Rice Free Lemon Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Bright, herby, and packed with bold Mediterranean flavors, this tuna salad is the kind of dish that feels like a vacation on a plate. Kalamata olives, capers, fresh cucumber, and a generous handful of parsley and mint give every bite a punchy, satisfying complexity that goes way beyond the standard mayo-heavy version. The dressing — a quick whisk of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, turmeric, and ginger — ties everything together with a warm, citrusy depth that's genuinely hard to stop eating. Because the whole thing is built around simple whole ingredients, there's no grain filler or starchy padding hiding anywhere in the bowl, making it a naturally clean fit for anyone avoiding rice without having to modify a thing. Keeping the tuna in large flakes rather than mashing it fine means you get real texture in every forkful, which makes this feel more like a composed salad than a sandwich spread. It comes together in one bowl with no cooking required, and it holds up well in the fridge if you want to prep it ahead for a quick, no-fuss meal.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 cans (5 oz each) tuna packed in water, drained
- 1 english cucumber, diced small
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced (green tops only)
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 tbsp fresh basil, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, turmeric, ginger, and salt until combined.
- 2
Add the drained tuna to a large mixing bowl and break it apart with a fork into large flakes — not a fine mash.
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