The Five-Minute Tuna Salad Reddit Can't Get Enough Of
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Tuna is a quintessential lunchtime favorite, with the National Fisheries Institute reporting Americans consume about 1 billion pounds each year. Tuna is incredibly shelf-stable — according to Does it Go Bad, an unopened can stays good for 3 to 5 years, making it the perfect pantry staple. Canned tuna is also quite affordable, with most cans being sold at around $1.50 per can (via Target).
One of canned tuna's best benefits is that it takes virtually no time to prepare. The Kitchen Community shares that the tuna is precooked before being canned, usually by boiling or steaming the fish. Once it is cooked, the tuna is preserved in tin cans with oil, brine, or water. The cans are sterilized and vacuum-sealed, making them safe to consume once opened.
Tuna salad is one of the most popular ways to utilize tuna. It's cheap, quick, and filling, even if it can be a bit boring at times. If you're ready to amp up your tuna salad, adding in some Asian-inspired ingredients will turn your everyday tuna salad into a weekday "treat yo self" meal.
Spice up your tuna salad with Sriracha
No offense to basic tuna salad, but the mayo, celery, relish combo just doesn't cut it anymore. People have taken tuna creativity to the next level, including famous chefs — Martha Stewart adds chopped apple to hers, while J. Kenji López-Alt mixes crushed potato chips into his tuna.
Spicy tuna rolls are a popular sushi item. According to Just One Cookbook, they're made with sushi-grade tuna, Sriracha chili sauce, sesame oil, and spicy mayo. The Sriracha adds a nice heat, while the mayo adds a creaminess that pairs perfectly with fatty tuna. While it is delicious, it's not exactly the kind of thing you can quickly whip up at home.
On the cooking-oriented subreddit r/GifRecipes, Reddit user MidwestManCooking shared his 5-minute tuna salad that riffs on a traditional spicy tuna roll. His recipe incorporates Sriracha, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds. The addition of chopped celery and green onion not only adds texture but makes the final product reminiscent of an old-school tuna salad.
A tuna salad isn't complete without some kind of binder to hold everything together. Typically, this is some form of mayonnaise. For this Redditor's version, equal parts of mayo and Greek yogurt are used. Both condiments add creaminess, but the Greek yogurt lightens up the overall calorie content. This spicy tuna salad can be a great addition to the weekday lunch meal rotation. Serve it with toast or crackers for a bulkier lunch, or vegetables to keep it low-cal.