Following a strict healthy diet every day can be challenging. When you eat low-carb and keto dishes with occasional comfort foods, you never feel deprived. This Keto tuna salad is a classic, tried-and-tested recipe that is not only delicious but also beneficial for your health.
Understanding the Keto Diet
Many people hesitate to follow a keto diet because consuming more fats may seem unhealthy. However, the keto diet can be helpful in maintaining your health, as it includes heart-healthy fats. The idea of the keto diet revolves around substantially reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fats.
Ketosis is a metabolic state where your body becomes efficient at burning stored fat to produce energy. Ketones are an alternative fuel for your body, used when blood glucose levels are low. Besides the body, ketones are an excellent source of energy for the brain, which cannot directly run on fats.
The Standard Ketogenic Diet (SKD) is the most widely accepted and researched type, focusing on low carb (5%), moderate protein (20%), and high fat (75%) intake.
Why This Keto Tuna Salad Recipe Works
This keto tuna salad recipe offers a solution for those busy days when you're tempted to grab takeout. The twist with this recipe lies in the ingredients. Using tuna packed in water gives the dish a fresh and wholesome taste. Diced celery and red onions add a delightful crunch. Freshly squeezed lemon juice, parsley, and Dijon/stone ground mustard intensify the flavors. Homemade mayonnaise is a key ingredient that grants a creamy and dense taste to this low-carb tuna salad.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Key Ingredients for the Best Keto Tuna Salad
Quality tuna salad starts with quality tuna. Here’s a breakdown of the essential ingredients:
- Tuna: Opt for tuna packed in water for a fresher taste.
- Mayonnaise: Use homemade mayonnaise for a creamy and dense texture.
- Celery and Red Onions: Diced celery and red onions add a satisfying crunch.
- Lemon Juice, Parsley, and Mustard: Freshly squeezed lemon juice, parsley, and Dijon/stone ground mustard enhance the overall flavor profile.
- Fresh Herbs: Incorporating fresh herbs like mint, basil, cilantro, and flat-leaf parsley elevates the taste.
Herbs, Veggies, Acid, and More: Elevating the Flavor
The great thing about these herbs is how well they pair with the delicate flavor of the tuna meat. It’s a marriage made in heaven. Not all herbs are mandatory. Here are the fresh herbs in order of importance:
- Fresh Mint
- Basil
- Cilantro
- Flat-Leaf Parsley
If you’re missing an ingredient or two, don’t skip this easy keto lunch.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Tuna salad is easy to make and only requires a few minutes of chopping ingredients before mixing everything together.
- In a large bowl, break up the tuna with a fork.
- Incorporate diced celery and red onions.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, parsley, and Dijon/stone ground mustard.
- Add homemade mayonnaise which is a key ingredient that grants a really creamy and dense taste to this low carb tuna salad.
- Mix well using a fork.
- Chill the salad before serving for about an hour.
Serving Suggestions
Serve on a bed of lettuce, with celery sticks, roll in a low-carb wrap, or enjoy open-faced over grain-free bread to make a keto tuna melt.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Variations and Customizations
Customizable - It’s a flexible recipe-add or substitute ingredients to match your taste or what’s in your fridge.
- Add Bacon: For an extra layer of flavor.
- Spice It Up: Get creative with spices like paprika.
- Incorporate Vegetables: Chuck in your favorite ingredients, or follow a whole theme to make a well-rounded fancy keto tuna salad.
Low Carb Serving Options
Low carb tuna salad can be served a variety of different ways depending on how quick and easy you want serving to be.
- Pork Rinds - This gives a nice light crunch to a creamy meal.
- Keto Crackers
- Cucumber and Celery - These are the most refreshing.
Keto Tuna Melt Salad
Follow this keto tuna salad, but make sure to use tuna in olive oil or water. Then finely dice the pickle and some white onion. Press your tuna salad down flat into a bowl when finished and top with lots of cheddar cheese.
Other Keto-Friendly Recipes to Try
- Keto Egg Salad: The addition of avocado oil boosts the healthy fats.
- Chicken Salad Keto-style: Creamy salad using pre-cooked chicken with nuts for added texture.
- Low Carb Potato Salad: Tastes similar to traditional potato salad but uses cauliflower as the key ingredient.
Nutritional Benefits
Canned tuna is pretty much all protein with virtually no carbs. It’s also a good source of important nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality protein, selenium, and Vitamin D. Adding full-fat mayonnaise and avocado to this keto tuna salad recipe help increase the overall fat ratio.
Health Considerations
While tuna is a good source of protein and nutrients, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto
- Mercury Content: Canned tuna contains mercury, which can be problematic in high amounts.
- BPA in Cans: Tuna cans tend to contain high levels of BPA.
- Mayonnaise Ingredients: Check mayonnaise labels to avoid unhealthy oils like vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola oil, and soybean oil. Instead, search for mayo that’s made with olive oil or avocado oil.
Choosing the Right Mayonnaise
Technically, all mayos are okay on a keto diet because they have low carb macros. Examples of these oils would be vegetable oil, peanut oil, canola oil, and soybean oil. Instead search for mayo that’s made with olive oil or avocado oil.
- Primal Kitchen Duo Mayos- This pack gives you double the deliciousness with a regular mayo and a low carb pesto mayo.
- Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayo- Another high quality low carb mayo that is a little more affordable when compared to other options.
- Chosen Foods Mayo- The final high quality mayo choice out there. It has good quality ingredients that are sourced from quality avocados.
Perfect for Various Diets
- Keto-Friendly: This recipe is a good choice for those following a keto diet. This flavorful keto tuna salad is low in carbohydrates and rich in healthy fats, making it an excellent choice for those aiming to achieve and maintain a state of ketosis.
- Diabetic-Friendly: With minimal carbohydrates and a focus on whole, nutrient-dense ingredients, this recipe is a smart choice for individuals managing diabetes.
- Dairy-Free: This recipe is naturally dairy-free.
- Trim Healthy Mama: This low-carb tuna salad aligns with the THM plan as an S (Satisfying) recipe due to the healthy fats from the eggs and mayonnaise. The recipe is also sugar-free, which is a huge component of the THM plan.
Tips for the Best Tuna Salad
- Use Quality Ingredients: The better the ingredients, the better the salad.
- Chill Before Serving: Chilling the salad for at least an hour allows the flavors to meld together.
- Don’t Overmix: Gently stir the ingredients to avoid breaking them down too much.
- Check Pickles: Many pickles contain added sugar, so check the labels before purchasing.