I’m definitely a tuna person. Cream cheese? not so much. Lox, not a chance! So tuna is bound to show up on my lunch menu quite often. I like my tuna 2 ways: albacore, and in water. I like to mix up my recipes so it doesn’t get too boring.
To prepare tuna, I start with an empty sink and a pair of gloves! I drain the can of water and empty the tuna into a bowl. Then, using my hands (remember, I’m wearing gloves), I break the tuna apart, so that I end up with perfect flakes that are not too ground, nor too chunky.
Classic tuna with mayo always works, but adding additional ingredients turns it into a salad for a complete meal when served with crackers, rice cakes, or cucumber slices. Sometimes I add a bit of harrisa and lemon for a quick and easy spicy tuna. Other times I’ll mix it into some pasta for a heartier dish, or into salad nicoise – an all time favorite. In this recipe, I use a surprise ingredient which really ups the ante from traditional tuna salad, to something out of this world! What is it? Golden raisins! It may sound weird at first, but I urge you to give it a try. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!
To make these fun cucumber rolls, just slice english cucumbers or zucchini lengthwise, very thin (preferably using a mandoline, but it can be done by hand or with a peeler). Put a spoonful of tuna salad about an inch away from either end. Roll the end over the tuna, and continue to roll up. Fasten with a toothpick. NOTE: If you slice the cucumbers paper thin, you won’t need a toothpick, they will stay closed on their own.
Tuna Salad with a Twist
2 cans albacore tuna in water
1 handful shredded carrots
1 celery stick, diced small
1 handful golden raisins
1/3 cup mayo (more, if needed)
1 tbsp mustard
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Method:
Drain tuna well and flake with a fork, or using your hands (I suggest gloves!). Add remaining ingredients and mix well. If it is too dry, you can add more mayo, one teaspoon at a time. Serve in cucumber rolls, or with bread, crackers, or rice cakes.
NOTE: The EPA and FDA cautions pregnant women, women of childbearing age, nursing mothers and young children against eating more than 6 ounces of albacore tuna per week due to high levels of mercury. If you wish to eat more tuna, go for the lower mercury light tuna (commonly skipjack or yellowfin).
Wow! That looks amazing!
YUM~ These are beautiful, perfect for a luncheon or Shalosh Seudos. Love the new look btw!
This is ADORABLE. My kids love vegetable sushi, and they will adore these. Bookmarking this to try soon. Thanks for sharing!
Just showing this to my daughter, and she’s coming up with all sorts of variations on this. She hates cucumbers, but we think this’ll be really good with zucchini, sliced real thin and grilled. And for a fancier variation, Sarah thinks the zucchini will work well stuffed with grilled chicken and tomatoes. We’ll let you know when we try this! I have a feeling it’ll be soon.
Good thinking! Yes, you can absolutely do this with grilled zucchini. In fact I recently saw a recipe for it, stuffed with herbs and cheese. I’m just thinking the grilled chicken and tomatoes might be a bit dry. You need some kind of sauce in there. Maybe turn it into a chicken salad with mayo?
This is such a great recipe and I am so disappointed that I tossed my golden raisins yesterday! I honestly didn’t know what to do with them and they’ve been around since Pesach. Next time, I’ll check your blog first!!
About an hour before Shabbos I realized that I forgot to make gefilte fish (don’t ask . . .). I remembered about these and decided they are Shabbos table worthy :)
I didnt have the cukes so I made them with pickles instead. Thanks for saving our shabbos meal!