Wild Tuna Salad from The Gluten-Free Diner
Words can definitely describe my friend Diane at The WHOLE Gang, but you will need a whole lot of them! She keeps a modest demeanor on her blog, sharing wisdom, recipes, and tips. But there is a super-spunky, energetic, passionate spitfire lurking behind that content.
Now that I know Diane a bit better, her ebook, The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook, makes perfect sense. She is gluten-free, dairy-free, and an enthusiastic promoter of whole, natural, and organic foods. But, she also loves the flavors of comfort foods. The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook is a collection of recipes that truly looks like a snapshot of Diane’s kitchen, and I was honored to be invited inside.
Since my husband is allergic to eggs, my options are always a touch limited with gluten-free cookbooks. Nonetheless, I have the following marked to trial (just to give you an idea of the selection):
- 3 Grain Hot Cereal (a crockpot recipe!)
- Sesame Ginger Chicken Wings (definitely the way to Tony’s heart)
- Posole (I’m seriously curious on making this at home now that Chipotle’s deemed Posole worthy of their menu!)
- Buffalo Chicken Mini Burgers (love this idea!)
- Onion Rings (no explanation needed)
- Papusas (I actually had my first papusa with Diane (okay, similar to a papusa), so I was excited to see how easy they are to make!)
- Blueberry & Blackberry Crumble (this is going on my summer list – crisp or crumble, I’m an addict for crunchy toppings)
Our tastes are simple, but for those of you looking for more adventure, Diane doesn’t disappoint. There are approximately 50 recipes in the ebook, and other recipes include Roasted Chicken with Dates & Caperberries, Boeuf Bourguignon Burgers, and Polenta Fries.
For my initiation into The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook, I did try a simple recipe that turned out fabulous. With Diane’s permission, I’m sharing the recipe here, but with my own little adaptations. You will have to get the ebook to see her original version in all its glory.
Two Onion Tuna Fish Salad
Recipe adapted from the “Three Onion Wild Tuna Fish Salad” recipe in The Gluten-Free Diner Cookbook by Diane Eblin.
Diane’s version is actually a “Three Onion” salad, but I only had two types of onions on hand. To compensate, I also snuck in some carrot. The very fine grate of the carrot added color to the mixture and just a touch of sweetness … but easily slipped by my carrot-hating husband. I served scoops of this tuna salad atop romaine lettuce and garnished with sliced olives, no additional dresing required! But of course, it will also work well with other veggies, in a sandwich, or with crackers. This recipe is Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, optionally Soy-Free, and optionally Egg-Free.
- 1 6-Once Can of American Tuna Wild Albacore Tuna (I don’t think mine was wild, it was an Albacore Tuna packed in olive oil though, which we prefer as it isn’t mushy like tuna packed in water)
- 1 Medium Carrot, grated (that is the fine grate, not shredded)
- 2 Tablespoons Regular or Vegan Mayonnaise (Diane calls for organic mayo, but we have to go egg-free, so I use Vegenaise Grapeseed Oil)
- 2 Green Onions, sliced (can sub in chives)
- 2 to 3 Tablespoons Finely Diced White or Purple Onions
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Celery Seed (I ground them because I’d never used celery seed and was uncertain, but they are so tiny, you can probably just throw them in whole)
- 1/8 Teaspoon Black Pepper, or to taste
Directions (per Diane): Mix all ingredients together and let the party start!
Serves 2 for lunch or just 1 if you have a hearty appetite
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I submitted this post to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
22 thoughts on “Wild Tuna Salad from The Gluten-Free Diner”
Thank you Alisa for sharing my cookbook and the tuna salad recipe. I’m honored to be a part of your blog. I love the idea of adding in the carrots. I think this will be dinner tonight for sure. Thank you for the reminder.
Thank you again for sharing.
You certainly captured our friend Diane and her cooking style. My kids love her Buffalo Chicken Mini Burgers and they are on my menu plan this week. I love the whole gluten-free diner concept.
Have you ever used lemonaise mayo before? I think its egg free. Not sure though. Its delicious. Would be perfect in that tuna salad as well!
Hi Alisa – is your husband able to tolerate duck eggs? I ask because I did allergy testing last year and discovered I was really allergic to egg whites, which I had suspected, and had cut eggs out for almost two years before the testing. I did eat about a half dozen eggs in the weeks up to the testing, and my stomach really bothered me. Sure enough, I turned out to be allergic. However, my cholesterol is so low that my naturopath recommended I try duck eggs. I only use them in baking, but they do not seem to bother me like chicken eggs have and it has opened up a whole lot more gluten-free baking for me, particularly grain-free baking. I am lucky there is a vendor at my farmer’s market who sells ethically raised duck eggs in addition to chicken eggs for a far better price than Whole Foods sells duck eggs.
The sound of this salad makes my heart go pitter patter!
First – I need to try tuna in olive oil. I don’t think I have ever tried it b/c my mom always bought in water and I just assumed that’s the way to go!
I also REALLY love celery seeds. I use them whole and I also use celery salt often in place of regular salt, especially in salads. They’re great to add a burst of celery flavor in tuna, egg, and other salads and coleslaws.
What a lovely fresh tuna salad rendition! Must admit I”m very intrigued by the posole and papusas – those are two dishes that I’ve never seen in Australia, what with our dearth of good Mexican food!
Once I discovered tuna canned in olive oil, I never turned back. My hubs still likes the tuna canned water. I recently made it for him and took a taste and couldn’t believe the difference. It’s like night and day. Tuna canned in olive oil is the way to go. And I love the idea of adding carrots to sweeten it. Diane’s blog is the cat’s meow! I’m hoping to review her book as well – your review has inspired me to get moving on it!
Great idea to put the tuna salad in lettuce cups!
And I love how your recipes includes 2 different kinds of onions! I love onions!
I know it says 2 onion but they are a migraine trigger for me. Is there anything else I could use?
Thanks
Lindsay – thanks so much for the suggestion! That lemonaisse looks great, but unfortunately it has eggs.
Valerie – awesome idea! We will look into duck eggs and see if they are a go.
i should really get on the big-girl train of olive-oil packed tuna 🙂 for some reason it scares me!
Angela – What a bummer! Not a problem though; you can omit the onion, but may want to add a touch of dijon mustard to add a little bold punch.
Thanks. That sounds yummy. I’ll give it a try!!!
These recipes all sound fantastic even for those of us who AREN’T gluten free! And this salad. I have one hearty appetite. I think I could take this on.
Sounds like a terrific and healthy version of tuna salad, i love the celery seed addition here!
You know that looks amazing, right? Tuna is so great for it’s versatility and easy packing. 😉
I need to check out that book: Buffalo Chicken Mini Burgers and the blue and blackberry crumble just sound fantastic.
This looks great!! I will have to try it with the chunk light tuna. That has the lowest mercury. I started eating tuna again for the first time in like 2 years once i got pregnant. So weird, because it’s usually a food a pregnant person avoids. I’ve only had it about 4 times in the past 6 1/2 months…and it;s gotta be the chunk light, not albacore. Anyway….great recipe as always. And great pic 🙂
I ended up subbing radishes for onions and left out the carrots. It tasted pretty good.
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