Scrambled Eggs, Cheese, and Avocado Tortilla Bowl Recipe
September 16, 2025
Mediterranean tuna salad with creamy feta dressing Recipe
A tuna salad not like every other you’ve had earlier than! Tabbouleh vibes with a creamy feta dressing, loaded with brilliant Mediterranean favourites like lemon, olives, tomato, cucumber and pink radish. Eat in a bowl with a spoon. Or stuff into pita bread. SO GOOD!
What I actually love about this salad: Chopping every thing up so the salad has a spoon-able tabbouleh-like texture that acts like a mop for the creamy-lemony feta dressing. So that you get a little bit of every thing in each single mouthful!
That is a kind of recipes that was created with a selected purpose: to make a wholesome salad utilizing canned tuna that was really, correctly I need to eat that tasty, not simply meh, okay, I suppose I’ve to make do with the canned tuna kind meal, and even worse – but it surely’s wholesome, so I’ll undergo by way of one thing bland.
No. I can’t. I simply can’t sacrifice enjoyment of meals for the sake of low calorie consuming. Life is simply too quick to eat miserably, even for skinny denims!
However, actually tasty meals that additionally occur to be low carb, gluten-free, low calorie and economical are particular.
At this time’s Mediterranean Tuna Salad is one such recipe. I hope you adore it as a lot as I do!
Assume: a loaded tabbouleh. Besides with tuna, a creamy feta dressing, added bulk and dietary goodness from kale, plus olives, capsicum and pink radish.
Hmmm…studying that again, it actually doesn’t sound just like tabbouleh in any respect! However you get my drift. It has a tabbouleh like spoon-able texture. But it surely’s extra substantial so you possibly can have it as a meal.
THE CREAMy FETA DRESSING
This salad will get good flavour from the tuna tumbled all all through so the dressing itself doesn’t want a ton of elements. Additionally, the feta does a variety of heavy lifting right here!
-
Danish feta – That is the creamy kind of feta. The feel is midway between a crumbly Greek feta and smooth goats cheese. It crumbles however in a smeary means and it may be used to toss by way of salads but additionally simply purees right into a creamy dressing.
If utilizing Greek feta, the extra crumbly kind (ie your fingers don’t get smeary while you crumble it), the dressing will take somewhat extra blitzing effort to make it easy and a dollop of yogurt to assist make it creamy wouldn’t go astray both.
-
Lemon juice – Recent and tangy! The dressing is brilliant and tangy, harking back to tabbouleh however not as sharp (tabbouleh is normally simply lemon). The lemon tang offsets the creaminess of the feta.
-
Further virgin olive oil – The higher the standard, the higher the flavour!
-
Salt and pepper – For seasoning.
CANNED TUNA – CHOOSING
Not all tuna is created equal and never all tuna is sourced responsibly!
Use a tuna in olive oil for a tastier possibility, and select:
-
greatest – skipjack tuna pole and line caught
-
acceptable – FAD-free purse seine caught skipjack tuna (most typical at massive Australian grocery shops)
Don’t purchase bluefin and large eye tuna (endangered), or tuna that’s caught utilizing FADs with purse seine nets, gillnetting and longlining (excessive value to marine life). Go for skipjack tuna, and eat much less albacore and yellowfin tuna.
Examine the canned tuna label to find out tuna species and fishing technique. For really helpful manufacturers and extra info on selecting accountable canned tuna, learn this publish: Selecting sustainable canned tuna.
THE SALAD STUFF
OK! And lastly the leafy inexperienced and vegetable stuff that goes inside this tuna salad. Professional tip: Curly kale is straightforward to cut into little items as a result of it virtually “self crumbles” when you begin chopping!
-
Kale – I take advantage of curly kale on this salad as a result of it’s simpler to cut into little items due to the form of leaf which lends itself to “crumbling” as you chop (so long as it’s recent and perky not outdated and floppy). Nonetheless, tuscan kale (aka cavolo nero/black or lacinato kale) can be utilized in a pinch.
Different choices – child spinach, cabbage or different greens sturdy sufficient to finely chop.
-
Crimson radish – For perky freshness and wonderful little pops of pink! Substitute with pink onion or inexperienced onion.
-
Crimson capsicum – A medium or massive dimension one. Yellow would even be nice and add to the kaleidoscope of color right here!
-
Tomatoes – Not like many salads the place tomato is chopped into small items, we’re not deseeding it immediately. Scrape all of the watery seeds into the salad – it types a part of the “dressing”!
-
Kalamata olives – Complete pitted olives that we’ll lower into 4 items. I like doing that since you get these little juicy briny bits of olives littered all through the salad. Pre-sliced olives don’t have fairly the identical meaty little chew to it, although you possibly can completely use it for comfort.
-
Parsley – For herby freshness, and a nod to the tabbouleh-aspiration.
-
Cucumber – I take advantage of what we name Lebanese cucumbers right here, those which might be round 18cm / 7″ lengthy. In case you are utilizing the lengthy telegraph cucumbers (about 30cm / 12″ lengthy), you’ll want simply over half.
One of many extra technical recipes on this web site:
-
Blitz the dressing
-
Toss every thing collectively
(Forgive me, typically I’ve to search out methods to amuse myself throughout lengthy days working at house alone!😂)
1. MAKE Creamy feta dressing
I discover it best to make use of a stick blender for this dressing. There’s not sufficient quantity to make use of an everyday dimension meals processor although a small one would work. A blender is a little bit of a ache for small quantity creamy dressings, I discover. Too laborious to scrap all of it out.
-
Blitz the feta, lemon, oil, salt and pepper till easy.
-
Modify the thickness if wanted utilizing a teaspoon of water at a time. Aim: Thick drizzle-able consistency. ⚠️ Don’t make it too watery as a result of the juices from the greens will dilute the dressing when all of it will get tossed collectively.
2. TOSS SALAD
-
Toss in levels – Put the kale, capsicum, tomato (scrape in all of the juices too), cucumber, radish and olives. Pour over all of the dressing and toss properly. Crumble within the feta and toss once more – it’ll smear which is an effective factor!
-
Tuna chunks – Then add the tuna. Break it up gently into chunks as you gently toss it by way of. I personally like having chunks fairly than tiny crumbly bits of tuna which is why I add the tuna final.
And also you’re accomplished – time to eat!
It’s fairly properly documented within the decade of recipes contained on this web site that I’m an enormous fan of salads you possibly can eat with a spoon fairly than a knife and fork (proof right here and right here and right here). In some way simply makes salads appear extra satisfying as a meal, fairly than a bowl of wimpy leafy greens that has me reaching into the cookie jar half an hour after dinner. (I can actually *hear* my mom rolling her eyes as she reads this, telling me to develop up! 😂)
Anyway, all that was resulting in the ground-breaking instruction to serve this salad in a bowl and eat it with a spoon.
Or – stuff it into pita pockets for the very best tuna sandwich of your life. – Johnsat x
PS Mmmm, that may be a little bit of an excessively grandiose assertion! Let’s say it’s equal greatest with the basic Tuna Sandwich. I’ve a really large smooth spot for that one. And in addition see beneath the recipe card for some extra canned tuna recipe choices that I’m proud to say all proceed to obtain rave critiques, even from canned tuna skeptics! 😇
Ingredients
- 3 tightly packed cups finely chopped curly kale (~6 – 7 kale stems, yes really!) (Note 1)
- 2 tomatoes , chopped into 1 cm / 1/3″ squares (use the juices too!)
- 1 red capsicum / bell pepper , chopped into 8mm / 1/3″ squares
- 1 cucumber , cut lengthwise into 6 or 8 wedges, the chopped into 8mm/1/3″ pieces
- 1 cup roughly chopped parsley leaves
- 8 red radish , chopped into 8mm / 1/3″ squares (sub 1 small red onion or 2 green onion stems)
- 1/2 cup whole pitted kalamata olives , cut into quarters
- 50g/ 1.5 oz Danish feta (the creamy sort, not crumbly Greek feta) (Note 2)
- 425g/ 15 oz canned tuna in oil , drained (Note 3, choose responsibly)
- 100g/ 3.5 oz Danish feta (Note 2)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small garlic clove
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp water , if needed
- Pita bread pockets , warmed, cut in half
- Also see Dressing extra flavour options (Note 4)
Instructions
- Dressing – Put all the ingredients EXCEPT the water in a jug just large enough to fit the head of a stick blender. Blitz until smooth. Add water 1 tsp at a time until it's a thick drizzle-able consistency (don't dilute flavour too much). Then taste and add more salt if needed (feta saltiness varies by brand).
- Salad – Place all the salad ingredients EXCEPT the feta and tuna in a large bowl. Pour over the dressing, toss. Crumble feta in, toss (it will smear – we like!). Add the tuna and gently toss, trying to keep some chunks rather than it all crumbling into tiny pieces.
- Taste and add more lemon if desired (I enjoy this on the tart side – tuna can take it!).
- Serve in bowls with spoons for digging in! Tuck warm pita pockets on the side, or use the tuna salad to stuff inside the pita (it's sooooo good!).
Notes
1. Kale – Goal here is to chop it up like you would parsley for tabbouleh or garnishing! Curly kale is easier to chop because the shape of leaf lends itself to “crumbling” (as long as it’s fresh and perky, not old and floppy). However, tuscan kale (aka cavolo nero/black or lacinato kale – photo here) can be used in a pinch.
Finely chopped kale (watch video) – Grab the base of the kale stem and run your hand up the stem to strip the leaves off. Discard tough stem (or add to vegetable stock). Bundle the kale leaves tightly then finely chop like you would parsley leaves! I run my knife through to cut finely into strips, then I chop 90° the other way. Or – use your food processor 🙂 (Though the pieces will get a little smaller). To measure, pack tightly into cups. You really will need 5 large or 6 to 7 medium stems!
Substitute – baby spinach, cabbage or other greens sturdy enough to finely chop.
2. Danish feta – the creamy type, blends effortlessly into a creamy dressing. If using Greek feta, the dressing will take a little more blitzing effort to make it smooth and a dollop of yogurt to help make it creamy wouldn’t go astray either.
3. Tuna in oil is tastier than tuna in brine / spring water!
Sustainable choices – read the can label and opt for: skipjack tuna that is pole and line caught ie no nets (best) or FAD-free (next best). Avoid: Bluefin and bigeye tuna. Eat less: Yellowfin and albacore. See Choosing Sustainable Canned Tuna for my guide.
4. Extra flavouring options – This salad gets flavour and salt from tuna so the dressing doesn’t need wild flavours. If you want to use this dressing on a side salad, suggest adding one or all these options to give it a flavour boost (else you might find it a little plain):
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill1/8 – 1/4 tsp finely chopped garlic (use with caution, raw garlic flavour can be harsh)1/2 tsp dried oreganoExtra salt
Leftovers holds up well for 2 days because kale doesn’t turn into a soggy mess even once dressed. It does get a little watery though (from tomato and cucumber juices) so if you intend to make ahead or keep leftovers, I would add a little extra feta in the dressing and skip the water to make it thicker (like mayo consistency) to anticipate the dilution.
Nutrition per serving for 4 people.
Did You Make This Recipe?
How you went with my recipes? Tag me on Instagram at @PenciDesign.
