This is a variation of our simple tuna salad base recipe. We give traditional tuna salad a Mediterranean twist by adding olives, tomatoes, feta cheese, lemon, and parsley. If you are looking to incorporate more fish into your diet, this simple recipe is great to include in your weekly meal plan. Pack this Mediterranean tuna salad in your lunch for work or a light dinner at home!
Three Must-Know Cooking Skills
For recipe success, learn how to:
Learn how to slice and dice like a pro in our knife skills 101 course!
Culinary Tips for the Best Tuna Salad Recipe
Make the tuna salad dressing first to ensure the spices, herbs, minced garlic, and onion are evenly distributed before adding the tuna.
Check to see if you need to drain the tuna. Some tuna pouches don’t require draining, but the cans can have quite a bit of water.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Plain Greek Yogurt: substitute plain yogurt. Choose a fat content that fits within your overall diet.
- Mayonnaise: substitute up to ½ of the mayonnaise with more Greek yogurt. Keep in mind that the fat in the mayonnaise helps improve the texture of the sauce. Look for mayonnaise made with avocado, canola, or olive oil.
- Basil: substitute Italian parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, or oregano.
- Red Onion: substitute a yellow or white onion, shallot, green onion, or ¼ teaspoon onion powder.
- Lemon Juice: fresh is best, but you can substitute the bottled kind.
- Garlic: substitute ½ teaspoon pre-minced garlic, ½ teaspoon garlic flakes, ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic, or ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Canned Tuna: select wild caught albacore or light tuna in water. Choose low-sodium (≤140 mg) cans if possible.
- Tomatoes: use any variety – beefsteak, roma, cherry, etc. Substitute red bell pepper or cucumber for a different Mediterranean twist!
- Black Olives: use Kalamata or regular black olives. You can also substitute green olives for a different flavor. Not an olive fan? Leave them out!
- Feta Cheese: substitute shredded mozzarella or parmesan cheese.
Recipe Variations
Feel free to change up the mix-ins! There are lots more Mediterranean herbs and vegetables that you could add!
Or if you are like us and think that avocado makes everything taste better, create a Mediterranean tuna salad with avocado!
Want more tuna salad recipe inspiration?
Use our tuna salad base recipe as a guide, then have fun exploring other flavors, ingredients, and textures!
Equipment Recommendations
Use these kitchen tools for recipe success:
Find all of our favorite kitchen tools here!
Is this Mediterranean tuna salad recipe healthy?
Yes! Tuna is healthy on its own. It’s what is added to typical tuna salads that can make them less healthy. We cut back on the mayonnaise and replaced it with gut-friendly Greek yogurt. By adding fresh herbs
, tomatoes, black olives, we make this Mediterranean tuna fish recipe more plant-forward and even more delicious!
Tuna
Tuna is a quality source of protein that is rich in vitamins and minerals. Fatty fish, like tuna, is high in EPA and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, which is good for heart and brain health.
Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a great source of B vitamins, calcium, and probiotics. It is also higher in protein than regular yogurt. Select a fat content that works with your overall diet. If you tend to consume a lot of foods high in saturated fat, a low-fat or fat-free variety is your best choice. If you limit saturated fat in your diet, full-fat varieties are okay.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C and lycopene. Lycopene is a phytonutrient that helps protect against heart disease and prostate cancer.
Black Olives
Black olives are rich in anti-inflammatory antioxidants and phytonutrients that help protect against heart disease and certain types of cancer. The healthy fats in olives also help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. Olives are also a good source of fiber, and provide the gut microbiome with beneficial prebiotics, protecting our health.
Learn more about the health benefits of different foods and ingredients in our book, To Your Taste!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Mediterranean diet tuna salad with whole grain crackers or pita chips and a side of fruit and celery sticks to build a beautiful Whole Life Plate. You can also make a Mediterranean tuna salad sandwich using our healthy sandwich base recipe as a guide. Tuna salad is also great for wraps, quesadillas, or green salads.
Storage Recommendations
For best quality, store leftover tuna salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Want more easy lunch salad ideas?
Try out these favorites!
Curry Chicken Salad with Apples
Mediterranean Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise (olive or canola oil based)
- 2 Tablespoons chopped basil
- 1 Tablespoons finely minced red onion
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove, minced (~½ teaspoon)
- 10-12 ounces wild caught low-sodium tuna in water, drained
- ¼ cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 2 Tablespoons sliced olives (kalamata or regular)
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, red onion, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl.
- Add drained tuna, diced tomatoes, black olives, and feta cheese. Using a spatula, fold to combine.
- Make a sandwich, wrap, green salad, or quesadilla or eat on its own with whole grain crackers. Enjoy!
