Mexican Tuna Salad
Craving a fresh, zesty twist on your tuna salad? This Mexican Tuna Salad recipe is a colorful, nutrient-packed meal that’s easy to make and perfect for meal prep. It combines lean protein, fresh veggies and a simple yet bold creamy dressing. You can enjoy it in lettuce wraps, on a sandwich, over rice or in a tortilla—whatever fits your mood!
Erica’s Notes
I love prepping a protein-based salad on Sunday to keep in the fridge throughout the busy work week to eat straight up, with chips, crackers or in a wrap! A healthy lunch that fills me up and powers me through the afternoon is always a win.
As a registered dietitian and generally hungry person, I really try to prioritize a great source of protein with all meals. Y’all know I love my avocado toast with cottage cheese and eggs for breakfast and dinner protein is pretty straightforward. But, lunch protein is my biggest struggle. I am usually so busy with either work or my little girls that if I don’t have something prepped I’ll be eating leftover sandwich crusts for lunch. 🙃🫠
That’s why I love a hearty, high-protein salad prepped in the fridge so I can rely on it for a few days for a quick lunch. This salad boasts 22 grams of protein per serving. I turn to tuna over and over because it is convenient, versatile and I always have it in my pantry BUT I don’t particularly care for traditional tuna salad. And here’s why…I loooathe the taste of plain mayo. But add a few flavor boosters? Make it an ‘aioli’? I’m down.
I combine a little mayo with pickled jalapeño juice, some spices and fresh lime juice and muah! It makes a creamy vinaigrette dressing that ties everything together. You might be slightly skeptical of tuna + beans + corn + veggies but just trust, this salad is so, so yummy. And, it’s wildly versatile so you can adjust per your preferences!
What You’ll Need to Make Mexican Tuna Salad
Tuna Salad Ingredients
Tuna: packed with lean protein, canned tuna fish makes this salad hearty and filling. I love the Wild Planet brand because it is sustainably caught and of fabulous quality. It has large chunk pieces and doesn’t end up mushy like other tuna varieties. Look for it in the canned seafood aisle at the grocery store, or I like buying it at Costco for the best price.
Black beans: black beans add fiber and a subtle earthy flavor. I love the ease and convenience of canned beans which you can find in the beans/legumes aisle.
Corn salsa: corn salsa is a dip made with sweet corn, peppers, herbs and is usually a little sweet and very mildly spicy. I LOVE the tangy sweetness it adds to this Mexican tuna salad. I love the corn salsa from Trader Joe’s but if you don’t have TJ’s or can’t find it at your local grocery store you can use fresh corn, frozen corn or canned corn.
Grape tomatoes: or cherry tomatoes, or chopped large tomato. Fresh tomatoes add a pop of flavor and nutrition and hold up well in a meal prep-style salad.
Persian Cucumber: known for their thin skin and mild taste, Persian cucumbers add refreshing crunch. I like that the seeds are very subtle and don’t water down the leftovers. They’re in the produce aisle near other cucumbers.
Bell Pepper: sweet bell pepper adds sweet, crisp flavor and vibrant color. I recommend yellow, orange or red bell pepper (aka sweet peppers) vs green or purple bell peppers which are more bitter.
Red onion: ya can’t have tuna without red onion! Red onion provides a sharp, pungent bite to balance the other ingredients.
Pickled jalapeños: I love the hot and sweet pickled jalapeños from Trader Joe’s. If you can find them, the slightly sweetened variety is so good.
Fresh herbs: green onions and fresh cilantro add so much flavor, don’t skip ‘em!
Dressing Ingredients
Pickled jalapeño juice: juice from pickled jalapeños adds tangy heat to the dressing.
Lime juice: use fresh limes or 100% lime juice not from concentrate.
Mayonnaise: mayo adds creaminess and richness to the dressing. I like to use avocado oil mayo or the slightly lower fat light mayo with olive oil.
Spices: the spices are pantry staples and I bet you already have them on hand! Ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, kosher or sea salt and black pepper amp up the flavor in the dressing.
How to Make Mexican Tuna Salad
This tuna salad comes together in just a few steps:
Make the Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the pickled jalapeño juice, lime juice, mayo, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper until smooth.
Prepare the Salad: Drain the tuna and remove as much moisture as possible. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained tuna, black beans, corn salsa, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, pickled jalapeños, green onions, and cilantro.
Combine: Pour the dressing over the tuna mixture and toss until everything is well-coated.
Serve: Enjoy this salad in lettuce cups, over a bed of rice, in a wrap, or as a sandwich filling.
Variation Ideas
- To make the dressing higher in protein and even thicker/creamer, add a little plain Greek yogurt.
- For more heat, add extra pickled jalapeños, a pinch of cayenne pepper, hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
- For a crunchy element toss in pepitas or serve with tortilla chips.
- I didn’t include avocado in my official recipe because it doesn’t hold up as well for meal prep BUT you should absolutely add cubed avocado right before serving for an extra dose of healthy fats.
- Add in any veggies you love! Diced jicama, radishes, carrots, sweet onion or celery are other ideas.
- As a shortcut, you could add a tablespoon of taco seasoning to the dressing instead of the individual spices.
FAQs
Yes! The flavors actually develop more as it sits, so it’s perfect for meal prep.
Store leftover tuna salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Enjoy it in lettuce cups, over rice, on a sandwich, or in a tortilla. You could also serve it with tortilla chips as a dip!
Omit the minced jalapeños from the salad and use apple cider vinegar in the dressing instead of jalapeño juice.
While I’ve never specifically tried this my hypothesis is that it would be delicious!
These specific sweet heat jalapeños are from Trader Joe’s, I love the subtle layer of sweetness!
This corn salsa is from Trader Joe’s. It’s important to note the difference between corn salsa and salsa with corn in it. Corn salsa, also called corn relish, is tomato-less and almost entirely corn with a few seasonings/lime/sugar. Don’t use regular salsa here, it’ll make your salad too watery!
If you love this Mexican-inspired tuna salad, you’ll love these other meal prep ideas:
Dense bean salad with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
Crunchy cabbage and chicken salad with roasted peanut dressing
Lunch perfection 🤤
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Mexican Tuna Salad Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: N/A
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Meal Prep
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Vibrant and full of punchy flavors, this Mexican tuna salad is easy, quick and perfect for a light meal, meal prep lunch or high-protein snack!
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 5oz cans tuna, drained
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup corn salsa
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 small Persian cucumber, diced small
- 1 bell pepper, diced small
- 1/4 red onion, minced
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, minced
- 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
Dressing
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño juice
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients.
- Drain the tuna, removing as much moisture as possible. In a large bowl toss together the tuna, black beans, corn salsa, tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeños, green onions and cilantro.
- Pour on the dressing and toss until combined. Serve in lettuce cups, over rice, on sandwiches or in a wrap.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days.
Notes
Refer to above blog post for ingredient information, variation ideas and answers to frequently asked questions.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 recipe
- Calories: 259
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 815.6 mg
- Fat: 10.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.6 g
- Fiber: 6.3 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 36.1 mg
This is a delicious recipe! Very easy to put together . I had bought salsa with corn in it , luckily I read all the helpful hints from Erica .I ended up going to get the corn salsa from Trader Joes and I am glad I did! I loved the dressing.I will be looking forward to lunch all week !
Thank you for this helpful review AnneMarie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! The corn salsa is bomb🤤
This recipe is amazing! I followed it exactly except I left out the tomatoes. Truly delicious!! One day I had it over lettuce, the next day I ate it like a dip with some whole grain crackers…chef’s kiss! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
yaaasss love this! So versatile and so good. Thanks Samantha!
Did this recipe for meal prep for a camping trip — it got better and better each day! We ate it over 2-3 days (I doubled the recipe) and the flavors just blended together so well. This was a true winner, not just for camping but anytime. And such a great variation of tuna salad.
This is so tasty! It really is delicious in a variety of ways. I didn’t have the corn salsa and it’s still delish, so I’m sure it’s even better with that. Perfect protein powdered lunch at work.
Delicious and nutritious way to use tuna.