I’m sharing my recipe for making tuna, with fresh Italian flavors, using ingredients that add texture and bright, freshness for this delicious lunch with bread for an Italian-style sandwich, or mounded on top of a fresh green salad, or as filling for lettuce wraps if I want to bump up my protein.
No mayo here! My Italian mother never introduced mayonnaise into our food, so I didn’t grow up with it. This simple recipe uses good extra virgin olive oil, and fresh squeezed lemon to make tuna never dry or dull.
Our fridge and pantry are always stocked with everything we need to make this simple recipe: canned tuna, Italian parsley, a couple stalks of celery, lemons tojuice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
You can watch how I put my tuna recipe together in this quick YouTube video.
Tuna with Italian flavor
Ingredients
- 10 ounces canned tuna, drained You'll use either two small cans, or one large can to have the right ratio of protein. I always recommend the highest quality tuna you can purchase: wild-caught Albacore, packed in water.
- 1/2 cup chopped celery Two stalks. You can also choose to substitute or mix-in with fennel.
- 1/4 cup chopped Italian, flat-leaf parsley For best results, use fresh parsley.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup fresh squeeze lemon juice Strain the juice of about two lemons.
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper season to your taste
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt season to your taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, place tuna that has been drained of all canned-liquid. Add the celery (and/or fennel if you're using it), fresh parsley, olive oil, fresh squeezed lemon juice, pepper and salt.
- Use a fork and break the tuna down and into the juices.
- Combine all ingredients so that the olive oil and lemon juice have completely soaked into the tuna, and there is an even distribution of all ingredients.
- Top onto bread, use as a filling for lettuce wraps, or top salad greens. Any left overs can be stored in a sealed container and kept in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Video
The quality of canned tuna you choose does matter. I recommend solid Albacore, wild-caught, and packed in water. Most also add sea salt. My husband goes fishing as often as he possibly can, and we have a pressure cooker to safely can his fresh-caught tuna for home. It is really delicious, and so fresh, but it is more likely that I will purchase cans of tuna from the store, just like everyone else.
Nonna (my mom) really loves this tuna. Since retiring, I make lunch for the two of us at home most every weekday, and this is on my list of quick and easy meals for us. She will typically eat tuna prepared this way, with a slice of toasted bread. However, she will not eat anything with even the slightest bit of mayonnaise! She cracks me up, and has strong feelings about it, which I totally understand. I don’t like mayo myself – probably because she raised me without it. (I have had tuna plenty of times with mayo, but I prefer this way as the best and most flavorful.)
Enjoy it the Italian way! Hope you like this recipe.
With love, Mili
