighter take on tuna was super appealing — and now I’m making this every week for an easy lunch.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman / Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell

To make this tuna salad, it’s business as usual: Mix together canned tuna with chopped onion, celery, parsley, lemon zest (flavor alert!), and avocado. Then you’re gonna use more avocado when you get to the mayo part. You make the most delicious “avocado mayo”: Smash up avocado with some grated garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. If you want to really flex, follow Carla Hall’s trick from her egg salad and mix in fresh chives, which deliver so much flavor you will be shocked you haven’t prioritized this ingredient in tuna salad before.

I like to eat the salad straight from the bowl, spooned over crusty bread, or even tossed with some romaine or arugula if I need to sneak in some greens. Trust me when I say you won’t miss the mayo. 

Get the recipe: Avocado Tuna Salad