"tuna salad" news and stories

Tuna salad's a lunchtime favorite, but the same old tuna routine can taste, well...canned. Here, some thoughts on how to add some variety to your tuna repertoire.

Why is it that we only grab canned tuna when it's sandwich time?

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!

Most of the images I feature in this daily post are pictures of food, without much in the way of a human presence. However, there's something appealing about this sandwich, coupled with the activity of the hands about to raise it for a bite, that made this photo irresistible to me. I can imagine myself fitting right into the scene and chowing down myself. Suddenly, I have a strange craving for tuna salad. Luckily, the recipe is over at Everybody LIkes Sandwiches, so I'll be able to indulge the craving soon.

Thanks to Jeannette, for adding this picture to the Slashfood Flickr pool!

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If there's one thing I learned from this list of best sandwiches from Boston magazine, it's this: I really have to get out more.

I've heard of all of these restaurants, but I haven't had any of the sandwiches. God, between this and my other recent admission, you'd think I didn't eat anything but pizza and candy. That's not a bad guess, but it's just that I haven't tried these establishments yet. But having a list like this makes you say "hey, I want to try that!", so it has accomplished one of its goals.

Deluca's on Newbury Street wins for Best Roast Beef; the Union Bar and Grille wins for Best Reuben; Darwin's wins the award for Best Egg Salad; the Flour Bakery + Cafe gets the nod for B.L.T.; the Appleton Bakery + Cafe gets Best Ham and Cheese; Best Meatloaf goes to Solas; Pemberton Farms wins for Best Traditional Turkey; and the Parish Cafe gets the award for Best Tuna Salad.

This is part one, by the way. In the next issue will be sandwiches they call "The New Classics." Which will probably be even more sandwiches I haven't tried yet.