When I first tried this tuna salad recipe, all I could say was “wow!” I still say it every time I have it. It’s no ordinary tuna salad made with the usual mayonnaise, onions and celery. Don’t get me wrong, I love a traditional tuna salad on soft sandwich bread loaded with pickles. But this green goddess tuna salad is on a different level of deliciousness and likely the finest tuna salad sandwich I have ever had.
Though you will need to spend a little more time on this tuna salad recipe than you normally would, it is 100% worth your time. A quick whirl with an immersion blender and you’ll have your green goddess dressing ready to go.
Once you make the green goddess dressing, your tuna salad will be quick to come together. The celery and shallots should be chopped and ready to go. Have some good bread ready and extra herbs for topping on the tuna salad.
The original recipe uses toasted English muffins in place of sandwich bread. I skipped this because I thought it might be difficult to eat since toasted English muffins can become quite chewy. So instead, I used toasted sourdough bread which worked great. You can also make it an open-face sandwich topped with a generous amount of herbs. Either way, you’ll find yourself thoroughly enjoying this heavenly tuna salad sandwich.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit magazine
Ingredients
1/4 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/4 cup tarragon leaves
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/4 cup lactose free sour cream (or regular sour cream)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + 1 teaspoon, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water, drained and flaked with a fork
1 small celery stalk, finely chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 small garlic clove, finely grated, about 1/4 teaspoon
Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper
1 cup coarsely chopped mixed tender herbs (such as celery leaves, basil, parsley)
1/4 cup slivered romaine (crunchy ribs section)
Directions
- Purée basil, parsley, tarragon, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon zest, 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil with an immersion blender or small blender until very smooth and pale green. You may prepare the dressing a day in advance (storing it in the refrigerator will firm it up a bit). Add the dressing to flaked tuna. Mix in celery, shallot, and garlic. Season with salt and lots of pepper.
- Toss chopped mixed herbs and slivered romaine with reserved 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a small bowl. Drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss again.
- Build sandwiches with lightly toasted sourdough bread or bread of your choice. Top with herb salad.
Notes
- The original recipe uses just one can of tuna. There is enough dressing for two 5 ounce cans. If using just one can of tuna, reserve some of the dressing for drizzling over crispy romaine salad.
