I make two different tuna salads.

For a regular tuna salad sandwich it's tuna, Miracle Whip and green onions.

I also make one on an English muffin that is broiled open face. For that I use tuna, chopped egg, chopped pickle or relish, chopped onion, cheddar chopped in small pieces and mayo. Toast the English muffin, top with the tuna mixture and place under the broiler until lightly golden and the cheese has melted. Delicious!

I like a hard boiled egg in my tuna salad. Solid White Tuna packed in water (drained), sweet onion, sweet pickle relish,celery, chopped hard boiled egg, mayo, salt/pepper. On white toast with lettuce.

No egg in my tuna salad-just tuna, Miracle whip and sweet relish on toasted whole wheat bread with lettuce. Sometimes I will make a tuna melt sandwich using cheddar cheese.
Di

Compumom, I use the yogurt because I like the tangy flavor it adds and also, it is much more stiff than the mayo and helps the tuna stick together better and not soak through the bread as much. It never occurred to me that someone lactose-intolerant might not realize there was dairy in my tuna salad and become ill...I guess the next time I make tuna for pot-luck or party, I'll make sure people know!

Shaun, I prefer my bread toasted for tuna sandwich as well.

Did anyone else take tuna sandwiches to school as a kid and end up with the bread sopping by lunch time? Yech!

Tuna (in water) and Hellmans. If I have celery on hand, I'll add it. I've never had egg in a tuna sandwich, but I am game to try it. But I won't add, or try, Miracle Whip in tuna. I've had MW before and I really dislike it.
Jo

No egg in tuna.

Have we helped you with your debate? LOL!

Another Southerner who says egg. Maybe we're the region. And I too add Miracle whip, but I use dill pickles. The first time I made hubby my version, he raved. When he asked the difference between his and mine, he used mayo. I also add quite of bit of pepper. He never added any and I figured out neither does work's cafeteria. Oddly enough, MW+s/p made the difference between his good and my "great" (his words). Or maybe it was all the love I put in it. HA! ;)

Southerner here who says no egg. I've never had egg in tuna salad.

Blue Plate mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, and tuna.

We've come to prefer tuna packed in water. I add olive oil, vinegar,mayonaise,capers,chopped green 0noins,chopped celery,chopped parsley,hard boiled egg,chopped hot pepper. Any can be added and any can be left out. Time and inclination decide.

Best foods and Hellman's mayonaise are the same. Different coasts different names. I Think the Mississippi is the deviding line.

Jo, I also really dislike Miracle Whip - almost as much as I dislike sweet pickles, and the two seem to go together, since they are both sweet. If I ever order tartar sauce in a restaurant, I make sure it does NOT have sweet pickle relish in it.

Sometimes I make tuna salad (especially from grilled tuna) just with tartar sauce. My tartar sauce consists of mayo, green onion, fresh dill, minced dill pickle, lemon juice, black pepper, and cayenne.

The dividing line for Hellman's/Best Foods mayo is the Rockies - not the Mississippi. It's still Hellman's in Texas but Best Foods in California. Hellman's started in NY and Best Foods started in California.

Lars

I've had it both ways. Mostly sans egg. I make it with no egg for sandwiches. Tuna, low fat Best Foods mayo, tiny bit of dijon, pickle relish (sweet or dill), maybe some dill weed, lots of fresh pepper, a bit of minced onion. We tend to wing it with what's on hand. And we eat it on toasted bread.

It can contain celery, capers, or parsley but mostly it's simple fare.

As you can see from the above posts, it's a debate that's not going to have a clear winner.

Hard boiled eggs, like crumbled bread, have been used in many American dishes since colonial times to "stretch" the main ingredient to make more servings.

A hard boiled egg added to a can of tuna will make an extra sandwich or two so I believe it's more of an economic than a regional tradition.

I like mine with tuna, finely chopped scallions, mayo, pickle relish and a sprinkle of Old Bay seasoning. I don't like chopped celery in it but sometimes add chopped celery leaves.

I also make a salad with tuna, diced tomato, red onion, parsley, and black olives, dressed with olive oil and basalmic vinegar.

I think you have your answer. It is a frequent but not always ingredient. I'd call that traditional - because it is part of tradition for enough people (maybe half). But if "traditional" means its a necessary ingredient for the dish, then it wouldn't qualify.

Personally, I'm not a fan of hardboiled eggs, but their presence in a tuna salad sandwich is low key enough that they don't bother me.

I like a bit of chula sauce or horseradish in tuna salad sandwiches. Something to add a bit of bite. Also onion, parsley and celery - even a bit of bell pepper on occasion.

Teresa, are you looking for a tuna salad recipe to use on a sandwich or just to eat as a salad? I prefer non-traditional tuna salad with lots of vegetables and a vinaigrette dressing but it wouldn't be suitable for eating in a sandwich.

Some day I've got to learn to make mayo from scratch. I'm not fond of the stuff out of the jar though I can tolerate it in tuna salad with just enough to act as a binder. But when I had nicoise salad with fresh mayo in Paris, I really liked the mayo.

In searching for a substitute for mayo/MW, I've taken various ideas and put this binder together... Haven't tried it yet but plan to...

½ - 1 cup canned butter beans rinsed well and drained. (can substitute great northern, navy, or cannellini beans)
1 (or more) cloves minced garlic
1 ½ - 2 T chopped parsley or celery leaves
1 ½ - 2 T olive oil

Pulse ingredients in food processor until creamy.

Cloud, I think I'm looking for both actually!

Just to further obfuscate the issue, my favorite recipe for tuna salad is Home on the Range Tuna Salad:

* 2 eggs
* 1 (6 ounce) can tuna, drained
* 1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
* 1/4 cup chopped celery
* 1/4 cup chopped green onions
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
* 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
* 1 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1/4 cup mayonnaise

1. Place eggs in a saucepan, and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, and cool. Peel, and chop.
2. In a large bowl, flake tuna. Add cottage cheese, eggs, celery, green onions, parsley, lemon pepper seasoning, celery salt, lemon juice, and mayonnaise; mix well. Chill.

The cottage cheese makes a very creamy tuna salad w/o tons of mayo.

Wow! Nice input and I've read everyone of yours.

Looks like I do agree it is a regional thing and up to the individual taste. The main ingredients are tuna and mayo but rarely only those two makes a tasteful tuna sandwich.

Someone mentioned about tuna salad. I've always thought that tuna salad is tuna mixture on top of a bed of lettuce, hence, a tuna salad, no?

I believe another reason for adding boiled eggs is to help making the mixture less soggy (yolk absorbs the juice).

Personally, I love adding greens and fruits such as an apple into it for a healthier version. Sometimes, when I don't have pickles nor salary, I substitute a can of waterchestnut for some crunchiness. Being Asian, I always have these cans handy.

Substituting yogurt for less fat is a good idea. I'll try that next time.

I believe that there is no wrong or right in a recipe just as long as the ingredients all goes well together and someone likes it. Of course, recipes are all depends on our individual taste.

Since wer're all here to share and learn, I'm all open minded for different versions of this old recipe. Thanks so much for sharing yours.

Thanks again all. Now I'm going to make some for a late dinner.

If you add yogurt, i suggest that you use Fage or a creamier Greek-style yogurt. I tried that w/ DH the mayo guy, but he didn't fall for it. I ended up mixing it w/ low fat Best Foods. He knows it, but will still eat it!

My grandmother would sometimes add a few eggs in tuna salad to make it stretch. Normally I don't since many find it unpleasant.

Love, love, love tuna salad! Boilded eggs? Ahh, sometimes but not often - why add extra cholesterol to something when it is so completely unnecessary? Tastes better without eggs, anyway, IMHO only! I use chunk tuna or albacore in spring water, drained. Add chopped onions for sure, chopped celery, a little DILL relish, tiny bit of dijon, and a little lite Hellman's or Miracle Whip.

Sweet relish??? NO! Cannot stand that in anything. Neither tuna salad nor potato salad nor tea is supposed to be sweet! Of course, I'm not opinionated or anything, just a Yankee. :)

Linda

My own preference is tuna packed in olive oil, 1 hardboiled egg, a dollop of good mayo (puh-LEEZE, no Miracle Whip!) into which has been mixed a generous grinding of black pepper, a couple of shakes of tabasco, and a teaspoon or two of dried tarragon.

No celery, but I wouldn't gripe too much if it were there--but pickles or olives are an abomination.

Why tuna packed in olive oil? You end up needing less mayo than with water-packed, and I'd prefer to ingest my fat calories as good olive oil rather than as mayo.

Just my $.02

I have never had egg or any kind of relish in my tuna salad sandwich. I may try the egg, but will pass on the relish.

Don't get me wrong, I like both sweet and dill relish, but not IN things. Only ON things; brats, polish sausage, hot dogs, things like that. Can't stand it in potato salad.

I make it pretty simply: white albacore tuna, chopped celery, chopped onion and a mixture of half may/half miracle whip, spread on whole wheat bread, and topped with lettuce and tomato of I have it on hand.

Linda

I have always put boiled eggs in my tuna salad unless it was really a quick one with no time to boil them.
I like mayo (no MW, please!), salt, pepper, boiled eggs and dill pickles. I don't like fruit in my salad, either.
We have always said tuna salad sandwiches.
Lisa

Was thinking sandwiches when I first read this post so didn't think of this tuna salad.

I reverse engineered this from a tuna salad I bought at Whole Foods. Bit pricey because it uses fresh tuna but the result is worth it. 3-4 oz of tuna makes quite a bit as a spread 6 would be tons for a light lunch or dinner, assuming other sides. No reason you couldn't sub a good quality, solid white tuna in the can.

Sorry no quantities everything is too "taste". Great served as a salad or as a spread for water crackers.

Teresa this recipe uses very little mayo , very little, but I think it would be just as good without any.

Whole Foods Tuna Artichoke Salad (best I could duplicate it!)

Fresh tuna poached in a court boulion and then cooled
Kalamata olives, chopped roughly
Artichoke hearts , chopped roughly( I've used canned and marinated)
Green onions , chopped
Garlic, minced
dried oregano
fresh lemon juice to taste (go easy, taste as you go)
salt and pepper
mayo , go light , use only enough to moisten

Mix all together let chill for an hour or so. Will keep for a few days.

NOTE: I haven't done it but olive oil could be a good sub for the mayo. If using marinated jarred artichokes I think the olive oil and mayo could be eliminated.

ntt hou: Just another one of those instances where English can be a little confusing. Salad doesn't necessarily have to involve greens. The main definition in my Webster's dictionary has two parts, the second one of which comes closer to what we mean when we talk about tuna "salad" (or chicken salad or egg salad or potato or macaroni . . .):

1 : any of various usually cold dishes: as a : raw greens (as lettuce) often combined with other vegetables and toppings and served especially with dressing b : small pieces of food (as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) usually mixed with a dressing (as mayonnaise) or set in gelatin

Never heard of putting egg in tuna salad. It wouldn't be tuna salad if an egg was in there. Just the tuna packed in oil,(drained) Cain's or Hellmans Mayo and maybe a little minced celery. Keep it simple. NancyLouise

My mother always added chopped hard boiled eggs, and celery. Later on she would add onions, but didn't when we were younger. And always miracle whip.

I do believe though that the eggs were there to extend the mixture, so she didn't have to open a case of tuna to make enough sandwiches for all of us LOL.

Now, when I make it for myself, it is no egg (because I am too lazy to boil and cool one ROFL), Hellman's light mayo and I generally leave the veggies out.

I also eat it sandwichless (you know, without bread LOL) where I mix the drained tuna with salt and pepper and a drizzle of sesame oil.

Lars,
We're peas in a pod. I don't know which I hate more, miracle whip or sweet pickles. Just plain old kosher dills for me.
Jo

This is the funniest thread. Not many of us would eat the others Tuna Salad would we!

Beverly

I've never had tuna salad with egg in it, and I probably couldn't eat it if it were in front of me. Egg/fish or cheese/fish combinations are offputting to me. Now I like plain ol' egg salad.

I make tuna salad with alabacore tuna, Duke's mayo (when I can get my hands on it -- it has no sugar in it), minced celery, minced onions, sweet pickle relish and sometimes a pinch of garlic or a bit of Singapore Blend from The Spice House. And I like my tuna salad on the dry side, not swimming in mayo. I have had tuna salad with cilantro in it, and it was pretty good that way, too.

In my opinion, if you insist on putting egg in tuna salad, at least don't put chopped onion in there as well, because cause I'd give the sandwich to the dog, and onion is bad for dogs. :-)

My usual recipe is similar to many listed above: Tuna in water, (well drained), Mayo, capers, and a small amount of balsamic vinegrette.

When I first found this forum one of the funniest threads was the Miracle Whip verus Mayo debate!

"When I first found this forum one of the funniest threads was the Miracle Whip verus Mayo debate!"

Hmm, I missed that one. Was it as entertaining as the recurrent "flame wars" of the gas vs. induction folks over on the Appliance Forum?

The "flamiest" debate I remember we've had about food here was the cornbread discussion. Do people flip out over cornbread? People do.

I guess I never realized that everybody DOESN'T put egg in their tuna salad. That's the way my mom always made it, so that's the only way I ever had it. She made it with either MW or mayo, whatever was on hand, eggs and relish.

Has anyone ever made tuna salad with aioli? Divine.....

Tracey

I've been watching this thread grow without looking and waited it out to see the major flameout and it's not here. I like that so I'll put in my two cents worth. I've never had a tuna salad sandwich or potato salad without hard boiled eggs. My mom put diced apple in her tuna salad and it was very good. My wife made the best and I'm not even sure what all she put in in it. I do know I can't duplicate either and I've tried.
James

I've had the tuna salad with apple in it - Waldorf Tuna Salad, very good too.

One of my favorites is the curried tuna salad from Whole Foods, previously known as Wellspring in Chapel Hill: tuna, curry powder, apple, currants, celery, red onion and probably a touch of mayonnaise - very good!

Whole Foods has a tuna salad with cranberries that is very good. I found the recipe for it:

Tuna with Sun-Dried Cranberries and Lemon

1 can solid white albacore tuna

3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise

½ fresh lemon

2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion

1/8 teaspoon unrefined sugar

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped sun-dried cranberries

Pinch of sea salt

Directions: Squeeze the lemon and remove any seeds. Combine the lemon juice, sugar and salt with the onions, and set aside. Drain the tuna thoroughly. Mix together all the ingredients immediately before serving.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

More about it on the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Whole Foods Tuna-Cranberry recipe.

WOW! Yes, I need to say it again... Wow!

I was not planning to gain some recipes for posting this. Thanks all for sharing.

I am a bit disturbed and confused about comments on debates/flames with some other threads over food. Why?! Food opens up a whole world of taste. If we're not willing to be adventurous with food, than why bother to be on this cooking forum? We're here to share and to learn from one another, aren't we.

True, we may not like all type of food but just because we don't like certain ingredients in a recipe, we can't assume that someone else's recipe is wrong or tastes bad either. Hey, that person must like it enough in order to keep making it, right?

In any case, you guys are great for helping me out and Thanks All for keeping this thread fun and peaceful.

With so many recipes, I'm going to stack up my pantry with tuna =o)

I like tuna in water squeezed until it's bone dry. Add mayo, Mt. Olive sweet relish, chopped white onion, lemon juice, pepper, salt, spread on white bread, add Lays plain chips for crunch! :)

I guess I'm the only person who doesn't like tuna. I wish I did. : (

We squeeze dry our water packed tunafish and mix it with Miracle Whip and sweet relish. If we have a hard-boiled egg to put in it that makes it real special. We like it on soft white bread with Lay's potato chips on it. My Granny sprinkled sugar in the tuna before mixing hers.

For TRUE tuna fans, (I'm a tuna fish lover for 45 years), ONLY white, albacore tuna will do - never the "light" (smelly) tuna for me, such a tuna snob. The "higher end" food places will normally only use the white tuna. When I go to a rest. or diner, I always ask what kind of tuna is used. If it's not white (the more expensive, of course!) I won't order it. And, it just HAS to have egg in it; it's just a great combination. And it's far too sweet with Mir. Whip, IMHO. I use Best Foods, minced celery and a LITTLE sweet relish. Sometimes will add a couple drops of liquid smoke flavoring, copied from a popular restaurant known for their tuna. I like it on toast, with lettuce and EZ mayo spread on the bread/toast. Yum!

Amazing how many different recipes for tuna salad sandwiches there are! My family has always added HB eggs to it. A few times I have omitted them when I was in a hurry or didn't have any eggs. We always alo use Miracle Whip---I usually replace mayo in recipes with Miracle Whip anyway. My Grandma and Mom always added chopped sweet pickles but I usually use sweet relish instead. We also use the finely diced onion, though I like my onion pieces a little less fine. If I have celery on hand, I add chopped celery too. I always buy tuna in oil but my Significant Other buys it in water. My SO adds just a little squirt of plain yellow mustard to tuna salad too. This recipe is traditional in the sense that it has been passed down through my family since before 1900. Some of the things I've read here, I will try---A little pressed garlic sounds like a nice addition, I'd probably like a pinch of dill as well, and a dab of horseradish might be interesting. Most of the rest of the suggesred ingredients would be a real turn-off. We always serve it on white bread too.

On the sandwich menu, Jewish delis used to list "individual can of tuna", which was two pieces of bread and a small can of tuna, served with lettuce, tomato and sometimes raw onions. Of course, no mayo.

I think some of the confusion exists because we are talking about two different dishes.

Tuna sandwich is just tuna and mayo on bread. If you like pickle relish and mustard, you would put that on your bread with the mayo. Then some folks noticed that it held together better if the mayo and pickle relish were mixed into the tuna.

Tuna Salad is tuna and all the other stuff, and just as any salad can have a lot of variations, so also can Tuna Salad. I like to add HB eggs, chopped celery, mayo, a chopped sweet pickle, chopped onion. Or sometimes I will add just mayo, a chopped tart apple and chopped celery. You can eat Tuna Salad in a sandwich, if you prefer, or with crackers. When I'm dieting my favorite high-powered lunch is a can of tuna, the apple and celery and no mayo, eaten salad style, with a fork and maybe a couple of crackers on the side. --Ilene

Guess I'm late to the tuna party!

No eggs in my tuna....thankyouverymuch. I switched to water pack when I bought some by mistake and found I liked it better. My mixture usually contains tuna, celery, onion, sweet pickle relish, S+P, half MW (only thing I use it for) and half Hellman's.

Nancy

I don't think that there is any confusion. I just think it is a matter of personal taste and what one is use to. Some like lots of ingredients in their tuna salad and tuna salad sandwich mix and others are purists and only like a few ingredients. I might even make a tuna sandwich today. After reading this thread again I have a craving. Mine will be very simple though. I don't like a lot of different ingredients in my tuna salad sandwich. White tuna, Hellman's, salt, pepper and either chopped green onion or chopped chives or maybe I'll make a favourite from a Toronto Jewish Deli. They called theirs The Norman. White tuna mixed with Hellman's, on Pumpernickel bread topped with a slice of onion and tomato. I often make it that way at home.

Ann

I have never ever had a tuna salad with egg in it and I am 56. I put in mayo, sweet or green onions, celery and S & P in mine. I love it on dark rye with a pickle on the side. Or stuffed in a freshly picked ripe tomato. Yum!

Does any one like tuna melts? Doesn't look good to me.
Clare

My mother always put eggs in her tuna salad and I do also. I have had it with no onion and I prefer it with chopped onion, and chopped boiled egg. I also prefer a little mustard in my tuna salad along with the mayo.

Chiming in from southern Illinois, my family (from way back) has always put egg in tuna salad. It's funny because I was just making some a few days before I read this thread. I tasted it right before serving and realized that something was not quite right to me. I had left the eggs cooling in the pan in the sink.

I make it by using white tuna, eggs, mayo, diced sweet pickles, sometimes finely minced celery. Love it! Lots of people around here like Miracle Whip, though. Personal preference.

Judi