Something Fishy in the White House - Obama's Tuna Salad Recipe

by Bruce Watson, Posted Jan 17th 2009 @ 10:00AM

Last September, in one of those press appearances that was intended to show that he was just a normal guy, Barack Obama appeared on 60 Minutes and made tuna fish salad for his daughters. Although the recipe that he used was exceedingly simple (tuna fish, gherkin pickles, mayo, and dijon mustard), it quickly became political. The Western Fishboat Owners Association used it as an opportunity to shill for troll-caught albacore. With that in mind, they offered the following recipe:

Presidential Tuna Salad Sandwiches
Makes 4 Sandwiches

2 six ounce cans of US troll-caught albacore
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
Salt and pepper to taste
8 slices of bread
Lettuce and tomato slices to serve

Mix all but the last two ingredients together and assemble sandwiches. Enjoy!

I fiddled with this recipe a little bit. Being a fan of crunchiness, I threw in a couple of stalks of chopped celery. Also, as sweet pickle relish is an open invitation to high fructose corn syrup, I switched it out for some finely chopped, homemade bread and butter pickles. I also used low-fat mayonnaise and tossed in a little powdered red pepper, just for fun.

Finally, as I am fairly cheap (and don't like to support trolls), I went with more mainstream tuna fish. After a brief taste test, I determined that my favorite was Bumble Bee Prime Fillet Solid White Albacore. Although it comes in a shiny gold can and has every appearance of being expensive, it actually cost a little bit less than standard albacore. My apologies to America's fishing trolls (or trolling fishermen; I really have a hard time differentiating between the two).

After all my adjustments, the only real distinguishing factor of this tuna salad was its small quantity of mayo and addition of lemon juice. Both of these proved fantastic, and I will definitely be using them in the future. If anybody comes across other examples of Obama cuisine, please send them my way!

Filed Under: Ingredient Spotlight, Ingredients, Celebrities
Tags: america, comfort food, fish, lunch, Obama, sandwiches, Troll Caught, TrollCaught, Tuna fish, Tuna salad, TunaFish, TunaSalad, Western Fishboat Owners Association, WesternFishboatOwnersAssociation

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-17-2009 @5:22PM kevin said... Dump the sweet pickles and replace with two tablespoons of capers. Add some grated, fresh Parmigiano Reggiano - a couple of tablespoons. Perfection.
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1-17-2009 @5:51PM brooke said... The trollers are the good guys (see http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=67) - trawling what damages the damages the ocean floor.

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1-17-2009 @10:11PM gastronerds said... There is a problem with the recipe. You can't find a 6oz can of tuna anymore.. all the tuna at my local stores are 5oz.
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1-17-2009 @10:14PM Gretchen said... There is one slight problem with the recipe. You can't find a 6oz can of tuna anymore... recently all my grocery stores started caring 5oz cans... Same price, naturally.
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1-18-2009 @10:03AM Scott said... I'm really curious to know how to make 5 sandwiches out of 8 slices of bread...
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1-18-2009 @10:07AM Bruce Watson said... Scott-

I HATE it when I make stupid mistakes like that. Thanks for the head's up!
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1-18-2009 @10:09AM Bruce Watson said... Oh, and Gretchen-

My local store carries Bumble Bee Prime Filet Solid White Albacore in 6 ounce cans. The other brands are in 5-ounce only.
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1-18-2009 @1:57PM Leslie said... Isn't tuna off limits these days due to mercury? Or are certain varieties safe? I like tuna but have been avoiding it lately.
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1-21-2009 @4:53PM naughtydogcafe said... I think it's albacore tuna that's okay because it's a smaller fish. The larger the fish, the longer it has to absorb toxic substances.

All these tuna recipes are making me crave a sandwich!
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1-22-2009 @9:13AM Gobo said... My two favorite tuna salad recipes are either curried tuna salad or Kenny Shopsin's tuna salad.

Curried Tuna:
Mix 1 can well-drained albacore, curry powder, mayo, and raisins. Let sit for about 15 minutes before eating.

Kenny Shopsin's tuna salad:
Drain a can of best-quality tuna. Flake between fingers until it's dry and fluffy. Add just enough mayo to hold it together. Don't add anything else.
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