The Simple Swap For Cookout-Inspired Tuna Salad

Tuna salad is one of those simple, no-frills dishes. After all, we invented the tuna salad sandwich way back in the 19th century because mixing leftover food scraps with mayonnaise was a cheap, simple way to fill one's belly. That said, while tuna salad is a creamy and hearty food made from a savory fish, it can still feel bland sometimes. Mankind is a resourceful bunch, so we've found lots of different ways to spice up tuna salad over the years; from upgrading tuna salad with pimento cheese to making Mediterranean tuna salad with olives and crunchy vegetables. However, you can do a lot with a simple mayonnaise swap.

Give your next summer cookout some energy by swapping the mayonnaise in tuna salad with barbecue sauce. It's as simple of a swap as it gets. All you have to do is mix the canned tuna with BBQ sauce and relish. Canned tuna has a fairly mild taste, depending on the brand, but BBQ sauce is usually intensely smoky and flavorful. With that in mind, this BBQ tuna salad will go down easier when combined with something to balance that out. For example, it'll help if you punch it up with BBQ-adjacent toppings like coleslaw.

What else can you add to this barbecue tuna salad? The coleslaw is a natural addition, but you can also go with fixings like chopped pickles or a bit of cheddar. Serve it with rolls or use it as the base for a sandwich (not unlike a tuna sloppy joe). Instead of store bought barbecue sauce, retain full culinary creativity by mixing the sauce up yourself.

If you do it right, this BBQ tuna salad will come out tasting like a briny pulled pork. Drying out the tuna first can also help give it a meatier texture. You could think of this as an affordable pork alternative with less fat and cholesterol in it. Is it fancy? No, it isn't. You're eating tuna salad; there's no dressing that'll add any Michelin stars to that lunch. However, it's a tangy twist on a familiar classic that's perfect for sunny days on the patio.