Tinned tuna is a cupboard staple that can be incredibly useful for a quick lunch, but it can sometimes taste a little bland straight from the tin. It is often eaten in sandwiches and wraps, as well as used in salads and on jacket potatoes. The trick to making it tastier is all in the ingredients you mix it with.
If you usually mix it with mayonnaise, there is another ingredient that cooks and nutritionists consistently recommend trying instead. It adds plenty of flavour, has a similar texture, and is much healthier than mayonnaise.
Greek yoghurt as a healthy swap
Greek yoghurt gives the tuna a creamy texture while adding a slight tang. Tinned tuna has a relatively mild flavour, meaning it works particularly well with ingredients that bring creaminess, acidity, saltiness and freshness.
One of the easiest ways to improve it is to swap mayonnaise for plain Greek yoghurt. Alex, a registered dietitian, often shares simple swaps on her website called Daisybeet, including this tuna recipe. Her 10-minute recipe is also packed with Dijon mustard, pickles and fresh dill to create a simple but much more flavourful tuna mixture.
Greek yoghurt tuna recipe
Ingredients: two cans of tinned tuna, one-third cup plain Greek yoghurt, one tablespoon of Dijon mustard, two dill pickles finely diced, one tablespoon of fresh dill finely chopped, and salt to taste.
Start by draining the tuna well. This is an important step because excess liquid can make the finished tuna salad watery rather than creamy. Add the drained tuna to a mixing bowl and break it up gently with a fork. Then, add the Greek yoghurt and stir it through the tuna.
Add the mustard to help add a sharp, savoury flavour that stops the tuna from tasting flat. Next, dice the pickles before also stirring them through. They add little bursts of salty, tangy flavour and a bit of crunch, which is particularly useful in this dish. Lastly, stir through the chopped dill and some salt if you fancy.
Ways to vary the tuna mixture
Once you have got the basic Greek yoghurt mixture right, there are plenty of easy ways to change it depending on what you have in the fridge. If you like a crunch with tuna, try adding some finely chopped cucumber, celery, red onion or spring onion.
If you like a bright, flavoursome dish, add a squeeze of lemon to brighten up the tuna mixture. The acidity works particularly well with the Greek yoghurt to balance it out. When it comes to herbs, dill is a natural match, but other herbs, such as parsley and chives, can all be used to give the mixture a different flavour. For anyone who likes a little heat, add some chilli flakes, hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
