Tuna salad has quickly become a go-to in my repertoire for quick, easy, and healthy meals. This Summery Caesar tuna salad is my take with the delicious seasonal ingredients of summer. It’s fresh and a tad sweet from the corn, crunchy from the cucumbers, zingy from the pickles, and just SO delicious!!
Ingredients and Substitutions – For the Tuna Salad
Albacore Tuna – Canned tuna has been a recent discovery for me. I love using the Wild Planet brand for a high quality, protein packed tuna. You can substitute this with canned salmon or even fresh tuna or salmon that is cooked and cooled. If using fresh fish, you can use 8 ounces into this recipe. I’d recommend steaming the fish like I do in this recipe.
Fresh White Corn – The ingredient that brings a delicious textural crunch, a tad of sweetness, and SUMMER vibes! I cut the kernels off the cob for about 1 cup of fresh corn. Fresh yellow corn also works, and if you really can’t find fresh corn, feel free to substitute to frozen, defrosted corn. The frozen roasted corn from trader joes or Whole Foods would also be a great option.
Persian Cucumber – Persian cucumbers are another crunchy veggie I love adding to my tuna salads. You can substitute with any thin skinned cucumber or 1/3 of an English cucumber.
Pickles – I love the acidity and sweetness the bread and butter pickles bring to every bite! Feel free to use your favorite pickle, or if you really aren’t a pickle fan, you can omit and substitute 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Cilantro – The herb that I always keep in my fridge and love to add for freshness and flavor. Even if you aren’t a fan of cilantro (I hated it as a kid), I would still recommend you trying it in this recipe. However, if you still want to find a substitution for this, feel free to use chives.
Whole Fat Greek Yogurt – The creamy element that adds the fatty texture that makes tuna salad so delicious. I previously just used either mayo or avocado for the “fat” element, but LOVE the texture of whole fat greek yogurt. You can substitute this with either 1 avocado or 1/4 cup of mayo.
Mayo – I add just 2 tablespoons of mayo for a rich, decadent flavor into the tuna salad, but feel free to omit use all whole fat greek yogurt.
Ingredients and Substitutions – For the Homemade Caesar Dressing
Lemon Juice – Fresh lemon juice is an absolute must for homemade caesar. I use the juice one 1 lemon, and then keep another lemon in reserve to toss fresh juice with the salad.
Garlic Powder – I use just a bit of garlic powder into the dressing. You are more than welcome to mince 1 clove of fresh garlic instead, but I promise this caesar is super delicious with even just garlic powder.
Seasonings – Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper are the only seasoning used in this dressing. The kosher salt is a bit on the lighter side since the fish sauce will add a large amount of salt.
Fish Sauce – Traditional Caesar uses anchovies to bring a depth of flavor and umami, but I use fish sauce to keep things simple yet flavorful.
Whole Fat Greek Yogurt – Whole fat greek yogurt gives this the delicious creamy texture, but adds some tangyness I love and protein that isn’t in mayo.
Mayo – Even though I use greek yogurt, I just just a couple tablespoons of mayo to keep that same richness you find in caesar dressings.
Ingredients and Substitutions – For the Salad
Greens – I use a combination of romaine lettuce and arugula for a crunchy component from the lettuce and a spicy and aromatic flavor from the arugula. Feel free to substitute your favorite greens like spring mix or spinach.
Croutons – Homemade croutons are the best way to use up leftover bread, and tossed into this salad, it’s so good. Sourdough is always my bread of choice here, and it’s a simple bake with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Parmesan Cheese – Another essential in a Caesar salad and umami packer, parmesan cheese is a delicious addition to this salad.
Video tutorial:
Summery Caesar Tuna Salad
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Tuna salad has quickly become a go-to in my repertoire for quick, easy, and healthy meals. This Summery Caesar tuna salad is my take with the delicious seasonal ingredients of summer. It’s fresh and a tad sweet from the corn, crunchy from the cucumbers, zingy from the pickles, and just SO delicious!!
Ingredients
For the Tuna salad:
- 2 cans albacore tuna
- 1 Persian cucumber, finely chopped
- 10 bread and butter pickles, finely chopped
- 1 ear of fresh corn, kernels cut from the cob
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 1/4 cup of whole fat greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the Caesar dressing:
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons mayo
- 1/4 cup whole fat Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper
For the salad:
- Arugula or 2 romaine hearts
- Parmesan cheese
- Additional 1 lemon, cut into wedges
For the Croutons (optional – you can skip this or buy store-bought croutons):
- 1/2 loaf sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Prep all the veggies for the tuna salad – cut the corn off the cob, and chop the cucumbers, pickles, and cilantro.
- Combine all the tuna salad ingredients in a mixing bowl. Taste, adjust seasoning, and this is ready to go. You can store this in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This tuna salad itself would be great as a dip with crackers, crudités, in a tuna melt or tuna sandwich, or you can follow the next steps to make this into a Tuna Caesar salad.
- If you’re choosing to make the homemade croutons, preheat the oven to 425F. Dice 1/2 the sourdough loaf into 1” cubes, then lay this on a sheet tray. Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bake in 5 minute increments, for about 10 minutes total. Cool and store in an airtight container.
- While the croutons are baking, make the caesar dressing. Combine all the ingredients in a glass beaker or bowl. Mix, taste and adjust seasoning as desired, and store in a glass jar.
- Finally chop the romaine lettuce. Assemble the salad by tossing the lettuce, parmesan cheese, croutons, and dressing. Add in more freshly ground black pepper and fresh lemon juice as well. Taste, adjust with more dressing or black pepper and plate. Top with a generous 1/2 cup of the tuna salad, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: american
Recommendations for Storing
Because there are natural juices in the fish, and the salt will draw out additional moisture from the veggies, the tuna salad will begin to have liquids form if storing for more than a day. This is completely normal, and just drain the liquid before you serve / scoop into your salad.
