Quick Summary: A fresh Mexican tuna salad with tuna, serrano peppers, lime juice, tomatoes, cucumber, and cilantro. Creamy from the mayonnaise but bright from the citrus and heat. Traditionally served with saltines. Slow carb friendly when you skip the corn and crackers. Prep: 15 min | Serves: 8
Jump to: RECIPE | Key Ingredients | Is it Low Carb? | How to Make It? | FAQ
This easy recipe is perfect for lunch or a light dinner when you want something quick, inexpensive and nutritious (and it’s great in any season).
Ensalada de Atun is a common occurrence on the Mexican table, but the purists tell you it must be eaten with saltines (and I tend to agree)!
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What Makes This Tuna Salad Mexican?
Ensalada de atúnis is a classic dish across Mexico and usually involves canned tuna tossed with something creamy (like mayonnaise), crisp lettuce, something spicy, and some fresh lime juice. Vegetables are also typical, but the exact type of vegetable varies.
The fresh lime juice and the spicy peppers are must-have ingredients, however, and the Mexican version is most often served with saltines.
While pickled jalapeños are common as the spicy ingredient, mi amiga from the Bajío region of Mexico provivded the recipe below, and she insisted on fresh serrano peppers.
A French version of a tuna salad is the French Nicoise Salad (Salade Niçoise). It also includes tuna and vegetables, but it does not typically mix everything with a creamy dressing. In addition, the French version almost always includes green beans and hard-boiled eggs.
The classic American version of a tuna salad, to me, is canned tuna with mayonnaise and pickles. My mom would often add celery for the crunch and sometimes she would add some chopped hard-boiled eggs. Never lime juice or spice, however! Those are reserved for the Ensalada de Atun.
Traditional Ingredients for Ensalada de Atún
Every Mexican household adds their own touch of course, but the recipe below is from my friend from the Bajío region of Mexico. She was very specific (and adamant) on the ingredients that were needed.
The quantities of each ingredient in her ensalada were not standardized, however. Many Mexican recipes I’ve seen include pickled jalapenos, but she made quite a face when I recommended this. The spice in her recipe comes from fresh serranos.
Other ingredients might include:
- Fresh tomatoes
- Fresh serrano peppers
- Canned corn
- Fresh cucumbers
- Mayonnaise
- Purple onions
- Fresh limes
- Cilantro
- Romaine or crisp lettuce
- Served with saltines
Is This Recipe Slow Carb?
There are two ingredients in this recipe that are not compliant with a low-carb diet: the corn and the saltines. It is a simple matter to leave the corn out of the salad and skip the saltines.
Some Mexican cooks will consider it blasphemy, however, to not serve this salad with the classic saltines, but if you are strict on your slow-carb lifestyle, crackers are not allowed. I would add some celery to the salad to give it a little more crunch.
If you want to delve into the world of Mexican cuisine, you’ll want to take a look at this checklist for stocking a Mexican pantry.
How to Make Mexican Tuna Salad
The full instructions are in the recipe card below. In short:
- Chop tomatoes, serrano peppers, red onion, cucumbers, and romaine lettuce.
- Combine drained tuna, corn (optional), and mayonnaise in a large bowl.
- Add the chopped vegetables and cilantro, mix thoroughly, and season with salt.
- Serve with lime wedges and saltines.
FAQ
The salad is slow carb compliant if you omit the corn and skip the saltines. Add celery for extra crunch. The tuna, vegetables, and mayonnaise are all compliant.
Mexican tuna salad includes fresh lime juice, serrano peppers, and cilantro, which American versions typically don’t have. It’s also traditionally served with saltines rather than bread.
You can, though my friend from Bajío would disapprove. Fresh serranos have a brighter, cleaner heat. Pickled jalapeños add tanginess but a different flavor profile.
With 8 serrano peppers, it has noticeable heat. Reduce the serranos or remove the seeds for a milder version.
Refrigerated in an airtight container, it keeps about 3 days. The lettuce may get soggy, so add fresh lettuce when serving leftovers.
Water-packed canned tuna works well and keeps calories lower. Oil-packed tuna is richer but adds fat.
Mexican Tuna Salad
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 roma tomatoes (or meaty slicer tomatoes) coarsely chopped
- 8 serrano peppers chopped
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- 2 large cucumbers coarsely chopped
- 1 head romaine lettuce coarsely chopped
- 28 ounces canned tuna (water packed) drained
- 14 ounces canned corn delete if low carb
- 1 cup mayonnaise may need to add more at the end
- 1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- 3 limes cut into wedges for individual use
- 1-3 teaspoons salt to your own taste
Instructions
- Chop all the vegetables that are fresh and set aside.4 roma tomatoes (or meaty slicer tomatoes), 1 red onion, 2 large cucumbers, 1 head romaine lettuce, 8 serrano peppers
- In a large bowl, add the tuna, the corn, and the mayonnaise. Gently mix all together until combined.14 ounces canned corn, 1 cup mayonnaise, 28 ounces canned tuna (water packed)
- Add the reserved tomatoes, peppers, onion, cucumbers and lettuce, mixing each one in as you go. Add salt and cilantro to taste and stir in. All ingredients should be thoroughly mixed together by now.1 bunch cilantro, 1-3 teaspoons salt
- Serve with lime wedges and saltine crackers (optional).3 limes
Video
I made this for my family and they absolutely loved it! We are on a low carb diet so we did replace the corn with celery and ate with corn chips. Delicious!!
Love the substitution of corn with celery. Adds a nice crunch to the tuna. Thanks for letting me know.