Protein-Packed Tuna Salad Sandwich Recipe for a Quick Lunch

Would you believe that I’ve wanted to make a Tuna Sandwich for years? Honestly, although canned tuna is so cheap, protein-packed, and versatile, canned tuna has been a pesky protein for me for years simply because I’ve been really averse to using it! Let’s be honest here - it’s not very pleasing on the eyes when you open the can up… and it sure has a VERY distinct smell! Draining it is most definitely not something I jump out of bed to do.

However, like the process of many recipes, for instance, peeling and deveining shrimp for some incredible Shrimp Scampi or to make Shrimp Tempura, the gross moments in the preparation certainly are worth the end results! If you also consider canned tuna a pesky protein because you feel “ick” about what’s on the inside of the can, then I certainly encourage you try out this Open-Faced Tuna Sandwich as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge! Not only will you get more comfortable with using canned tuna, but you’ll have a delicious and super easy sandwich as a result of conquering that obstacle! Get started on your cooking journey for free today by signing up to my email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be sent directly to your inbox!

To see how these healthy and extremely delicious Tuna Salad Sandwiches come together in a matter of minutes, be sure to watch the video! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’re not already, and don’t forget to press the bell button to be notified when all of my latest video recipes are live! Let’s get started!

Tools Needed to Make Canned Tuna Sandwich

• Mixing bowl
• Sieve
• Bread knife
• Chef’s knife
• Fish spatula
• Cutting board
• Non-stick pan

Ingredients for the Best Tuna Sandwich

All ingredients with their quantities can be found by scrolling to the bottom of this post or by pressing the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card, plus you can save the recipe for later. You can also scale the recipe based on how many sandwiches you’re looking to make so that you have the right amount of tuna salad filling - no ratio calculations required for you!

• Tuna: I used canned flaked light tuna. If you’re using solid tuna, you’ll need to flake it after draining it.
• Dijon mustard: Any type of Dijon mustard will work here, but I’m using a jalapeño dijon mustard since that’s the only one I had on hand! As I mention in my free motivational guide to explore your potential in the kitchen, Make Cooking Fun!, if there’s a suitable substitute that you’ve already got on hand, no need to get something else! The jalapeño flavor of this mustard definitely contributed to the flavor of my tuna salad, but no worries if you’ve got regular dijon mustard! If you want some extra kick, you could always add in whole jalapeños.
• Dill pickles: You can use whatever type of dill pickles you like, but I’m sticking with plain baby dill pickles here!
• Japanese mayo: If you don’t have Japanese mayo, you can certainly use some regular mayonnaise. The Kewpie variety is amazing to add creaminess to this sandwich that regular mayonnaise just won’t give.
• Celery: If you really want to cut down on the prep time of this sandwich - or if you’re someone who doesn’t even like celery! - you can even substitute the whole celery with celery salt! You’ll get the same flavor with just a bit without that crunch and potential “overbearing” taste of raw celery.
• Chives
• Green onions
• Sourdough bread

How to Make This Open-faced Tuna Salad Sandwich Recipe

Drain any excess water from the cans of tuna and transfer the tuna to a large bowl. Add the chopped green onions, chives and celery (use celery salt instead if short on time).

Add mayonnaise, mustard and mix well to combine.

Add chopped dill pickles and some of the pickling juice.

Mix and then taste to adjust the ingredients as per your preferences.

Toast the bread if you prefer and then spread the tuna salad from earlier to the slices of bread.

Add as much or as little as you like.

Tuna sandwich is ready to enjoy!

Variations

• No mayo: If you don’t want to use mayo of any kind, you can make the recipe lighter by using sour cream, cottage cheese, or even Greek yogurt.
• Heat: Add a touch of sriracha sauce to your tuna salad mixture to bump up the heat!
• Fish: Feel free to swap out the canned tuna for canned salmon to experience the same sandwich but with a completely different flavor profile from the salmon!
• Chicken: Fancy some poultry? I’ve never actually used canned chicken before, but I’m sure this mixture will be amazing with chicken in place of tuna!
• Herbs: You can experiment with dill, basil, or parsley for slightly different flavor profiles.
• Add-ins: Lettuce, tomato slices, onion slices, avocado.
• Bread: The bread you use can have an impact on the overall experience of your sandwich! Feel free to experiment with white sandwich bread, Belgian bread, or even Ciabatta and discover your favorite with this tuna salad mix!

Tips to Make the Most Delicious Tuna Sandwiches

• While regular mayonnaise will work well to make these sandwiches, to get a creamier and richer texture, use the Japanese (kewpie) mayonnaise instead.
• Tuna sandwiches are great on toasted or un-toasted bread, however, not all breads are created equal. I’d pair a regular sandwich bread with the tuna for an un-toasted sandwich while for a toasted sandwich, use something crusty like a sourdough.
• Make sure you have drained most of the moisture from the canned tuna to ensure the sandwich does not become soggy.
• The best type of canned tuna for this recipe would be a meaty albacore variety.
• This tuna sandwich can be used to make the most amazing tuna melts by grilling the sandwich with cheese, bacon, avocado and cucumbers for example. Go crazy and make these sandwiches your own.

How to Store Tuna Sandwiches

The Tuna Salad Filling

Store any extra Tuna Salad filling in an airtight container in the fridge. Due to the tuna, fresh herbs, and mayo in this mixture, I would not keep it in the fridge for longer than 3 to 4 days. The longer you keep the tuna salad filling in the fridge, the more likely it is to become soggy.

The Tuna Sandwiches

You can store assembled tuna sandwiches in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days. To best preserve them, I recommend you tightly wrap them in plastic wrap. Then, place those wrapped sandwiches in an airtight container. You can reheat them gently over a non-stick pan, or enjoy them cold!

Other Quick and Easy Sandwich Recipes

• Aloo Keema Sandwich
• Authentic Croque Monsieur & Croque Madame
• Open-Faced BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
• Spicy Bacon Grilled Cheese
• Better Chicken Salad Sandwich