Give Tuna Salad A Punch Of Sweetness With This Pantry Addition

Tuna salad, bless its chunky little heart, is a staple of both lunch and dinner time, delivering a hearty and often healthy meal regardless of how you serve it (as a sandwich, in a bowl, or spread on crackers). It's also — what's the nicest way to say this? — a little bland. We here at The Takeout have pursued many possible ways to zhuzh the humble tuna salad, from punching it up with pecans, pickle juice, or mustard and mayo to giving the salad Mediterranean flavor by adding sun-dried tomatoes or roasted chickpeas. For further inspiration, we spoke to Vivian Villa, founder of Unbutter, who suggested some sweet (and savory) mix-ins for your next tuna salad session.

According to Villa, you probably already have two of these additions in your pantry right now: dried fruit and nuts. Previously, we've recommended dried cranberries as the tart ingredient your tuna salad has been missing, but Villa encourages you to dig deeper on that front. For nuts, she thinks "candied pecans [or] any sweet nuts" would add a caramelized flourish to tuna salad; just make sure you crush them first. And for fruit, Villa offers dried apricots, figs, dates, or mango for a honeyed, jammy taste. She recommends you moisten them first by soaking them in hot water before introducing them to the tuna salad.

Let's say you've exhausted your supply of dried fruit and nuts and want to add a different sort of sweetness to your tuna salad or maybe you'd like a zap of spice in every bite. Villa has you covered on both fronts with an array of spices and pickled ingredients. For the former, Villa has the following spice blend recommendations: "Moroccan ras el hanout (for sweet, herby heat), Asian [spice blends like] garam masala, curry, Asian five-spice, Old Bay Seasoning, Sichuan pepper (for tingly heat), or chili crisp." 

Everyone knows that pickles are the jarred ingredient you need to give your tuna salad a little crunch as well as a hint of briny tartness, but if warmth sounds like a welcome addition to that flavor profile, Villa's advice is to seek out other pickled fruits or vegetables; especially those found in Asian cuisine. "Indian pickle varieties (mango/lime chutney) add complex sweet/savory/heat zing," she notes. You could also layer in the shaved pickled ginger used to accompany sushi for a milder kick. Best of all, you finally have something to do with all those leftover ginger packets from takeout sushi.