Disclosure: This Avocado Tuna Salad post is sponsored by Tonnino Tuna and contains affiliate links. I was provided with FREE samples of Tonnino Tuna that are mentioned in this post. By making this post I will be entered into a recipe contest sponsored by Tonnino Tuna, in which I am eligible to win prizes associated with this contest. The thoughts and opinions regarding the tuna are my own and I was not compensated for my time in any way.
~ Debbie Spivey
A fresh healthy twist on traditional tuna salad, this easy avocado tuna salad is both creamy and crunchy. Perfect for the summer months, this healthy, light and refreshing tuna salad is so easy to whip up and requires no cooking at all! It’s perfect for picnics, potlucks or a quick lunch on a sandwich.
Living on a mountain makes it really hard to get fresh seafood unless you get lucky to show up at the grocery store as soon as they get a fresh shipment in. Needless to say, when I was invited to participate in the Tonnino Tuna Challenge, I accepted.
THE CHALLENGE:
“Tonnino Tuna is looking for inspirational ideas to create “Simply Better Tuna Recipes” that occur when creativity is fused with unexpected flavors and ingredients that are made with the best tuna served either hot or chilled that makes everyday dishes into gourmet dishes.”
Tonnino Tuna
It’s hard to find great quality canned tuna. In fact, I asked the following question on our Facebook Page: “What’s your favorite tuna fish recipe? 🐟”
The responses were not great. Most said to throw the canned tuna away! It seems nobody likes the thought of a recipe using canned tuna.
(Read the Facebook responses HERE)
I will admit I was a bit skeptical about the quality of the tuna. However, Tannino is a leader of the finest cuts of 100% wild-caught Yellowfin tuna.
The tuna fillets are clearly visible, packed in glass jars. I could not believe how big the chunk of tuna was inside the jar. It would hardly come out without the help of a fork. I was impressed right away and even more so after I then tasted it. I was blown away by how good the tuna actually is.
Yes, I am entering this recipe contest, but believe me, we care about our readers and we would not participate in any contest or recommend a product if I did not back the product 100%.
This tuna is amazing and I highly encourage you to go to your nearest Whole Foods store and get yourself a jar or two! There are 8 different varieties to choose from, all of which could be used for this recipe!
What’s in Easy Avocado Tuna Salad?
THE TUNA:
For this recipe, I chose to use Tonnino Garlic Tuna. The tuna has a nice mild garlic flavor. The savory garlic was a nice addition to my original recipe. This tuna salad is loaded with delicious chunks of savory tuna with garlic flavor.
Any of the 8 different varieties of Tonniono Tuna Fillets will work for this recipe.
When making this recipe, reserve a tablespoon of oil from the jar to incorporate into this tuna salad.
THE AVOCADO:
What makes this tuna salad healthy is that instead of mayonnaise I used avocado. The avocado provides delicious creaminess like mayonnaise would without all the calories.
I know it may sound weird to use avocado in place of mayonnaise, but trust me it is wonderful! I first made avocado tuna salad last summer when I was working hard to cut calories to lose 40 pounds.
It was amazing just how creamy avocado made the tuna salad. I did not miss the mayonnaise like I thought I would. Avocado truly provides all the creaminess you desire in a tuna salad without all the calories that come along with it.
THE ADD-INS:
I added diced celery, and red onions into this salad to give it a nice crunch and flavor. The satisfying combination of crunchy celery and sweet pops of red onion are amazing together.
The salad gets a bit of zippiness from diced jalapeno. I love the taste of raw jalapeno. I removed the seeds and veins to give the tuna salad a mild warmth. However, feel free to leave the seeds and veins in to really spice it up or leave the jalapeno out altogether if you do not care for spice. It’s all up to your taste.
Tip: It’s important to dice the celery, red onion and jalapeno all the same size so that one doesn’t overpower the other in each bite.
THE FRESH FLAVOR & SEASONING:
For fresh bright flavor, I added both lime zest and a twist of fresh lime juice. Together with chopped cilantro, the lime added a nice zesty zing to the salad, providing freshness to the savory garlic flavored tuna and creamy avocado.
Use caution when seasoning this salad. Make sure you give the salad a taste before adding any additional salt. Typically avocado needs a bit of salt when added to anything. However, the tuna and garlicky oil have a nice brininess which flavors the salad well. I did not add any additional salt to this recipe.
As with all of my recipes I encourage you to salt and pepper to your own taste.
IS AVOCADO TUNA SALAD HEALTHY?
Lord, yes! Honestly, I eat this avocado tuna salad because it’s good but this salad is a little less than 300 calories a serving.
this recipe can be considered, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Low-Carb, KETO and even Whole30 if you are into those kinds of diets.
Nutritional benefits this avocado tuna salad can provide:
- Tuna – high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, potassium, selenium and Vitamin D.
- Avocado – Vitamins C, E, K, and B-6, niacin, folate, magnesium, and potassium. Avocado also provides beta-carotene, and additional omega-3 fatty acids.
- Celery – rich in vitamin K, folate, vitamin A, potassium, vitamin C and Dietary fiber.
- Red Onion – fiber and folic acid, a B vitamin.
- Lime – Vitamin C and folate.
- Jalapeno – fiber, vitamin C and vitamin B6.
- Cilantro – Fiber, Vitamin A, C, E, K, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.
Yes, this salad is deliciously healthy with every bite!
HOW DO I SERVE AVOCADO TUNA SALAD?
This quick and easy recipe is so versatile! You can take it along on picnics in the park, serve it at a potluck or a quick lunch on a sandwich.
My favorite way to serve avocado tuna salad is on toasted bread, with a side of potato chips. However, this salad can even become an even lower-carb and gluten-free option by serving on lettuce cups instead of bread.
You can also easily turn this tuna salad into an appetizer by serving the salad on crackers or slices of cucumber.
HOW LONG DOES AVOCADO TUNA SALAD LAST?
TIP: The lime juice keeps the avocado from oxidizing and turning brown.
To make this salad ahead, add a little bit more lime juice and toss the avocado and lime juice alone together before adding in the other ingredients. It will still only last a day or two at the most.
However, it is so good it will not last long and you shouldn’t have to worry about leftovers anyway.
This is my new favorite tuna and this is my go-to recipe for tuna salad. It is a feel good about yourself kind of recipe.
I really hope you will grab a jar of this delicious tuna and try out this recipe for yourself. It’s truly delicious!
To learn more about Tonnino tuna, visit their website and find more delicious recipes like this one by following their Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Easy Avocado Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 6.7 ounce size jar of Tonnino Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil with garlic drained
- 1 tablespoon tuna oil reserved from the jar
- 1 ripe avocado roughly cubed into bite-size pieces
- ½ cup celery diced
- ¼ cup red onion diced
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 ½ tablespoons jalapeno seeded and diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drain the tuna, reserving 1 tablespoon of the oil.
- Add the tuna, tuna oil, avocado, celery, red onion, lime zest, lime juice, jalapeno and cilantro to a medium size bowl.
- Gently toss breaking up the tuna a bit, until the ingredients are well combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Emma says
I don’t eat tuna as a vegetarian but this salad looks really good–I want to try with something like jackfruit as a tuna sub 🙂 Also, can you tell me what bread that is? That toast looks amazing!!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Emma! I bet jackfruit would be a great substitute for the tuna. This sandwich is made with Schmidt Old Tyme Honey Wheat bread that has been toasted. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Andrew Moore says
This is a truly delicious and outstanding recipe, that I found on the Mountain Kitchen last year. This has now become a “weekend favourite” of mine; my family all love it too! Thanks for the wonderful recipe Debbie and greetings from Ireland!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Andrew! Greetings from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, USA! I’m so happy you love this recipe. I make it often also. Thank you for commenting. Your comment has made my day! 🙂
Tracy says
Soooo delicious! Creamy, tangy, smooth, crunchie, delicous! I only had the Tornnino filets in olive oil so I just added 2 tsp minced garlic (we love garlic!) and served the tuna salad on toasted hoagie rolls with butternut squash soup. Perfect for this fall weather we are having now. Found your sight and really appreciate the recipe. BTW, did you place in the contest? Hope so….
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Tracy! I didn’t place in the contest, but it was a lot of fun. Your version sounds delicious. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!