Tuna salad

Tuna salad

Open tuna salad sandwiches
Type	Salad
Main ingredients	Tuna, mayonnaise

Tuna salad is typically a blend of two main ingredients: tuna and mayonnaise or mayonnaise-substitute. The tuna used is usually pre-cooked, canned, and packaged in water or oil. Pickles, hard-boiled egg, celery, relish, and onion are ingredients that are often added. When the spread is placed on bread, it makes a tuna salad sandwich. Tuna salad is also regularly served on top of lettuce, tomato, avocado, or crackers, or by itself.

Quick homemade tuna salad is often made by omitting the eggs and only adding relish to the tuna and mayonnaise. Eggs are omitted because they must be cooked whereas the other ingredients are purchased ready to eat. Relish adds a piquant flavor but, unlike commonly added vegetables, requires no chopping.

In Belgium, the dish pêches au thon / perziken met tonijn (peaches with tuna) is made from halved canned or fresh peaches stuffed with tuna salad. It is widespread throughout the country, and due to its ease of preparation, it is common fare at potlucks.

Sometimes, as a healthier alternative to mayonnaise, mashed avocado and a squeeze of lemon juice are used in the preparation of tuna salad.

Tuna salad has been eaten for over 100 years. The first written reference to tuna salad, in America, appeared in 1907, and by 1914 dozens of recipes had been published. Tuna salad, especially with celery, is similar to chicken salad while also being much cheaper, a fact that helped its early rise in popularity.

Due to tuna salad being high in vitamins, it gained the status of a dieter's dish in the 1960s.