Italian Tuna Salad

Tuna salad on a white plate next to bread slices

5 from 3 votes

This easy and healthy tuna salad requires no mayonnaise! Albacoretuna and flavorful Mediterranean favorites like fresh arugula, cherry tomatoes,corn, mozzarella, and basil are dressed with olive oil and an optional splashof balsamic vinegar/glaze.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Main Dish, Salad

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 241kcal

Author: Susan Randall

Ingredients

4-6 cups arugula
2 tablespoon olive oil divided
1 tablespoon lemon juice juice of ½ lemon
⅛ teaspoon salt more to taste
1 cup cherry tomatoes halved (or grape tomatoes)
1 cup corn *
1 can (4 oz) Albacore tuna, packed in olive oil , drained and broken into chunks
2 oz mozzarella cut or torn into bite size pieces (I like Ciliegine (cherry size balls) cut in half)
3-4 fresh basil leaves chopped
2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze optional
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Add arugula to a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil (approx. 1 Tbsp) . Add salt and juice of ½ a lemon (approx. 1Tbsp- adjust to taste). Using your hands, lightly massage the arugula for a few seconds, making sure all leaves are evenly coated. Divide arugula onto serving plates/bowls.
Top arugula with tomatoes, corn, tuna, mozzarella and basil. Drizzle with remaining olive oil , balsamic vinegar/glaze and salt & pepper to taste

Notes

* What kind of corn can be used in this salad?

Canned- Fresh corn does not grow in abundance in Italy so most Italian Tuna salads served in Italy will use canned corn.

Fresh- Here in the USA we have plenty of fresh sweet corn and using fresh corn is a great compliment to the fresh tomatoes and basil used in this recipe. You can cut the kernels from the ear of corn and use raw if you like or you can boil, microwave, or grill the corn until cooked and cut the kernels from the cob. You'll probably need two medium size ears of fresh corn to equal 1 cup of corn.

Frozen- No fresh or canned corn? No worries, you can also use frozen corn just thaw it before using in the salad.

Nutrition