Southern Tuna Salad with Dill Aioli

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Southern tuna salad is a classic tuna salad recipe using good old-fashioned ingredients – with a slight twist. Instead of using traditional mayonnaise, I use homemade dill aioli.

Make this tuna salad into a sandwich using my sourdough sandwich bread recipe, a wrap, or place it over a bed of greens.

Related: Homemade Dill Aioli Recipe

Related: Salmon Banh Mi Salad Recipe

southern tuna salad with dill aioli with two lemons as garnish in a clear bowl

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What is southern tuna salad

southern tuna salad in a clear bowl with halved lemons as garnish

Southern tuna salad has all the traditional tuna salad ingredients such as celery and pickles, but it also has onions and hard-boiled eggs to round it out!

how to make southern tuna salad

This tuna salad recipe is bursting with flavor and so simple to make! The homemade dill aioli gives this classic dish an unexpected twist.

tuna salad Ingredients

ingredients for tuna salad with tuna in the center in a clear glass bowl and the other ingredients surrounding it

Canned tuna – line and pole caught, chunk light (see below for reasons why this is the healthier choice).
Hard boiled eggs – a southern twist on tuna salad.
Celery – A tuna salad classic.
Dill pickle – adds a nice crunch and a flavorful zing!
Yellow onion – red onion would be great too, but I prefer the sweetness of a sweet, yellow onion.
Fresh dill – we are really capitalizing on the dill in this recipe – it’s the secret ingredient that makes tuna salad so good!
Sea salt and black pepper – we keep the spices simple since the rest of the ingredients pack such a punch.
Dill aioli – use this recipe for dill aioli or this one for horseradish aioli – you’ll want to make extra because it’s that good.

Instructions

Make your dill aioli (recipe here). Then set it aside to let the flavors marinate while you make your tuna salad.

dill aioli in a white container with lemons on the side on top of a white and cream colored ticking stripe tea towel

Chop and dice all your ingredients.
Drain the canned tuna and dump into a large bowl.

canned tuna in a large glass bowl with dill aioli and lemons to the side

Add your hard boiled eggs.

pouring hard boiled eggs into a glass bowl with tuna fish

Toss in your celery, onion, pickles, dill, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

pouring chopped celery into a bowl with eggs and tuna salad

pouring white onions into a bowl with tuna eggs and celery

Then pour in the dill aioli and toss it all to combine. You might want to start by only using half the batch, taste, then add more if you’d like.

pouring dill aioli over the mixture of tuna salad in a glass bowl

In a pinch

Sometimes you just need an easy button when it comes to meal-time. Use the below tips when you’re in a pinch!

Instead of making your own aioli, just use storebought mayo.
Use prechopped ingredients
Use relish instead of pickles.

storage instructions for Tuna salad

southern tuna salad recipe in a glass bowl with a white tea towel on the side and halved lemons as garnish

Store your tuna salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You could also wrap your tuna salad in tortillas or place it in between bread for sandwiches and store it in the refrigerator that way.

Southern tuna salad Tips

Stir – Stir the dry ingredients, prior to adding your aioli, to get them fully combined. If you add your aioli before stirring everything together, you’ll get some pockets of ingredients that don’t fully incorporate.
Marinate – Do let the dill aioli marinate while you chop, dice and mix everything together. This makes it taste even better!
Quality – Buy good quality canned tuna. It’ll not only taste better – but it’s healthier for you too. See below for how to buy the healthiest canned tuna (the answers might surprise you).

Serving Suggestions

southern tuna salad wrapped in tortillas with a glass bowl of tuna salad behind it and a white tea towel

sandwich

A good old-fashioned tuna sandwich is a delicious way to enjoy this southern tuna salad.

Use my homemade sourdough sandwich bread to make yours!

stuffed avocado

Slice an avocado in half, take the seed out, and stuff it with your southern tuna salad. From here you can enjoy as is, or top with some cheese and put in an oven on broil for 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Tortilla wrap

Use a tortilla (or a pita) to make your tuna salad into a wrap.

Here’s a recipe for sourdough tortillas!

lettuce wrap

If you want to incorporate more veggies into your southern tuna salad, just wrap it up in a leaf of butter lettuce or fresh romaine.

Bed of greens

Alternatively, you could also just toss a dollop of tuna salad atop a bed of your favorite greens.

Tuna melt

Top my provolone grilled cheese sandwich recipe with this southern tuna salad to make a great tuna melt.

make ahead

tuna salad on top of greens inside of 3 tortillas with a bowl of tuna salad next to them

Make your tuna salad as a meal prep choice. Be sure to eat only about 12 oz per week to remain within recommended guidelines for how much tuna to eat per week.

southern tuna salad types

pasta

If you don’t want to put eggs in your tuna, add some elbow pasta into your tuna salad to make it more filling!

canned chicken

Not a fan of tuna? No worries! Use this same recipe with canned chicken – still a super easy recipe.

canned salmon

Still want seafood but don’t love tuna? Grab some canned salmon and use the same recipe!

Veggies

The vegetable options for tuna salad are endless. Here are some delicious ideas:

Bell peppers
Shredded carrots
Chopped beets
Arugula

Greek Yogurt

If you prefer a lighter option to the mayo or aioli, you could use greek yogurt instead.

how to buy the healthiest canned tuna

line and pole caught canned tuna with a blue label and halved lemons behind it

The techniques for buying the healthiest canned tuna may surprise you!

line and pole caught – many of the very large tuna manufacturers use unethical fishing practices for catching tuna. They’ll use very large nets to catch the tuna, but they also catch sea turtles and other marine life. To avoid this, look for the term line and pole caught.
Chunk light – the fancy types of tuna-like albacore and yellowfin may seem like the better choice, however, those larger fish actually contain more mercury than the smaller fish.
Olive oil or water – If you can’t find tuna packed in olive oil, go for water. Most of the canned tuna you find on the shelves are packed in GMO soybean oil which is unhealthy.

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Southern tuna salad faq

What tuna is best for tuna salad?

Chunk light tuna is best for tuna salad. It has the lowest mercury levels and is great for combining with other ingredients to make a salad.

What ingredients are in tuna salad?

Traditionally, tuna salad ingredients are mayo, dijon, relish, and celery with some lemon, salt, and pepper.

What spices go well with canned tuna?

Spices that go well with canned tuna are smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, and tons more. Just be sure you use spice combinations that pair well together.

What can I use instead of mayo in tuna?

use your favorite aioli in tuna to give your tuna salad better flavor. For a lighter option, use greek yogurt.

How do you make tuna taste good?

To make tuna taste good, use an aioli as a base, spice it up with yummy seasonings, and add your favorite vegetables.

How much tuna should I eat per week?

The most tuna you should eat per week for chunk light is about 12 oz. If you’re using large tuna fish like yellowfin or albacore, stick to about 6 oz. per week. If you’re a child or pregnant, go with 6 oz. or less no matter the type.

Pin it for later – Southern tuna salad

Related: Horseradish Aioli Recipe

Related: Dill Aioli Recipe

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