# Help me jazz up my tuna salad **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 8, 2008, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250 "2008-12-08T15:33:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/21 "2008-12-09T07:37:15Z")
Tuna, Bleu Cheese dressing, and maybe a little black pepper. Love it! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/22 "2008-12-09T07:44:51Z")
Balsamic vinegar, black pepper, garlic, and just enough mayo to make it spredable. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/23 "2008-12-09T15:55:21Z")
- Tuna - Wasabi Mayonnaise (I get mine from Trader Joe’s) - Dried cherries, chopped - Pecans, chopped - Finely shredded lettuce of your choice (baby spinach is good, too) - salt and pepper to taste (soy sauce is good for the salt here) Mmmmm! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/24 "2008-12-09T17:05:10Z")
Celery seed adds a certain something… ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/25 "2008-12-09T19:47:41Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > God, I miss banana peppers. Did they stop growing them? 😕 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/26 "2008-12-09T19:49:55Z")
How about some pomegranate added to a very plain tuna salad. Should give you a few sweet and crunchy bites. ---
**Author:** ![Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tool\_of\_the\_Conspiracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tool_of_the_Conspiracy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/27 "2008-12-09T20:49:19Z")
I like chopped black olives, garlic powder, and pepper flakes in mine. And of course, bacon salt goes with everything. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/28 "2008-12-09T21:26:34Z")
I love a good neeschwa salad. Phonetics are your friend if you know you’ll butcher the spelling anyway. Boiled spuds, tuna, capers, balsamic, black olives…mmm. (I usually just use some of the “juice” from the capers instead of the balsamic.) I throw some anchovies in there, myself! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/29 "2008-12-09T21:38:39Z")
Niçoise? ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/30 "2008-12-09T21:53:12Z")
Merci! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/31 "2008-12-09T21:55:32Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > Merci! De rien! ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/32 "2008-12-10T00:00:12Z")
I’ve never tried it, but here’s a muse. Hows about a Tuna Reuben? **DK’s Tuna Reuben** 1 Foil Pack of Tuna Favorite 1000 Island Dressing Rye Bread Can of drained and rinsed Sauerkraut Canned Pineapple Slices Swiss Cheese Mix and moisten the drained tuna with 1000 Island dressing, layer it on top of a buttered slice of rye, top with a pineapple ring, some sauerkraut, a bit more 1000 Island to moisten, and finally two slices of swiss, top with the other buttered piece of rye. Grill or Sautee in a pan to toast both sides and melt the cheese. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/33 "2008-12-10T00:37:11Z")
My favorite additives are chopped apple, walnuts or pecans, and chopped celery. If you’d like, you can add chopped hard-boiled egg, but that’s pushing it. Just mix the whole thing with enough mayo so it’s creamy, but not so much that it drips. I may have to make that for lunch tomorrow. Robin ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/34 "2008-12-10T00:48:09Z")
Another Chapel Hill recipe from a deli I worked at; (LHOD/Daniel might remember it) Tuna, drain and pour dill pickle juice, let it soak in, then mash with a fork, or better yet, squeeze and break it up with your hands Mayo lemon juice [Cavender’s Greek Seasoning](http://www.greekseasoning.com/) if you want to mimic that, do garlic powder, thyme, black pepper, heavy dried oregano…but Cavender’s is great to have as an all purpose seasoning diced onion diced celery pickle relish salt to taste The pickle juice was what really amped up the flavor, plus the texture by mashing it all to a scoopable pulp, good for deli use. Fun to make by the big ol’ buspan full! ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/35 "2008-12-10T00:48:34Z")
Sliced water chestnuts! Yummy yum! Also, dijon mustard. Although I’ve never done dijon AND water chestnuts. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/36 "2008-12-10T01:04:54Z")
> [@elelle](#): > > Another Chapel Hill recipe from a deli I worked at; (LHOD/Daniel might remember it) That sounds really good–but I can’t think of any delis I went to much back in the day (late eighties/early nineties). Which one was it? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/37 "2008-12-10T01:43:28Z")
Oh, yikes :smack:, Daniel…it was Sadlack’s, corner of Franklin and Henderson, next to what was the Gyro paradise of Hector’s. Great deli sandwiches, made in steamers, rare for the South, and staffed by a great bunch of musicians and other creative sorts… the employee roster reads as a local musician/ journalist Who’s Who. I was the Night Manager (cuz I’d show up on time) in the early eighties. ---
**Author:** ![Lily\_Milliner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8edcca/32.png) [@Lily\_Milliner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lily_Milliner)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/38 "2008-12-10T01:53:59Z")
Can you get Bell’s poultry seasoning where you are, or is that a local thing? 'Cause that’s really good in a standard tuna salad with mayo, celery, a little onion, and hard-boiled egg if you like it (I shred it rather than chop). What’s-her-name, the co-author of the Silver Palate cookbook who published another cookbook that wasn’t as successful–in that less-successful cookbook (was it New Basics, maybe?) there was a recipe for tuna salad with halved red grapes (similar idea to the green apple that many are advocating), hard-boiled egg, and a couple other ingredients that I’m forgetting, but maybe someone who has the cookbook will come along and help out… ETA, it’s Sheila Lukins’ The New Basics Cookbook, but I don’t have it to check the recipe. Sorry! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/39 "2008-12-10T02:11:08Z")
> [@elelle](#): > > Oh, yikes :smack:, Daniel…it was Sadlack’s, corner of Franklin and Henderson, next to what was the Gyro paradise of Hector’s. Great deli sandwiches, made in steamers, rare for the South, and staffed by a great bunch of musicians and other creative sorts… the employee roster reads as a local musician/ journalist Who’s Who. I was the Night Manager (cuz I’d show up on time) in the early eighties. Sadlacks, of course! I remember that. We mainly went to Hectors when we were down that way :). Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250/40 "2008-12-10T02:14:23Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > A good saxophone solo, maybe. I was about to make a different, more risque, joke about the subject line. Then I thought better of it and was going to be the better man for once. But then I thought of the most common additive to tuna salad. “Jazz” up your salad, indeed! You could always pan fry the mayo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-jazz-up-my-tuna-salad/476250.md?page=1)