The Tangy Ingredient You Should Be Adding To Tuna Salad

Although cool, creamy, and comforting, tuna salad can sometimes veer into bland territory. According to George Motz of Hamburger America, it's easy to add a little zip — all it takes is some tangy rice wine vinegar. During the NYC Wine & Food Fest at the Seaport, he explained that you can add the rice wine vinegar directly to the tuna to give it "a little bit of vinegar kick."  

Motz didn't specify the type of rice vinegar he prefers, but seasoned rice vinegar works especially well with the ingredients in tuna salad. Unlike regular rice vinegar, the seasoned variety contains sugar and salt. This adds a delicious sweet-salty balance and prevents the dressing from tasting overly sharp. Try a teaspoon of vinegar for every tablespoon of mayo to start, and adjust the ratio according to personal preference. "Obviously, mayo is great, but it shouldn't be too much mayo," Motz warned. 

He uses extra-heavy Hellman's mayo for tuna salad, but home cooks probably won't be able to get their hands on the version chefs use. "The commercial grade one is much different than the one you buy in stores, unfortunately," he said. Instead, try Kewpie, which is an ideal mayo for tuna salad. Motz is a fan of the yolk-heavy condiment, and as an added bonus, Kewpie also already contains rice vinegar for extra tanginess. Adding a dash of rice vinegar and sugar is an easy way to make American mayo taste Japanese if you can't find Kewpie at the grocery store.

As well as using rice vinegar in tuna salad, George Motz likes to include diced sweet pickles. "Bread and butter pickles diced, basically, vinegar, and also just enough mayo to make it so it comes together as a salad," he said. Pickles give tuna salad much-needed crunch, as well as boost the tangy taste that's already present in the vinegar. You could also amp up the tang factor with tart-yet-sweet chopped cornichons, or add capers to tuna salad to really boost the umami flavor and add a subtle brininess.

If you're all about the texture, there are lots of ingredients that add crunch to tuna salad, and some work especially well with a tangy, vinegar-spiked version. Nuts such as chopped walnuts go beautifully, especially if you also like to include celery or apple — think tuna salad, Waldorf salad-style. Roasted or smoked almonds or toasted pine nuts also work well, and you can drive home the nuttiness even more with a drizzle of sesame oil.

A little heat can really take tuna salad from meh to magnificent, and the spiciness pairs perfectly with a creamy, tangy dressing. Try a dash of sriracha, some minced ginger, or even a remoulade sauce. Motz's remoulade includes horseradish, mustard, and Louisiana pepper sauce for a fiery kick alongside creamy mayo and tangy pickle juice — and although he uses it for burgers, it would go great with tuna salad, too.