You don’t have to choose between tuna and egg salad. Enjoy them together in this delicious tuna egg salad with celery, pickles and the bite of tarragon. Serve as a sandwich with your favorite bread or keep it low carb and use lettuce cups.
I have been an avid tuna lover all of my life, which is funny because I can’t get any of my kids to eat the stuff! When I was single and had cats instead of kids, I’d crack open my can of tuna and my kitties would run from all parts of the apartment to lick the scraps I left behind for them.
Over the years, my love for tuna hasn’t swayed at all and my basic recipe hasn’t altered either. With some meals, I like to rework and experiment, but for others, there is one combination I like and one only!
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Recipe highlights
- Fast: This is a great lunch to make when time is limited. You can make a large batch as it will keep in the fridge for several days. This is great if you like you to meal prep for the week!
- Healthier: I prefer to eat low carb during the week, so I use lettuce for wraps and cups. The addition of a hard boiled egg gives me an extra dose of protein.
- Flavor: I really love the addition of a hard boiled egg in my tuna salad. It adds great flavor and creaminess. The pickles add something sour, the celery crunch and tarragon gives it bite.
Ingredients you need
- Egg: You can use large or any size eggs.
- Tuna: I prefer light tuna packed in water. You can use tuna packed in oil. It all depends on personal preference and whether you are watching your calorie count.
- Celery: Celery is the classic crunch in tuna salad. You can also add cucumbers or red onions.
- Pickle: For a bit of sour, I use dill pickles and not sweet ones. You can also use green olives, including the pimento.
- Mayonnaise: Again, depending on personal preference and whether you are counting calories, you can use any mayonnaise. I personally like olive oil mayo.
- Fresh tarragon: If you don’t like tarragon, you can also use dill, chives or green onions.
- Baby lettuce: For lettuce cups, you can use bib lettuce, endive, radicchio or baby lettuce leaves. Or serve as a sandwich with your favorite bread.
Step-by-step directions
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- Boil your egg. Fill a small pot halfway with water and heat over high heat. Add egg and salt. Cover the pot and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let egg continue cooking in the hot water for 7 more minutes.
- Let the egg cool. When egg is done cooking, remove from heat and place in a small bowl filled with cold water and ice.
- Mix the tuna. While egg is cooking, drain tuna and place in a bowl. Shred with a fork and then mix in celery, pickle, mayonnaise and tarragon.
- Chop the egg. When egg is cooled, using a knife or an egg slicer chop and gently stir into the tuna mixture. Serve with lettuce leafs to make lettuce wraps or make a sandwich and serve on bread.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS
Now, let’s talk herbs. I’ve seen tuna salad with dill and parsley. Don’t be afraid of tarragon. It has a bold, slightly peppery flavor that really gives any dish kick.
Very little mayonnaise goes a long way in tuna salad. I don’t like a lot of mayonnaise, so I use less than many other recipes might use. You can always add more, so add it in bit by bit if you are picky.
You can serve this as a sandwich on bread or with lettuce cups. I also like to eat this with my favorite crackers or even tortilla chips!
If you want to try some more seafood salad recipes, try my Shrimp and Crab Louie Salad (Louis Salad) or my Avocado Crab Salad with Seville Oranges.
Storing Instructions
TO STORE: If all of your ingredients are fresh, this will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. So make a big batch if you like you to meal prep for the week!
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Tuna Egg Salad Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 oz can of tuna in water
- 1 celery stalk diced
- ¼ cup pickle diced
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon diced tarragon
- Lettuce cups from bib or red lettuce
Instructions
- Fill a small pot halfway with water and heat over high heat. Add egg and salt.
- Cover the pot and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let egg continue cooking in the hot water for 7 more minutes.
- When egg is done cooking, remove from heat and place in a small bowl filled with cold water and ice.
- While egg is cooking, drain tuna and place in a bowl. Shred with a fork and then mix in celery, pickle, mayonnaise and tarragon.
- When egg is cooled, using a knife or an egg slicer chop and gently stir into the tuna mixture.
- Serve with lettuce leafs to make lettuce wraps.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
My secret ingredient in almost any protein-based salad or sandwich is basil – it adds just that little something. I made my my secret lunch for dinner last night and it blew my husband away – he kept saying, wow, this is amazing, I’ll stay home for lunch more often! What did I make? An avocado and tomato open-faced sandwich drizzled in olive oil with a few shakes of sea salt and pepper. 🙂
I love this: together, of course! Have not used pickle nor tarragon, but shall try! My weakness is some form of onion with this – often chives or garlic chives 🙂 !
I like both tuna and egg salad, but I confess I’ve never mixed them. Sounds worth trying! Thanks for the idea.
hello, the only tuna salad ive ever eaten, has had egg.
but my egg salad only has eggs.
When’s lunch ?!
My mom always put a chopped hardboiled egg in her tuna mix. My kids think it’s gross but they will eat plain tuna (mayo, diced dill pickles). I like to add diced celery too.
I love both tuna salad & egg salad… separately AND together! I haven’t used tarragon, mainly because it’s hard to find here, at least in my area. My tuna salad is made special by adding some pesto… YUM! I always add onion & a spot off hot mustard to egg salad. I love your use of lettuce cups too! I have just started to quit sugar & stop eating most bread so lettuce cups are going to come in handy. A few weeks back when the weather was hot we had a wonderful dinner of rare roast beef wrapped in… Read more »