15 Flavorful Ingredients to Enhance Your Tuna Salad

If you grew up in the United States, you probably already know what goes into a traditional tuna salad. It often includes a mixture of mayonnaise, chopped red onions, diced celery, pickles, a squeeze of lemon, salt, cracked black pepper, and, of course, canned tuna. Next to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, it’s probably one of the most common school lunch options. It’s quick, easy to make, affordable, and, due to its high protein content, it keeps you full throughout the day.

The typical tuna salad combination can become quite mundane, especially if you’ve eaten it for lunch almost daily from elementary school through college. If you enjoy cooking at home, you may have some ingredients in your kitchen that can enhance the flavor of your tuna salad. Whether it’s a drizzle of spicy chili oil or a sprinkle of cumin powder, it’s time to switch things up by adding these 15 ingredients to your tuna salad.

If you’re looking for a way to get rid of those fresh herbs that are rotting away in your refrigerator, try tossing them into your tuna salad! Adding a handful of chopped herbs is one of the easiest and quickest ways to add a pop of flavor to your tuna salad.

When choosing the right herb to add to your tuna salad, it’s key to pick one that will pair well with the savory, creamy, slightly fishy flavors of the dish. One of the most common fresh herbs to use in a tuna salad is flat-leaf or curly parsley, since it offers a clean, fresh, bright, and slightly peppery flavor that complements the mayonnaise in the tuna perfectly. If you like your tuna salad packed with pickle flavor, then adding a handful of chopped dill is the right idea. Dill has a light, grassy, sweet, slightly tangy flavor that is a great match for tuna. Chives are another great option, offering a delicate freshness and subtle onion flavor without the overpowering bite of a raw onion. To switch things up, you can even add a handful of basil leaves or cilantro for a vibrant, citrusy flair.

An umami-boosting ingredient you should definitely try incorporating into your tuna salad is the Japanese fermented condiment, yuzu kosho. Yuzu kosho is a pureed mixture of green or red chili peppers, yuzu citrus peel, and sea salt that’s been slightly fermented. The paste is known for having a spicy, tart, fragrant flavor that will add a unique kick to any dish, especially tuna salad.

While using the bit of citrus is always a pleasant touch in tuna salad, the addition of yuzu peel offers a more nuanced citrus aroma than just plain lemon or lime. Furthermore, the peppery heat from the chili will provide a delightful contrast to the fatty, creamy flavor of tuna salad.

Yuzu kosho has a very potent and strong flavor, so make sure you’re starting with a small amount and tasting before you add more. Also, try and keep it simple, a tuna salad with just celery, pickles, mayonnaise, and a touch of yuzu kosho will allow its unique flavors to shine. You can find yuzu kosho being sold at most Asian supermarkets and Japanese specialty grocery stores. Not only is it a handy ingredient to have on hand for leveling up your tuna salad, but you can also use it to garnish grilled meats, fresh fruit, or even cocktails.

Alongside adding it to your egg salad, za’atar is an excellent addition to tuna salad. This Middle Eastern spice blend is a great way to provide a unique, earthy, aromatic flavor to tuna salad. For those of you who don’t know, za’atar is made with dried herbs and spices, often including a blend of oregano, thyme, sumac, marjoram, sesame seeds, cumin, and coriander seeds. It’s commonly used throughout Middle Eastern cuisine to season various dishes such as fattoush, hummus, manakish, falafel, and musakhan.

Za’atar balanced, pleasant blend of herbal, nutty, slightly citrusy flavors, would add a fantastic Middle Eastern flair to your tuna salad. Ditch the plain white sandwich bread and try filling up a pita bread or lavash with your za’atar tuna salad instead. If you want to take it a step further, you can serve it with a side of labne cheese and add in sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and olives for a bit of freshness.

Incorporating a drizzle of sesame oil will add a depth of nutty flavor and a comforting toasty aroma that will perfectly complement the rich fattiness of tuna salad. You can put your sesame oil tuna salad on a toasted slice of Japanese milk bread or over a bed of steamed white rice. Throw on the apron and get creative, try to make a delicious sesame tuna salad onigiri or even sushi rolls.

You can find sesame oil at most grocery stores and Asian supermarkets. The key is to get a bottle of toasted sesame oil rather than regular sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil obviously uses toasted sesame seeds, providing it with a deep brown color and an intense nutty flavor. It’s widely used in various Asian cuisines as a seasoning oil to garnish dishes. On the other hand, regular sesame oil contains untoasted sesame seeds, resulting in a lighter color and subtler nutty, sesame flavor. It’s typically used as a cooking oil rather than a seasoning component.

Pickled vegetables like dill pickles, tart red onions, and crunchy carrots are the perfect addition to your tuna salad. The creamy and delectable taste of tuna salad is an excellent component against the tangy, bright, and acidic flavor of pickled vegetables. Anytime you’re making a bowl of tuna salad, you want to make sure it doesn’t taste too heavy. The best way to prevent that is by incorporating acidic pickled vegetables to cut through the richness.

You can find a wide variety of pickled vegetables at most standard supermarkets — however, you can easily make them at home using the hot or cold method. The hot method involves pouring a hot brine, typically white vinegar, salt, sugar, sometimes seasonings, over vegetables, which is then left to pickle. Alternatively, you can use the cold method, which includes pouring that same liquid over vegetables and leaving it at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Both methods are great, you can try them both and pick your favorite for future pickled veggie adventures!

Not having pickled vegetables in your tuna salad would be like having a campfire without s’mores. Whether it be a diced cornichon or minced pickled beets, incorporating pickled veggies into your tuna salad is a classic way to add a punchy, acidic element to the dish.

If Waldorf chicken salad has walnuts, is there any reason that tuna salad shouldn’t have nuts? Simply put, no! Nuts, whether they’re toasted, chopped, or ground into a powder it will supply a tuna salad with a tasty flavor and a delightful crunchy contrast it needs.

There’s a wide range of nuts that would pair flawlessly with tuna salad. Obviously, walnut’s buttery, slightly bitter flavor pairs perfectly with any cold salad, but try stepping outside the box and exploring new nutty pathways. Pecans, even sugar-roasted pecans, could add a touch of sweetness and richness to the savory notes of tuna salad. Almonds, whether they are sliced, slivered, whole, or lightly blanched, will provide a delicate crunch and mild nutty note that won’t overpower the other ingredients. For a more gourmet twist, you can try adding a handful of chopped pistachios. Pistachios will supply the tuna salad with a more earthy, sweet flavor and vibrant green color.

Nori is a great and tasty way to provide your tuna salad with a touch of savory, salty, umami flavor without causing too much chaos in the kitchen. All it takes is to grab a sheet from your pantry and crumble it into the mixing bowl — it’s that easy.

You can find nori being sold at most regular supermarkets nowadays and, of course, Asian grocery stores in large sheets and snack packs. If you’re searching the aisle of your local Asian grocery store for nori, you might notice another seaweed-packed product, furikake. Furikake is a Japanese seaweed seasoning made with toasted sesame seeds, seaweed, and sea salt, often with granulated sugar or even MSG. It’s typically sprinkled over steamed white rice to add a salty, umami flavor, but it can totally be used to garnish a tuna salad, too.

One factor that makes tuna salad so delicious is that it’s easy to make, and your additional ingredients should follow suit. Keep it simple, crumble a bit of nori or sprinkle over a dash of furikake and call it a day!

Got any leftover chili oil from last night’s Chinese takeout? Add a drizzle of it into your tuna salad for a spicy kick. If you’re a lover of spice and heat, then you should consider adding chili oil. The pleasant warmth and punchy, fiery flavor will balance the creaminess of the tuna salad.

Besides the fiery heat, chili oil often contains a wonderful array of toasted aromatics such as garlic, green onion, shallots, peppercorns, ginger, and other spices. Any of these ingredients that have been bloomed with oil will provide a deep layer of savory, umami, and slightly floral notes that surely add a pop of flavor to your tuna salad.

Chili oil tuna salad is incredibly versatile. Add a spoonful over a bed of steamed white rice or mixed grains for a hearty meal, or tuck it into lettuce cups for a refreshing, healthy bite. You can even use it to make seaweed hand rolls for your next school or office lunch.

Mustard is part of the standard pool of ingredients — mayonnaise, salt, lemon juice, and freshly cracked black pepper — that should always be incorporated into your tuna salad. Adding a dollop of mustard is a classic and tasty way to level up the flavor of tuna salad, and it shouldn’t be left behind.

If you’re looking for a sharper and more assertive flavor, Dijon mustard is an excellent choice. Dijon mustard is known for having the quintessential strong, spicy mustard flavor. If you’re flavoring a subtle flavor, you’ve got a few different options. Whole grain mustard has a subtle bitter taste and a more delicate flavor compared to Dijon mustard. The bitterness would be a lovely contrast to the richness of the tuna salad. If you want a bit of sweetness, you can even add a squirt of honey mustard. Of course, you can always keep it simple with a spoonful of tart yellow mustard.

Olives are easy pantry ingredients that you can toss into your tuna salad for a salty bite. Whether it’s minced Kalamata or sliced black olives, it’s a fantastic and easy way to add a pop of flavor.

Olives’ quintessential briny, salty taste will provide the somewhat bland flavor profile of tuna salad with depth of interesting flavor. Since most olives are fairly acidic and often pickled, it will help cut the fatty flavors of mayonnaise, making the dish taste a lot lighter and balanced. Olive also offers a pleasant chewiness to the dish and a textural element that will make each bite of scrumptious tuna salad even more interesting.

There’s a wide variety of olives that would go exceptionally well in tuna salad. You can try meatier green olives like the Spanish manzanilla or the Italian castelvetrano. These olives are well-known for their firm texture and bright, salty flavor. You can also do the small and dark Niçoise olives, which are the perfect addition if you’re craving a French-style tuna salad.

Kimchi doesn’t always have to be a side dish for Korean barbecue. Next time you’re whipping up a batch of tuna salad for lunch, try tossing in some minced kimchi for a bit of funky, spicy, fermented flavor. For those just learning about the ins and outs of Korean cuisine, kimchi is a mouthwatering side dish made with salted and fermented vegetables, often napa cabbage or radish. Kimchi is typically heavily seasoned with a mixture of gochgaru (Korean red chili powder), sesame oil, green onions, fish sauce, and ginger. It has a complex, spicy, salty, fermented flavor that will surely give your tuna salad a delightful twist.

You can typically find kimchi being sold at most standard supermarkets and, of course, Asian and Korean grocery stores. However, if you can’t find any, you can try making your own at home by using this delicious Classic Napa Cabbage Kimchi Recipe.

Fresh herbs aren’t the only way to add a herbaceous pop of flavor to your tuna salad. Incorporating a dollop of pesto is a great way to change up your tuna salad game. If you’ve got any leftover pesto after making this delicious Basil Pesto Pasta from the Tasting Table, then you’re on track to create a tasty bowl of tuna salad.

The basil from the pesto will lead the charge in supplying the tuna salad with vibrant and fresh flavor that will liven up the rich saltiness of the mayonnaise and tuna. Besides the basil, the Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, pine nuts, salt, and olive oil will contribute a lovely pungent, savory, nutty, and salty note. This style of tuna salad is perfect if you’re looking for a more Italian or Mediterranean-style lunch. Add it on a slice of toasted focaccia bread or serve it alongside a garden salad.

The idea of the perfect lunch for any tuna salad aficionado is always a tasty tuna melt. The melted, gooey cheese paired with warm, creamy tuna salad creates an irresistible bite. However, if you want to add cheese to tuna salad, it doesn’t have to be melted or served warm. You can keep the cheese cold for a different approach to your everyday lunch.

Try adding a handful of crumbled feta, grated Pecorino, shaved Parmesan, or small cubes of cheddar. All of these cheeses share one thing in common: they all have a salty, sharp flavor, which lends itself perfectly to the delectable creaminess of tuna salad. For an even more intense flavor and texture, you can also add a bit of cream cheese, ricotta, goat cheese, or mascarpone. Mix your cheesy tuna salad into a tortilla, a whole wheat wrap, or simply over a slice of toasted rye bread.

Worcestershire sauce is a great way to incorporate an umami-rich punch into tuna salad while keeping it traditional with classic, savory flavors. For anyone unfamiliar with Worcestershire sauce, it’s a salty, fermented condiment with a deep, dark brown color. Hailing from England, it’s typically used to flavor salad dressings, stews, marinades, pasta, meat dishes, and even savory cocktails like Bloody Marys.

Worcestershire sauce is made from a combination of ingredients, including vinegar, salt, sugar, anchovies, garlic, shallots, and soy sauce. It’s then fermented in wooden tanks for about 18 months. The combination of these salty, aromatic ingredients and the long fermentation period will create an umami bomb worth of flavor that should definitely be added to your tuna salad. The complexity of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors will bring a multi-layered depth to the plain taste of tuna salad. You can find Worcestershire sauce at most standard grocery stores nationwide. 

There are several spices in your pantry that will really add a pop of flavor to tuna salad, such as cayenne pepper, ground mustard, cracked black pepper, or curry powder. However, there’s one spice that often goes overlooked by tuna salad lovers: a touch of cumin powder. It provides your tuna salad with an earthy, warm, subtle, nutty taste that complements the rich flavors of canned tuna and mayonnaise.

Cumin powder is a versatile spice frequently used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine as a regular flavoring agent for hummus, curries, meat marinades, and daal. It has a bold and assertive flavor that can dominate a dish, so it’s important not to mix it with other strong ingredients. A tuna salad with chopped celery, pickled red onion, Greek yogurt, cucumbers, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of cumin powder achieves a perfect harmony of flavors. The tanginess from the Greek yogurt and red onions, alongside the freshness from the diced veggies, provides a lovely contrast to the rustic, earthy flavor of cumin.