The Staple Canned Veggie That Upgrades Any Tuna Salad

When making tuna salad, most people automatically stick to the basic ingredients, including onions, garlic, relish, celery, mayo, lemon, and, of course, tuna. However, tuna salad is actually a versatile dish. For instance, adding olive oil, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, and almonds can take your tuna salad to the Mediterranean. Incorporating chopped pepperoncini will give it a sumptuous tuna salad upgrade. Interestingly, there's one staple canned veggie you can add to elevate your tuna salad's taste and texture, and it's none other than canned peas.

While this may not be the first ingredient that comes to mind when you think of tuna salad, canned peas actually bring a delectable sweetness and creaminess to this dish that will balance out the salty and savory flavor of the tuna and other ingredients. Instead of overwhelming the signature taste of this salad, the peas will blend well with the mayonnaise or Greek yogurt-based dressings, as well as give a pop of color and contrast to the crunch of the other ingredients, depending on what you've already added.

There are many canned foods to avoid at all costs, but canned peas are not one of them. In fact, this pantry staple is actually a bit underrated when talking about various salad recipes that involve chicken and fish. That's likely because not everyone's aware of how much depth it adds to the mix without requiring extra prep work. In tuna salads, the natural sweetness of peas can offset the briny flavor of the fish, while their soft and creamy consistency offers a different texture in every bite.

To incorporate canned peas in your tuna salad, first drain the peas to remove the juice they're soaked in. Excess liquid can alter the flavor of your salad, so be sure your peas are dry before you add them. Gently fold them in toward the end of your tuna salad preparation so you don't end up crushing them. You may also just toss them in after you have chilled your salad, so the peas remain vibrant and firm. As for brands, always go for the one that places high on food site rankings, such as That's Smart! Sweet Peas, Hy-Vee Sweet Peas, Le Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas, or Del Monte's Very Young Small Sweet Peas. If you are on a budget, store-brand canned peas may also work just as well for this dish.