A classic tuna salad made with the addition of grated apple and served here on griddled Texas Toast.
Tuna Salad with Apple
Not long ago, my sister in law told The Cajun she was getting rid of some old cookbooks and asked him if I might like them.
Since physical libraries don't hold onto cookbooks for very long these days and the older cookbooks are extremely useful tools for recipe research, I'm never one to turn down cookbooks, so I said of course!
Most of them were older Southern Living annuals and back then, not only were they summaries of the year's recipes shared from the magazine, a lot of folks don't realize that many Southern Living recipes started much like you see with Taste of Home - they were recipes submitted by readers!
One day I was flipping through the 2005 book and saw a recipe called My Best Tuna Salad. This particular recipe was a 2005 Cook Off brand winner for Cobblestone Mill bread by Glenda Tatom of Stamps, Arkansas.
Just a quick reminder.... if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such on a blog, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!
The recipe had the tuna salad basics, but also included grated carrots, grated apples and grated boiled eggs. We loved this and in fact, I've already made it so many times that I've lost count!
Instead of grating, the first time I made this I used carrots and apple shredded on the small holes of a box grater (#ad). The shredded carrots added a bit of texture contrast that I wasn't super fond of in a tuna salad when I made my initial sandwich, however, after an overnight refrigeration they did soften some.
It's important here to state that there is a decided difference between shredded and grated carrots so I wondered if maybe using the grated carrots, or even blanching them in the microwave first might be enough of a texture change. I'll get around to trying that.
The next time I made it though, I omitted the carrot altogether but still used the apple shredded and I really liked that. After that I tried the apple chopped instead of shredded and again, ran across that texture contrast and it made a huge difference in the taste. While the shredded apple added a flavor that left your taste buds wondering, "what is that?" the chopped apple was much more obvious and added a very distinct sweetness that the shredded didn't.
Of course, chopped apple in chicken salad is pretty common, as is pineapple, cranberry, grapes and even other fruits, although I do consider those to be fancier versions over the standard deli style that I make the most often, and while the apple really enhanced the chicken, I have to confess that I had never considered apple in a tuna salad!
I don't know why, because it's a fantastic addition.
Not long after, I saw that Miranda Lambert had published a cookbook (#ad) and in the promos to promote it, there was a similar tuna salad recipe made with apples that came from her aunt, so I guess it's more common than I thought!
This is such a delicious tuna salad, so I hope you'll give it a try! I absolutely loved it, and frankly, so did The Cajun. He literally finished off every single batch that I made, before I could even go back to the leftovers! I guess I need to just double it.
I was surprised at that one, although I did not tell him the ingredient list either. Still haven't! Whatever works, right?
I will always be endeared to my classic tuna salad, but this is fast becoming a favorite too. Hope you give it a try!
To a large, lidded storage bowl, add the drained and flaked tuna, a rib of celery, chopped, 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and grated, 1/2 cup sliced green onion or minced red onion if you prefer, I've used both in this, 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, including some juice and 2 boiled eggs, chopped or grated.
Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Real mayo y'all, not salad dressing!
Blend together. This is where you will want to taste and adjust as needed. Cover and chill one hour or up to overnight.
To serve, scoop over a bed of shredded lettuce and baby greens, or with a side of crackers, or make a sandwich. A good whole grain bread is perfect, but this time I used some Texas toast.
Which I buttered.
And toasted on my Ninja grill (#ad) using the griddle pan! I don't (yet) have a Blackstone flat top, though I'd love one and I've got my eyes on this one (#ad). I just don't cook outside much anymore, so my indoor griddle which I can use inside in the comfort of my air conditioning will hold me over - for now.
I think it does a nice job!
Tuna on Texas toast, with lettuce and tomato, a side of sea salt and cracked pepper kettle-cooked potato chips (#ad) and red grapes, make for a super delicious lunch!
For more of my favorite tuna recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
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Thank you for supporting my work! Please note that Images and Full Post Content including photographs and recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.
It's important here to state that there is a decided difference between shredded and grated carrots so I wondered if maybe using the grated carrots, or even blanching them in the microwave first might be enough of a texture change. I'll get around to trying that.
The next time I made it though, I omitted the carrot altogether but still used the apple shredded and I really liked that. After that I tried the apple chopped instead of shredded and again, ran across that texture contrast and it made a huge difference in the taste. While the shredded apple added a flavor that left your taste buds wondering, "what is that?" the chopped apple was much more obvious and added a very distinct sweetness that the shredded didn't.
Of course, chopped apple in chicken salad is pretty common, as is pineapple, cranberry, grapes and even other fruits, although I do consider those to be fancier versions over the standard deli style that I make the most often, and while the apple really enhanced the chicken, I have to confess that I had never considered apple in a tuna salad!
I don't know why, because it's a fantastic addition.
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Not long after, I saw that Miranda Lambert had published a cookbook (#ad) and in the promos to promote it, there was a similar tuna salad recipe made with apples that came from her aunt, so I guess it's more common than I thought!
This is such a delicious tuna salad, so I hope you'll give it a try! I absolutely loved it, and frankly, so did The Cajun. He literally finished off every single batch that I made, before I could even go back to the leftovers! I guess I need to just double it.
I was surprised at that one, although I did not tell him the ingredient list either. Still haven't! Whatever works, right?
I will always be endeared to my classic tuna salad, but this is fast becoming a favorite too. Hope you give it a try!
To a large, lidded storage bowl, add the drained and flaked tuna, a rib of celery, chopped, 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and grated, 1/2 cup sliced green onion or minced red onion if you prefer, I've used both in this, 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish, including some juice and 2 boiled eggs, chopped or grated.
Add mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Real mayo y'all, not salad dressing!
Blend together. This is where you will want to taste and adjust as needed. Cover and chill one hour or up to overnight.
To serve, scoop over a bed of shredded lettuce and baby greens, or with a side of crackers, or make a sandwich. A good whole grain bread is perfect, but this time I used some Texas toast.
Which I buttered.
And toasted on my Ninja grill (#ad) using the griddle pan! I don't (yet) have a Blackstone flat top, though I'd love one and I've got my eyes on this one (#ad). I just don't cook outside much anymore, so my indoor griddle which I can use inside in the comfort of my air conditioning will hold me over - for now.
I think it does a nice job!
Tuna on Texas toast, with lettuce and tomato, a side of sea salt and cracked pepper kettle-cooked potato chips (#ad) and red grapes, make for a super delicious lunch!
For more of my favorite tuna recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
Unable to view the printable above on your device? Tap/click here for a backup printable.
Thank you for supporting my work! Please note that Images and Full Post Content including photographs and recipe ©Deep South Dish. Recipes are offered for your own personal use only and while pinning and sharing links is welcomed and encouraged, do not copy and paste post or recipe text to repost or republish to any social media (such as other Facebook pages, etc.), blogs, websites, forums, or any print medium, without explicit prior permission. Unauthorized use of content from ©Deep South Dish is a violation of both the federal Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and copyright law. All rights reserved.
Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
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