I never get tired of an excellent tuna salad recipe, and of the hundreds of versions I’ve made, this version is the best. Serve on toast, crackers, a bed of greens, or grilled as a very delicious tuna melt.
Prep time: PT5M
Total time: PT5M
Rating
5 stars (2509 reviews)
Keywords
tuna salad
Ingredients
4 (5-ounce) cans tuna packed in water (drained (see note 1))
1 cup mayonnaise (or less to taste (see note 2))
1/3 cup celery (finely chopped (about 1 rib))
2 tablespoons red onion (minced, about 2 small slices)
2 tablespoon sweet pickle relish ((see note 3))
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic (minced)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Categories
Salad
Cuisine
American
Steps
In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, lemon juice, and garlic.
Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 0.5 cup
Calories: 345 kcal
Carbohydrates: 3 g
Protein: 19 g
Fat: 29 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 50 mg
Sodium: 516 mg
Sugar: 2 g
Reviews
Eddie on 2026-01-06 (5 stars): I’m a former canned tuna hater but decided to give this recipe a try anyway. I used canned Skipjack from sprouts and halved the quantities of everything except the onion and garlic. I used a very juicy half lemon and 1/2 tsp each of S&P. Despite being a canned tuna hater, I’ve had a lot of tuna salad in my time and this is by far the best recipe I’ve had. It’s delicious right away but I’d recommend letting it rest for a couple hours in the fridge before serving for an elevated flavor. This will be my new go to recipe, I can’t recommend it enough.
Catherine on 2025-12-29 (5 stars): Absolutely wonderful! Thank you :)
Erika on 2025-12-09 (5 stars): Made this as a tuna melt with dill relish and omitted the onion. I spread butter on one side of the bread and grilled it with cheese like a grilled cheese sandwich, big hit!
tom g on 2025-12-07 (5 stars): I really love a good tuna, fish salad, and I've made an awful lot of it. I used your recipe and went with 1/2 of a red onion, chopped three celery stalks. The juice of a half a lemon. One big fat, garlic clove, minced and 4 - 5 ounce cans of tuna and about 3/4 of a cup of Sir Kensington's mayonnaise. I really liked the addition of the chopped pickles. I use at least four big pickles chopped. I skipped the mustard and the result was fantastic.
Chloe on 2025-11-10 (5 stars): Very good!
Joel on 2025-11-06 (3 stars): This should be renamed to Mayo Lovers Tuna Salad. I suggest starting with 1/2 cup mayo then add to personal liking. Otherwise pretty standard. I added a little Dijon mustard, and if I made again I might add a little more lemon and some spices to taste such as a touch of cyan pepper, fresh parsley, and whatever else stuck my fancy that day.
QUIN WEBER on 2025-11-04 (5 stars): Absolutely fool proof, delicious recipe! I used Grillo’s Pickle de Gallo to save time on the chopping. I also added half a jalapeno for a little kick. Thanks for the recipe!!
