The Tuna Salad Upgrade That Will Change The Way You Make It Forever

Tuna salad continues to be a popular sandwich filling, and fans get creative in altering the base recipe in order to craft new and exciting sandwiches. If you're a tuna purist, avert thine eyes; we're about to dive into one of the best ways to punch up tuna salad with just one ingredient. It's a spicy little veggie that you may already love on your pizzas or in your salads: pepperoncini.

Pepperoncini on its own doesn't have a huge amount of heat, nor is it overwhelming in its flavor profile. It has a nice vinegared tang thanks to being pickled, and the heat is mild and pleasant (as long as you aren't totally adverse to spice, that is). It's easy to add to your tuna salad, too, since you don't really have to change any part of your favorite recipe. Just cut the top off a few pickled, whole pepperoncini; scoop out the seeds; dice the pepper, and mix it in. Chopping the pepper in relish-sized chunks gives some uniformity, but ring-shaped slices work just as well. You can even buy pepperoncini already in ring form if you want to skip the prep — and the end result will be just as delish. Add however many or little you feel, but err on the side of less, and taste as you go. After all, you can always add more if you decide you want a bigger kick.

Of course, if you're really feeling like kicking things up a notch, you can do more than adding chopped pepperoncini to your favorite tuna salad recipe. If you really want to going all in on the heat, you can even make your own cheesy jalapeño bread to bring out the spice in the filling. You can also whip together a bit of pepperoncini-infused mayo to add into the mix, or slather on your bread. This can be as easy as pouring a little of the pickled pepperoncini juice from the jar into your favorite mayo, and stirring it until it's well combined. (This also goes great on basically any other sandwich).

You can also add fish sauce to enhance the savory taste of tuna sandwiches; this savory and slightly sour condiment accents the pickled notes of the pepper brilliantly. And if you're tired of the same ol' sandwich, you can swap the tuna for a canned salmon salad, instead. Lucky for us, salmon goes just as well with pepperoncini — especially since it's a pretty rich fish with a distinct taste. The pepperoncini helps balance out the buttery sweetness of the fish with a bright, vinegar-forward flavor, and a bit of heat from the spice. Whatever canned fish you happen to have on hand, a jar of pickled pepperoncini offers a quick and easy way to shake up your boring tuna salad slump, and rocket you straight into something much more tasty.