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This fast tuna salad is tossed with avocado, cucumber, feta, purple onions, herbs and a zippy lemon-sumac dressing and served over brown rice. Simple to make in about half-hour and all the time SO scrumptious.
Excellent lunch (or dinner!) scenario, proper right here. ♡
This Mediterranean-inspired tuna salad comes collectively super-easily within the time it takes to cook dinner a batch of brown rice, and all the time in some way tastes like a lot greater than the sum of its components. It’s made with a easy mixture of canned tuna, creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber, crisp purple onions, a sprinkling of feta and herbs (I’m a fan of recent dill right here, however you’ve received choices). Then all the pieces is tossed in a zippy lemon-sumac-cumin dressing and served over brown rice. And whether or not you then serve the salad up heat — or pack it away within the fridge for lunch the subsequent day — each chew guarantees to be so flavorful and satisfying.
I like this recipe as a result of it’s a kind of salads that’s hearty with out feeling too heavy. It’s naturally gluten-free and can be dairy-free, if you happen to nix the cheese. It’s straightforward to meal prep prematurely. And it’s endlessly customizable in no matter methods chances are you’ll want. Be happy, for instance, to swap in one other fish or protein if tuna isn’t your factor (though I’ve to say it’s scrumptious right here). And whereas we love serving this salad over chewy brown rice right here in our house, you would simply swap in one other sort of rice, quinoa, farro, orzo, or another base which will sound good. See under for much more enjoyable add-ins that you just’re welcome to toss in too.
Let’s make some tuna avocado salad bowls!
Tuna Salad Elements
Earlier than we get to the total recipe under, listed here are just a few transient notes in regards to the substances you have to to make this tuna salad recipe:
- Tuna: I like to recommend a good-quality model of oil-packed canned tuna for this salad. (Water-packed canned tuna can even do, however will probably be much less flavorful.) If potential, please take into account buying a more sustainable brand of tuna too.
- Feta cheese: Tangy crumbled feta is combined into the tuna salad, however I additionally advocate including a bit further as a garnish simply earlier than serving.
- Avocado: Ripe avocado provides such beautiful creaminess and texture to this salad.
- Cucumber: Diced cucumber (I like to recommend both English or Persian cucumbers) provides freshness and crunch.
- Purple onion: Very thinly sliced (or diced) purple onions add a touch of sharp, candy taste. Be happy to briefly rinse the sliced onions in chilly water if you need to mellow out their taste.
- Chopped dill: I like including a handful of chopped recent dill to this salad. But when dill isn’t your factor, recent parsley, cilantro or chives could be scrumptious options too.
- Brown rice: I like cooking up a batch of brown rice to function the bottom for this salad, both on the stovetop (I like to recommend this method from Cookie + Kate) or within the On the spot Pot. See notice under about different rices or grains that you just’re welcome to make use of as an alternative of brown rice if you happen to want.
- Lemon-Sumac Dressing: Lastly, we are going to toss this salad in a zippy dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, floor cumin, floor sumac, high-quality sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. When you don’t have floor sumac in your pantry, this recipe will nonetheless be scrumptious with out it. However I extremely advocate choosing some up as a result of it provides such pleasant lemony, floral taste.
Recipe Variations
There are such a lot of scrumptious ways in which you’re welcome to customise this tuna salad recipe! For instance, be at liberty to…
- Use a special protein: Salmon, trout, mackerel, shrimp, or rooster would all be nice options to tuna on this salad.
- Use a special rice/grain/pasta: Some other number of rice (varied sorts of white rice or wild rice) would work nicely too, otherwise you’re welcome to make use of quinoa, farro, orzo, or one other base that you just want.
- Add greens: We additionally take pleasure in including in some recent arugula, spinach, or kale if we occur to have some readily available.
- Add nuts/seeds: A sprinkling of toasted pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, pepitas, sunflower seeds or different favourite nuts/seeds could be beautiful.
- Add sun-dried tomatoes: When you occur to have a jar of sun-dried tomatoes sitting in your pantry, they’d be a scrumptious addition to this salad.
- Add olives or capers: Olives or capers might add some scrumptious briny taste.
Extra Easy Salad Bowls
In search of extra easy salad recipes to strive? Listed below are just a few of our favorites:
Description
This straightforward tuna salad is tossed with avocado, cucumber, feta, purple onions, herbs and a zippy lemon-sumac dressing and served over rice. See notes above for potential ingredient add-ins or substitutes.
Tuna Avocado Rice Bowl Elements
- 1 1/2 cups raw brown rice
- 3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 (5-ounce) cans tuna packed in oil, drained
- 2 medium avocados, diced
- half of an English cucumber, diced
- half of a small purple onion, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped recent dill, loosely packed
Sumac Dressing Elements
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon every: high-quality sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper, floor cumin, floor sumac
- Prepare dinner the brown rice. Prepare dinner the brown rice nevertheless you favor, both on the stovetop, within the Instant Pot or in a rice cooker (per equipment directions).
- Make the dressing. Whisk all substances collectively in a bowl (or shake collectively in a sealed jar) till emulsified.
- Make the tuna salad. Add the feta, drained tuna, avocado, cucumber, purple onion and dill to a big mixing bowl. Drizzle evenly with the dressing, then toss gently till evenly mixed.
- Serve. Serve instantly over brown rice, garnished with further feta, dill, floor sumac and black pepper if desired.