My Mother's Tuna Salad

By Julia Reed

Published February 21, 2004

Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(43)
Comments
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This is Julia Reed’s favorite tuna salad, the one she subsisted on for years as a child, eaten with a fork straight out of a container in her mother’s refrigerator. It’s an unfussy thing that is exactly suited to be layered between two pieces of white bread — toasted, if you must — and then eaten at the kitchen table, or, after summer ends, at the lunchroom table. The ingredients are simple and easily acquired, and be sure to use real mayonnaise.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 3 cups

  • 1 (12-ounce) can StarKist solid white albacore tuna in water

  • ½ cup Hellmann's mayonnaise

  • 4 large ribs celery, peeled and finely chopped

  • 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

  • 3 tablespoons chopped sweet pickles, with their juice

  • 1 tablespoon minced onion

  • 1 teaspoon celery salt or more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon McCormick Season-All or more to taste

  • 6 dashes Tabasco

  • Cracked pepper to taste

  • Salt to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

4 grams carbs; 106 milligrams cholesterol; 251 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 10 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 381 milligrams sodium; 16 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Drain the tuna, place it in a bowl and break it up with a fork. Add ¼ cup of mayonnaise and blend well. Mix in the remaining ingredients, and add the rest of the mayonnaise. Check for celery salt, Season-All, salt and pepper. This is better if it sits at least one hour before serving.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
43 user ratings
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Comments

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John Robert

I'd omit onion. It overwhelms everything else. Sometimes add leftover roasted red peppers. Try chili flavored bread and butter pickles. Add a pickled jalapeno or two (deseeded, deveined, chopped small).

Margot

This is my go to tuna salad recipe. Who knew you needed a recipe?! I cook for older clients in Santa Fe and they love this, especially the hint of Tabasco, we like a little heat here. Also if you haven't read any of Julia Reed's articles, essays or books you should!

Tom H.

I prefer to use dill instead of sweet pickles & roughly a quarter of the celery salt & Season-All. Often substitute a tablespoon or so of mustard for an equivalent amount of mayonnaise.

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