Delicious, easy tuna salad with cucumber and dill (and NO egg!). Make tuna salad in advance as part of your meal prep and enjoy it all week on crackers or sandwiches! This version takes less than 10 minutes to mix up and is absolutely delicious on salty focaccia with some greens.
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Recipe Notes
Tuna is one of my favorite things. I love it raw, like when I make sushi, and I love it from Subway because it's salty and delicious and wonderful. I stand by my Subway love very firmly.
Growing up in the South we had a lot of tuna salad, the classic kind with chopped celery and hard boiled eggs. THE PROBLEM IS that I really don't like hard boiled eggs, so tuna salad always felt a little messed up to me since I adore tuna and dislike eggs.
And, since I am absolutely not the only person that isn't into eggs, I started making this tuna salad recipe instead as an adult. This version is SO yummy and simple to make. The dill and cucumber are so cooling and refreshing, and the tuna salad is a bit creamy but not gloopy or full of mayonnaise at all.
(if you hate hate hate mayonnaise, this is probably not the recipe for you. THIS mediterranean tuna salad is, though! it's mayo-free)
I love tuna salad that is creamy BUT tangy - nothing that tastes like straight mayonnaise, please and thank you. To add flavor and tang, I use a spoonful of Dijon mustard in the tuna salad base. Regular yellow mustard works too if that's what you prefer!
Ingredients
- Canned tuna - any kind you like is just fine, just drain it before you make the tuna salad.
- Mayonnaise - full fat, regular mayo.
- Dijon mustard for tang.
- Dill - this is one of my favorite places to use fresh dill, but I use dried dill too and both are delicious.
- Salt and black pepper.
- Cucumber - the small Persian cucumbers are perfect for this tuna salad, or a bit of hot house/English cucumber with less water and thinner skin than an American cucumber.
Step By Step Instructions
Easy easy! Dump all the ingredients EXCEPT for the cucumber in a bowl and mix everything together gently with a fork. Taste this mixture and add salt and pepper until the tuna is very flavorful.
When the tuna salad is seasoned how you like it, stir in the cucumber. I do this last so the cucumber seeds don't get mushed and make the tuna salad watery.
Done! Easy, delicious, simple. The dill + cucumber flavor is so yummy, and tuna is so affordable and easy to work with, it makes a great easy protein for lunch or anytime.
Serving Suggestions
- I love this on sandwiches with whatever bread I have, OR this is a really really good tuna salad to turn into a tuna melt with some sharp provolone or Swiss cheese, omg omg omg.
- Tuna salad also is lovely on crackers or scooped over some greens as a main dish salad, with some avocado chunks and lemon wedges is particularly lovely.
- In one of the laziest dinners ever, I really like a baked potato, some of this tuna salad on the side, and steamed broccoli with lemon and salt. It's VERY basic, very cheap to make, and very delicious.
PS if you're into cold meat salads (that is what this is! chill!), this buffalo chicken salad with rotisserie chicken is SO freaking good.
Leftover Storage and Make Ahead
- Prep: This can be made in advance up to two days and kept in the fridge in an airtight container. The cucumber may release a bit of liquid, just pour it off the top of the tuna salad OR wait to add the cucumber until you're ready to serve this.
- Leftovers: This tuna salad keeps fine in the fridge for 2-3 days. The salt from the preserved tuna makes it a great make-ahead dish!
It's basic, delicious, and a really yummy twist on classic tuna salad. We're getting close to springtime now, and I'm desperate to cucumber-dill-ify everything in my life to bring on the warmer months.
I hope you love this!
Recipe
Cucumber Tuna Salad with Dill
Ingredients
- 2 cans tuna, drained (5-ounce cans)
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, full fat
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ persian cucumber, chopped (about ¼ cup total)
- salt and pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients EXCEPT the cucumber in a bowl, mixing lightly with a fork.
- Taste the tuna salad and add sprinkles of salt and pepper until it is very flavorful.
- Right before serving, stir in the diced cucumber.
- Serve with crackers, pita, or on sandwiches. Enjoy!
Notes
- This can be made up to three days in advance, but may become watery due to the cucumber. If that happens, just drain the water off the top of the tuna salad, OR add the cucumber right before serving.
- Tuna in oil or water works fine for this recipe; use whatever you prefer.
- Dried dill may be subbed instead of fresh, use 2 teaspoons dried dill.
This recipe was originally published in December 2011 and has been updated with fresh images and more clear instructions.
Sounds yummy! I'm always up for new tuna recipes.