Easy Tuna Salad
This Easy Tuna Salad is one of my favorite quick and healthy lunches! My version uses less mayo than most recipes, but I don’t think you’ll miss it a bit. The flavor of the tuna fish really shines and pickle juice, lemon, and a few extra seasonings give this recipe so much flavor! I particularly love eating this Easy Tuna Salad on toasted rye bread as pictured, but it’s also great in a wrap, scooped onto celery, spread on crackers, or atop a salad.
Not only is this tuna salad simple and delicious, but it’s also high protein and low carb! Each 1/3 cup serving is just 114 calories, 20 grams of protein, 2 grams of carbohydrates, or 1 WW Point on the current Weight Watchers program. Actually, if you eat the entire recipe (both servings), it’s still only ONE Weight Watchers Point! I definitely do that sometimes. To view your current WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app, click here!
Ingredient Notes
- Canned Tuna: I really like Safe Catch Wild Elite Tuna. This isn’t sponsored, I just genuinely like it best. It’s a bit pricier but in my opinion, it’s worth it. I usually buy it in a three can pack at Wegmans. Safe Catch mercury tests all their tuna and holds it to a strict standard so they can state it contains the lowest mercury of any brand. You also don’t need to drain Safe Catch tuna because it’s not packed in water or oil. The liquid inside the can is just the natural juices and oils from the fish and gets absorbed back into the tuna when you break it up with a fork. You can of course use any other brand of tuna, just drain the water from the can before using!
- Mayo: I always use Hellmann’s light mayonnaise, but you can definitely use your store brand or any other light mayo you have on hand. This recipe only uses one tablespoon of mayonnaise for the whole can of tuna, and I think you’ll agree that’s all it needs!
- Pickle Juice: When I say pickle juice, I just mean the brine the pickles are floating in inside the jar. I always buy Claussen dill pickles because they taste the best (in my opinion, of course), and their “pickle juice” tastes great in this recipe!
- Celery: Chopped celery is optional in this Easy Tuna Salad. I like the crunch, but if I don’t have it on hand or I’m making it for my daughter I omit it and it’s still great. If you’re a celery hater or just don’t feel like using it, leave it out!
More Tasty, Lightened-Up Lunch Recipes
For more light and tasty lunch recipes like this Easy Tuna Salad, check out my Buffalo Chicken Salad, Italian Grinder Sandwiches, Chorizo Black Bean Quesadillas, Pittsburgh Steak Salad, Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, BLT Sandwiches with Garlic Aioli, Deviled Egg Macaroni Salad, Honey Mustard Chicken Wraps, Buffalo Roasted Chickpea Salad, Mediterranean Couscous Salad, Cucumber Sandwiches, Cobb Salad, Caprese Sandwich, and many more in the Lunch section of my recipe index!
Easy Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 5 oz can of tuna fish, drained if needed (I use Safe Catch Elite Wild Tuna –no draining)
- 1 tablespoon diced celery, optional
- 1 tablespoon light mayonnaise, (I use Hellmann's)
- 1 teaspoon dill pickle juice, (brine from a jar of pickles)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon celery salt
Instructions
- Empty the tuna (drained if necessary) into a mixing bowl and use a fork to break it up into small chunks. Add the celery (if using), mayonnaise, pickle juice, lemon juice, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and celery salt. Stir together until well combined and serve.
Notes
114 calories, 2 g carbs, 1 g sugars, 3 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 20 g protein, 0 g fiber, 466 mg sodium (from myfitnesspal.com) Weight Watchers Points Plus:
3 per (1/3 cup) serving (PP calculated using a Weight Watchers PointsPlus calculator and the nutrition info)
