This Mexican tuna salad is tangy, flavorful, and pairs beautifully with crackers and your favourite veggies. It's even packed with 20g of protein!
If you follow me on Instagram, you'd know that I was recently in Mexico. One of the most amazing parts of my trip was getting to experience the local cuisine and fresh produce. It was seriously amazing. Trying other cultural foods is definitely one of my favourite ways to celebrate our diversity as humans!
Once I got back to Toronto, I was pretty inspired by the flavors from my trip. Since we have less access to the fresh produce in Mexico (especially during the winter), I came up with this Mexican-inspired tuna salad that uses pantry staples. This recipe is in no way traditional, but my way of incorporating some of the tastes of Mexico into my everyday meals.
I'm obsessed with this Mexican tuna salad because it is SO meal prep friendly. Tuna salad stores really well over the week, and you can easily incorporate it into sandwiches, salads, or just eat it with crackers and veg. Protein sources can sometimes be challenging at lunch, so having this on hand is seriously a lifesaver. Perfect for any pescatarians out there too!
Ingredients
- Canned tuna
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise
- Cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- Lime juice
- Corn
- Red pepper
- Black beans
- Red onion
- Cilantro
- Jalapeno
Instructions
In a large bowl add tuna, yogurt mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime juice. Use a fork to gently flake the tuna, mixing the ingredients together until a smooth consistency forms.
Add corn, red pepper, black beans, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno (feel free to omit any of these ingredients if you wish).
Mix until the salad reaches a single, creamy consistency.
Serve with guacamole, veggies or crackers.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: This recipe is naturally gluten-free, however you may need to get certified gluten-free beans if you have Celiac disease.
Switching up ingredients? Try these:
- Mayonnaise/Greek yogurt: Whenever I make my tuna salad, I always like using both Greek yogurt and mayonnaise to create a creamy consistency that has both protein and fats. However, feel free to use just mayonnaise or just yogurt depending on your preference.
- Mix-ins: I used a combination of jalapenos, red onion and cilantro, but omit any you don't like.
Equipment
Storage
This Mexican tuna salad can stay in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Top Tip
I think the key to an amazing tuna salad is making sure everything is mixed in thoroughly to create a creamy, single consistency. The best way I've found to achieve this is using a fork to flake the tuna until you have small, fine pieces instead of larger chunks. This way, all the mix-ins and dressings are fully incorporated and coating the tuna!
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally enjoy low-sodium albacore tuna stored in water, as it has a less strong taste than skipjack. I usually pick Ocean or Clover Leaf!
There are so many tuna brands out there, so choose whichever you enjoy the most, however please always make sure your tuna is ocean-friendly (and dolphin-safe). You can ensure your tuna was caught sustainably by looking for the MSC bluefish label on the tin.
Anything! I like eating it as a dip with crackers (the Triscuit jalapeno lime ones work PERFECTLY), vegetables or corn tortilla chips. However it would also taste amazing in a wrap, on a salad or even as part of a tuna melt! I also love pairing this tuna salad with guacamole.
Sure! I chose tuna because it's classic, familiar and affordable, but you could try tinned salmon or another variety.
More Easy Lunch Recipes
Need more quick lunch recipes? Give these a try:
- 20 Minute Smashed Chickpea Salad - Southwest Style
- 4 Ingredient Shredded Chicken Salad
- Healthy Chicken Pesto Pasta Salad
- Easy Chicken Caesar Salad Kale Wrap
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this Mexican tuna salad, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Mexican Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cans of tuna drained
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of ½ a lime about 1 tbsp
- ½ cup corn kernels
- ½ cup red pepper diced
- ⅓ cup black beans
- 2 tablespoon red onion diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon jalapeno diced
Instructions
- In a large bowl add tuna, yogurt mayonnaise, cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, olive oil and lime juice. Use a fork to gently flake the tuna, mixing the ingredients together until a smooth consistency forms.
- Add corn, red pepper, black beans, red onion, cilantro and jalapeno (feel free to omit any of these ingredients if you wish) and mix.
- Serve with guacamole, chopped vegetables, crackers or chips.
Jim Holbert says
Our new favorite tuna salad recipe. We love the slight Mexican flavor and adding black beans and corn. We will do more next time. We adjusted it to one can and still had about 1/4 left for another sandwich. Thank you.
dmc_scorpio says
Delicious! Freezing extra black beans and corn to make this again in future.
Ally says
Really good tuna salad, even without the cilantro (I didn’t have any). The lime juice and jalapeños really bring a lot of zing