Classic Tuna Salad

A classic tuna salad with albacore tuna, green onions, finely minced celery, capers, pimientos, and salad olives in a mayonnaise dressing with herbs and spices.

A classic tuna salad with a mayonnaise dressing.
Photo: Cynthia Dalton

It was, what we used to call, “swell elegant.” “It” was my first “grown-up” birthday party. At the very sage, wise, and sophisticated age of six, my birthday party plan went from hotdogs and potato chips, to a lady-like luncheon salad, hard rolls and butter, ice tea, and a meaty, beefsteak tomato stuffed with my Mom’s classic tuna salad.

It also went from a simple homemade layer cake for dessert, to a masterpiece my Mom created, based on my fantasy cake I had described to her for nearly three months in advance.

My dream cake was based on a strapless, white evening dress my always elegant Mom had, with layers of silk and chiffon and a wide midriff of ornately embroidered bright pink, tangerine, and  fuchia colored roses and rose buds with trailing leaves and vines, in two tones of green, both light and dark.

My Mom was a fantastic cook. You can blame my love of cooking directly on my Mom and I think some of the greatest memories I have from childhood involve the time I spent with my Mom in the kitchen.

But more than a great cook, my Mom was a brave cook. No challenge phased her. So she took it in stride when I requested a multi-layered strawberry cake with white buttercream frosting and as literal a translation of those embroidered roses as she could possibly conjure up.

My Mom had never ventured into sugar-craft, but no matter, she taught herself how to make the tiny, detailed, buds, blooms, leaves, and tendrils. The result of all her hours of effort was the most beautiful and delicious cake I had ever eaten or ever will eat again.

I don’t remember the presents I received that year, I don’t even remember the names of the little friends in attendance (for which I should be ashamed), but that gorgeous cake was the greatest gift EVER!

And the classic tuna salad became my most requested party entree, vying only with the New Orleans-style boiled shrimp feast for which my Mom was also famous.

Parsley, green onions, celery, capers, lemon, and hot sauce are ingredients for classic tuna salad.
Photo: Cynthia Dalton

You don’t have to wait for a special occasion however, to enjoy Mom’s classic tuna salad — it travels well for lunch — although you will need access to refrigeration or an insulated bag to keep it chilled. And, it shines stuffed into an avacado half or a ripe, earthy tomato. Do be sure to season the tomato or avacado half — my Mom believed that all food elements need their own seasoning and I concure.

Please use the comments section below to share your memories of your first “grown-up” birthday party feast as well as your take on this recipe.

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Classic Tuna Salad
Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients — which are mostly pantry staples, and measuring them into the dressing is a snap. Also, if you're using this for a sandwich filling, unless you are using a sturdy roll designed to soak up dressing, I find it's best to avoid a soggy sandwich by packing bread and filling separately, until lunchtime.© The Working Lunch Project
A classic tuna salad with a mayonnaise dressing.
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Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour
Servings
servings
Ingredients
A classic tuna salad with a mayonnaise dressing.
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl mix first 12 ingredients (mayonnaise through black pepper) for dressing and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.
  3. Add most of dressing to tuna mixture, toss to combine, and add the remaining dressing to your desired consistency.
  4. Refrigerate and chill tuna salad for 1 hour to allow flavors to combine before derving. Use within a few days.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional facts per serving:

252 calories

21g fat

556mg sodium

3g carbs

0.7g fiber

14g protein

 

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Ranch Salad Dressing

A Cabbage Side Course For Lunch
Photo: Cynthia Dalton

As a kid, I remember watching an episode of I Love Lucy in which Lucy gets so many compliments for a salad dressing she’s prepared, that she and Ethel Mertz decide to go into business together as salad dressing moguls.

They bottle a creamy white concoction, and of course, as they say, ‘hilarity ensues.’ Shades of things to come, I was less interested in the comedy and more interested in fantasizing about how that savory milkiness might taste, sluicing just about anything one might bring in from the garden.

My fantasy became reality a few years later when a Ranch Salad Dressing hit the market in the form of seasonings in a pouch requiring only the addition of mayonnaise and milk.

Later, it was even easier to buy the dressing in a bottle. But, as time went on, I became disenchanted with the stuff — it seemed to have changed over time — more cloying than seasoned herbaceous-ness.

It seemed to me that the recipe had been altered from the original. Maybe it hadn’t. It may be that it just no longer matched my memory of a Lucy fantasy fulfilled.

So, I set out to reinvent my original, real or imagined, experience with the stuff.

Capturing my original enchantment with Ranch Salad Dressing, this dressing is like a soft, white, cotton sundress on a warm summer day.

 

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Ranch Salad Dressing
This dressing pairs well with crudités as a dip, and makes a wonderful coleslaw which I like to prepare by combining purple and green cabbage, shredded carrot, slivered radish, sliced ripe olives, chopped tomatoes, and sliced green onion. It does call for a couple of my favorite ingredients, Spike Vegit Magic Gourmet Natural Seasoning and Vege-Sal Spike Natural Seasoning, but you could replace the Vegit with a salt-free Italian herb blend and onion powder to taste and replace the Vege-Sal with celery salt to taste. The result will be different, but not bad. Vegit gives the dressing a nice toasted onion flavor which may be an acquired taste for some — you may wish to start with half the amount called for in the recipe. © The Working Lunch Project
A Cabbage Side Course For Lunch
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Rating: 0
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Course Lunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 3 hours
Servings
1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 3 hours
Servings
1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
A Cabbage Side Course For Lunch
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Rating: 0
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Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients.
  2. Transfer dressing to a container with a lid and chill in refrigerator several hours to allow flavors to meld. Use within 1 week.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional facts per serving:

238 calories

23g fat

1158mg sodium

6g carbs

0.1g fiber

4g protein

 

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Tahini Salad Dressing

A toasted seame tahini salad dressing.
Photo: Cynthia Dalton

The genesis for this Tahini Salad Dressing came from a favorite, creamy, Middle Eastern inspired ‘store-bought’ salad dressing of mine from a few years back, that I used to find in the ‘natural foods’ aisle of the grocery store — it gained in popularity and naturally (pun intended) gained substantially in price as well.

I’m unable to justify such extravagance for a truly small amount of dressing — caviar is a luxury item — I just don’t think salad dressing falls into the same category.

This tangy salad dressing gets its pucker quotient from freshly squeezed lemon juice and cider vinegar. With a rich flavor from toasted sesame oil and soy sauce (if preferred, liquid aminos can substitute for the soy sauce), this dressing is a study in savory, substantial deliciousness.

To make this dressing more of a clone of the original, one could always add a small handful each of chopped flat-leaf parsley and either chopped green onions or chives (I prefer not to, only because I can then add these ingredients directly to my salads, or not, according to my mood in the moment).

 

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Tahini Salad Dressing
This makes a fantastic dressing for salads featuring meats (or, seasoned, baked tofu). My favorite way to enjoy this dressing is drizzled over a salad of mixed greens, sliced cold steak, hard-boiled egg, red bell pepper strips, and red onion. Sesame tahini salad dressing also makes an excellent dipping sauce for your favorite nibbles. © The Working Lunch Project
A toasted seame tahini salad dressing.
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
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Course Lunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 3 hours
Servings
1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
Course Lunch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Passive Time 3 hours
Servings
1/4 cup servings
Ingredients
A toasted seame tahini salad dressing.
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
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Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingedients until combined and creamy.
  2. Transfer to a covered container and chill in refrigerator for 3 hours to allow flavors to meld. Use within 1 week.
Recipe Notes

Nutritional facts per serving:

214 calories

18g fat

462mg sodium

8.4g carbs

2.1g fiber

4.6g protein

 

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