The Best Tuna Salad

There are plenty of people out there rolling their eyes, I know.  The sight of "the best" anything has that effect on some.  And that's fine.

So to all you eye rollers out there, just do me one favor.  Try this recipe.  THEN tell me what you think.

I mean it.  Leave me a comment.  Prove me wrong.

Until then, I agree with Cook's Country...this IS The Best Tuna Salad!

The Best Tuna Salad
from Cook's Country Magazine

3 cans solid white tuna packed in water (I've always preferred Bumblebee)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (CC recommends Hellmann's...that's all we EVER use in this house!)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Drain tuna and pat dry with a paper towel.  Microwave oil and onion for about 2 minutes, until onion begins to soften.  Mix with tuna, lemon juice, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Let marinate for 10 minutes.

Stir in mayo and serve (I like my tuna salad cold so I always refrigerate it for a while before eating).

Chicken of the Sea

My mother-in-law gets very excited when we come down to their shore house to visit.  The main reason, of course, is because she gets to hang with Bella.  As most of you newer parents know, we mean nothing once we start popping the kiddies out...it's all about the grandchildren.  Melissa who???

Another big reason: she gets to eat the foods she loves and misses because my father-in-law refuses to eat them.  Like seafood.  FIL won't touch it with a 10 foot pole.  He won't even let her cook it on the grill because it'll "ruin it" and poison his meat.  So, she waits until I'm there so she has someone to enjoy these forbidden foods with.

My sister-in-law's fiance recently went fishing and caught tuna.  He had it cleaned and cut, and left a bunch of it at the inlaws' house, where it's been patiently waiting in the freezer to be used.  So, MIL was happy to bust it out of there so we could indulge.

I threw together a quick marinade that tastes great in the broiler - I've used it on the grill many times before and it's really delicious.  It would work well with other fish too, like swordfish, mahi mahi, scallops...try it on your favorite today.

Old Bay Tuna

3 fresh tuna steaks

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

juice of 2 limes

3 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag.  Marinate for at least 2 hours.  

Set oven on broil and place tuna in a baking pan.  Pour excess marinade over tuna.  Broil for approximately 5 minutes on each side.  

Recipe Swap - Week #2

I was happy with the recipe I received for our first week, so I was excited to see what I'd get this time around.  The theme was lunch, and I was lucky enough to land a recipe from my friend Patrizia, who also recently started a food blog of her own.  The recipe is originally from Giada, but Patrizia made some changes, as did I.

I made this for myself while home alone (well, Bella was napping).  Frank's not a fan of chick peas so I knew it would be a weekday recipe for me.  I had some ciabatta bread that was getting pretty stale, so I popped it in the toaster oven and of course, forgot it was in there until I started smelling smoke...oops!  It was edible, but it wasn't "flexible", so it didn't make for the best picture.

My other adaptations are reflected in the recipe below, based on what I had in the house.  I added the mayo to the tuna instead of the chick pea spread, because that's my preference :)  Plus, I had to chop some onion into it...can't have tuna salad without onion!

It was really good, but not a surprise, coming from Giada.  Thanks, Patrizia!

Tuna and Artichoke Panini
adapted from Mangia! My Family Table by way of Giada De Laurentis

1/2 can chick peas, drained
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 can tuna (I used Bumblebee solid white tuna packed in water)
6 frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 yellow onion, chopped
Ciabatta bread
Arugula and spinach leaves
Tomato
1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

In a small food processor combine chick peas, olive oil, garlic and lemon zest until smooth. If you find it to be too thick, add a little more olive oil.  


In a small bowl, combine tuna, artichokes, onion and mayonnaise.  Add juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper.  


Cut ciabatta lengthwise and spread chick pea mixture on both sides.  Add tomato and greens to one side, then tuna mixture.  Close up your sandwich and enjoy!