This spicy Mexican tuna salad recipe is packed with flavor and made in no time with just a few simple ingredients. Serve it in a sandwich or with tortilla chips, avocado, and lettuce.
This spicy Mexican tuna salad recipe is packed with flavor and made in no time with just a few simple ingredients. Serve it in a sandwich or with tortilla chips, avocado, and lettuce.
The Mexican tuna salad is one of our family’s favorite quick lunches. It’s creamy, spicy, and perfect for stuffing into sandwiches or taking to work or school in a small container.
It’s also a super quick and easy recipe made with just a few pantry staples, like canned tuna, corn, and beans. The pickled jalapenos add spiciness, and the mayonnaise adds creaminess.
Check out more tuna recipes: Simple Tuna Fried Rice, One-Pot Tuna Mac and Cheese, Quick Tuna Pesto Pasta, and Creamy Tuna Carbonara.
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Recipe ingredients
Pantry ingredients:
- Tuna in water or oil. If you choose tuna in oil, you might need less mayonnaise.
- Corn and kidney beans. You can substitute the kidney beans with other beans you like; I think black beans are great for making Mexican tuna salad.
- Pickled jalapenos: Use them to taste. I used about 1 ½ tablespoons of finely chopped jalapenos, and the tuna salad was pleasantly spicy without being too hot. For more heat, add some cayenne, red pepper, or red chili flakes.
- Mayonnaise: It makes the salad nice and creamy. You can use homemade or store-bought mayonnaise. This Purple Cabbage Slaw also has a creamy mayo dressing.
Fresh ingredients:
- Onion: One small or half a medium white, yellow, or red onion.
- Celery adds crunch and freshness. You will need one long stalk or two smaller ones, about ½ cup celery when finely chopped.
- Green pepper: One small bell pepper. Green is great, but yellow or red bell pepper is also fine.
- Fresh cilantro is a must for me. However, I know that many people don’t like it. In this case, feel free to use parsley instead. The flavors will differ slightly, but the Mexican-style tuna salad will still be delicious.
- Lime juice to brighten up the flavors.
Other ingredients: Sugar to balance the flavors, fine sea salt or kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
Ingredients for serving:
- Avocado: One ripe and creamy avocado.
- Tortilla chips: Store-bought or homemade.
- Lettuce: We like the crunchy iceberg lettuce.
Additions or substitutions
- Replace the kidney beans with other beans like cannellini, black beans, pinto beans, etc.
- Add more vegetables like tomatoes or cucumbers (cut into small pieces), halved black olives, defrosted peas, or shredded cabbage. A chopped apple is also delicious.
- Add hard-boiled eggs or finely chopped cheese. Make this Egg Salad with Cottage Cheese next.
- Use lemon juice instead of lime juice.
- Substitute the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, sour cream, or softened cream cheese for a lighter version. The tuna salad will be slightly tangier but equally delicious.
How to make Mexican tuna salad?
- Drain the cans of tuna fish, corn, and beans and place all of them in a large bowl.
- Finely chop the onion, celery, bell pepper, jalapenos, and cilantro. Add them to the bowl containing the drained tuna and beans (1).
- Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine (2).
- Adjust the taste with more salt, pepper, and lime juice if necessary.
- Refrigerate the Mexican tuna salad for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to mingle.
- Stir, taste, and adjust the taste again if required.
- Serve with sliced avocado, chopped lettuce, and tortilla chips.
Expert Tips
Type of tuna: If you use tuna in oil, you might need less mayonnaise as the oily tuna is already slightly creamier and smoother in taste. Start with about ⅓ cup mayo and add more to taste.
Combine the tuna salad with the chopped iceberg lettuce and cubed avocado. Toss the avocado pieces with a bit of lime juice and only add them just before serving, as they turn brown quickly.
Recipe FAQs
Ensure that the canned ingredients are well drained. There will be a bit of liquid release in the bowl containing the leftovers. You can drain it or stir the salad well before serving it again.
Sure. For a lighter version, use Greek yogurt, sour cream, or softened cream cheese mixed with a bit of milk or jalapeno brine to make it slightly runnier.
Or mash the avocado, mix it with about 1 tablespoon of creamy yogurt and sour cream, and use it instead of mayo.
Or use your favorite salad dressing instead.
Refrigerate the Mexican tuna salad in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Stir it well before serving again.
It would be best if you did not freeze tuna salad.
How to serve tuna salad?
- As recommended above, with avocado, tortilla chips, and shredded lettuce leaves.
- Dip for vegetable sticks, crackers, or crispbread.
- Sandwiches: Make spicy and comforting tuna salad sandwiches using any fresh or toasted bread you like. Try our Soda Bread without Buttermilk.
- Make wraps with tuna salad, salad leaves, hot sauce, and crunchy veggies like cucumber or carrots.
- Try our Dill Pickle Egg Salad next; it's also great for sandwiches.
More Quick Mexican Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Spicy Mexican Tuna Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
Mexican tuna salad:
- 12 oz tuna in water 350 g, Note 1
- ½ cup corn from a can, 2 oz/ 50 g, Note 2
- ⅔ cup kidney beans from a can, 3 oz/ 85 g
- 1 small onion white or red, about 2 oz/50 g
- 2 small celery stalks ½ cup chopped/ 55 g
- 1 small green pepper 3.5 oz/ 100 g
- 1 ½ tablespoons pickled jalapenos Note 3
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1 lime about 2 ½ tablespoons of juice
- ½ cup mayonnaise 2 oz/ 55 g, Note 4
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- fine sea salt or Kosher salt
To serve:
- 1 avocado
- ½ iceberg lettuce
- tortilla chips
Instructions
Tuna salad:
- Drain the cans of tuna, corn, and beans. Place them all in a large bowl. 12 oz (350 g) tuna + ½ cup (50 g) corn + ⅔ cup (85 g) beans
- Finely chop the onion, celery, bell pepper, jalapenos, and cilantro. Add them to the bowl. 1 small onion + 2 celery stalks + 1 small bell pepper + 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
- Combine tuna salad: Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well to combine. ½ cup (55 g) mayonnaise + 2 ½ tablespoon lime sugar + 1 teaspoon sugar + salt and pepper to taste
- Adjust the taste with more salt, pepper, and lime juice if necessary.
- Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to mingle. Stir, taste, and adjust the taste again if required.
Serve:
- Serve with sliced avocado, chopped lettuce, and tortilla chips. 1 avocado + ½ iceberg lettuce + tortilla chips
Notes
- Tuna in oil is also great. In this case, you might need less mayonnaise. Start with about ⅓ cup and add a bit more to taste.
- Canned corn: Substitute with cooked corn from a cob.
- Jalapenos: For more heat, you can add more. And add some cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or chili flakes to taste.
- Substitute mayonnaise: For a lighter version, use Greek yogurt, sour cream, or softened cream cheese mixed with a bit of milk or jalapeno brine to make it slightly runnier.
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