Italian Tuna Salad Recipe

Italian Tuna Salad loaded with fresh vegetables, garlic, parsley and olives, is not only delicious and nutritious it is also makes a nice light diet-friendly meal. This is a no mayo tuna salad, so perfect for those who are not a fan of mayonnaise in their tuna salad.

Italian Tuna Salad

When I was asked to create a sponsored recipe with Genova tuna, I immediately knew what I was going to make.  I had been planning to make an Italian Tuna Salad recipe for awhile, and their Yellowfin Tuna would be a perfect choice. In case you are not familiar, Italian Tuna has no mayo, rather it is dressed in oil and and lemon. The tuna salad also features plenty of Italian vegetables and seasoning.

Italian Tuna Salad: Origin

I was first introduced to Italian Tuna Salad many years ago while working at a small Italian owned diner in Providence, RI.  The area in general has a strong Italian culinary heritage, but this particular dish was new to me at the time.  I am monumentally fussy about tuna and it’s preparation, and while theirs was a little too fishy for my taste, I would eat it on occasion and it was hugely popular with the local clientele.  The owner of the restaurant retired a few years ago and it closed down.  While I never did get his Italian tuna recipe, I started making my own “fussy-girl” version recently.  I like mine better 😉

The tuna salad is packed with fresh chopped vegetables and olives, so it can easily stand on it’s own as a lunch and that is more often how I eat it. The Genova Yellowfin Tuna I use in my recipe has just the right amount of oil to dress the salad.  No mayonnaise is used.  The quality tuna and fresh ingredients are free to shine through without it’s encumbrance.

Italian tuna salad also makes a great sandwich.  Whether on crusty ciabatta…

… or nice sliced multi-grain bread.

The Genova Yellowfin Tuna was terrific in this no mayo tuna salad.  I will be trying their Albacore tuna soon as well… maybe in a tuna sauce.  A great thing about this quality wild-caught tuna is that it is readily available right at Walmart with very reasonable pricing.  The price vs. quality value for this tuna is very good in my opinion.  All in all, a great way to boost the Omega-3 oil and protein in your diet, without additives or preservatives.

Stop by the Genova website to see their other products, and of course check out their large collection of tuna recipes. 

5 from 3 votes

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Italian Tuna Salad Recipe

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

Olive oil and lemon juice serve as the dressing for this no mayo tuna salad which makes a great light lunch. especially since the Italian Tuna recipe has so many vegetables and olives already in it.

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4

Calories: 125 kcal

Author: Robin Gagnon

Ingredients

• 2 cans of Genova Yellowfin Tuna in Pure Olive Oil not drained
• 1-1 1/4 cups diced tomato drained
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 of a 6 oz. can of black olives, sliced
• 1/2 of a large sweet yellow pepper diced
• 1/4 cup red onion fine diced
• 1/4 cup green olives without pimento, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Open cans into a large mixing bowl and gently break up the tuna a little.
2. Add all the remaining ingredients. Do not mix until all are in thereto avoid breaking the tuna up too much.
3. Serve immediately as a salad plate or on a sandwich, or refrigerate for up to two days.

Nutrition Facts

Italian Tuna Salad Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 125 Calories from Fat 45

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 5g 8%

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Cholesterol 20mg 7%

Sodium 557mg 23%

Potassium 289mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 5g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 2g

Protein 14g 28%

Vitamin A 15.6%

Vitamin C 55.7%

Calcium 3.8%

Iron 9%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.