Mexican Tuna Salad! Skip the heavy mayo and make this tuna salad with avocado instead. 10 ingredients and tons of flavor. A perfect quick lunch or weeknight dinner. Gluten Free and Dairy Free. Ready in 20 mins with 30g of protein per serving! A perfect low carb Cinco de Mayo recipe!
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Tuna salad – love it or hate it? I personally love it and love having canned tuna on hand to make a quick and simple lunch or light dinner recipe. It’s just sooooo easy. You don’t need to do much of anything but you can still easily feed yourself something delicious. Sometimes it’s literally all that I’m craving. Out of everything that I could have for lunch, sometimes my taste buds just call for canned tuna. It’s reliable, it’s consistent, it’s easy to work with.
Canned tuna always makes for a hearty and filling lunch, if you as me. And normally I could just be convinced to mix canned tuna with mayo and eat that on a rice cracker with some thinly sliced tomatoes and freshly cracked black pepper + sea salt on top.
This time around though, I didn’t want the same old boring mayo heavy tuna salad. I wanted to create a lightened up, reinvigorated tuna salad. A tuna salad with lots of life and vibrancy.
Cue Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore which has been my tuna of choice for years. I mean we might be going back to middle school here. My traditional Russian family did not exactly stock canned tuna in the pantry. So it was my childhood (and still best) friend A, who introduced me to this protein packed product. We would either buy tuna subs or make tuna and mayo sandwiches at her house.
But tuna mayo is boring nowadays. Right? A dated recipe.
I wanted something new. Something fresh, zesty, with a kick.
Hello Mexican tuna salad. The star ingredient here is, you guessed it Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore (in water) packed full of lean protein, healthy fat and important vitamins and minerals and made with wild caught Albacore. To learn more about Bumble Bee tuna head here.
My go to classic Mexican themed ingredients included red pepper, black beans, lime, avocado, cilantro, red onions, jalapeno, and cumin, paprika and olive oil for seasoning.
Can you taste the flavor already? If you like your food spicy throw in a full jalapeno, I was certainly tempted to, but decided to hold back this time.
Everything in this recipe gets cubed, diced, chopped, mixed, stirred and thrown all together. No cooking necessary. Only one bowl and one cutting board needed. No fancy equipment and minimal clean up. You can easily make this in the tiniest of kitchen or even if there is an absence of a kitchen. Camping situation for example? An added bonus is that none of the ingredients need to be refrigerated, so this can easily be made on the go, if you’re at the beach or hosting a picnic in the wilderness?
Basically you can make this Mexican tuna salad just about anywhere, is all I’m trying to say!
The final result is a super flavorful Mexican tuna salad which you can serve right in the hollowed out avocado shells themselves – come on it’s more fun that way. Those spices, that crunch, that smooth avocado, with the hearty tuna. Everything just blends together. The different textures with the contrasting flavors.
Bring with you to work for lunch or just eat as a simple no cook dinner. This dish comes together in 20 minutes and is the perfectly medley of flavors with high protein, low fat canned tuna.
So toss that tuna mayo sad sandwich aside and make this bright, vibrant and colorful feel good nutritious Mexican tuna salad instead. A perfect quick Cinco de Mayo recipe. Please share you favorite tuna salad recipes in the comments below!
For more Cinco de Mayo recipe ideas check out:
Vegan Butternut Squash Tacos with Chipotle Black Beans {GF} –> {Pin it for later}
Vegan Taquitos with Lentils, Squash, Arugula and Avocado Cream {GF} –> {Pin it for later}
Mexican Spicy Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken {GF, DF} –> {Pin it for later}
Mexican Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps {GF, DF}
Vegetarian Breakfast Scrambled Egg Quesadillas {GF, DF}
Chorizo Breakfast Skillet {GF, DF}
Vegan Taco Meat Spaghetti Squash Bowls with Avocado Mayoo {GF, DF}
Pulled Pork and Eggs Breakfast Skilet {GF, DF}
or if you’re just craving another fish based recipe be sure to check out my Asian noodle bowls with sesame fish.
How to make Mexican tuna salad with avocado
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 12 ounces Bumble Bee® Solid White Albacore Tuna
- 1/2 cup diced red pepper 1/2 red pepper
- 15 ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 lime zested
- 2 avocados cubed
- 1/2 - 1 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/4 - 1/2 small red onion diced
- 1 - 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeno
- 1 teaspoon salt
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In a small bowl combine lime juice, olive oil and paprika. Mix until smooth.
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In large bowl combine remaining ingredients and mix.
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Top with dressing.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I could eat these for dinner every night! Canned fish is a life savor 😉
Vicky says
Right?! Makes for such easy last minute meal prep!
jacqueline | i sugar coat it! says
Now this is my kind of dinner and serious party food! This is on the list for our next Mexican night.
Vicky says
Thanks! Definitely perfect for a Mexican themed night!
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
I am a huge Mexican fan so I am loving your spin.
Vicky says
Thanks!
Neli @ Delicious Meets Healthy says
I love avocado and I must alays looking for new recipes for inspiration. This one looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Vicky says
Thanks!
Sarah says
I just made something similar on my site, but love the Mexican flavors you added to yours! I’m drooling!!
Vicky says
Your 5 minute tuna salad sounds delicious too — and even quicker to make!
Dini @ The Flavor Bender says
I love Bumblebee Tuna and I love Tuna salad! I definitely need to try your version – love mexican flavours so I know my entire family would love this twist!
Vicky says
If they love Mexican flavors this tuna dish is definitely for them!
Natasha @ Salt & Lavender says
This looks so tasty! I’m always on the lookout for new things to do with tuna. And you can’t go wrong with avocado. Pinning!
Vicky says
Definitely can never go wrong with avocado! Thanks for pinning!
ally says
This recipe’s going in my big YUM vault! Thank you!
Vicky says
Thanks so much!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed.com says
Avocados go good with everything!
Vicky says
Completely agree!
susan / the wimpy vegetarian says
If it has avocado and black beans, I’m in. The tuna is a huge bonus!
Vicky says
Haha yay!
Ashley - Baker by Nature says
Adding this to my lunch menu soon – looks so yummy!
Vicky says
Thanks! Enjoy!
Danielle says
Will this keep for a few days? I’m hesitant w/ any recipe with avocados because they browns so quickly. I am looking for a recipe I can make in bulk and eat for the week at work.
Vicky says
In that case I think the best thing to do is add in a little bit of avocado daily. So make and mix everything together without the avocado and just chop up the avocado in the mornings.
Pat says
I’ve looked everywhere and can’t seem to find one item – what exactly is a tuna shell?
Vicky says
I apologize – that is a typo! It should say avocado shell — meaning the outside peel of the avocado!
Teresa says
Delicious!!! I added some garlic and a bit more salt because I’m a salt fiend, but it was delicious before and after the slight change. Thank you for sharing!
Vicky says
Haha I am a salt fiend too and always need a good shake of the salt shaker into my meals!
Julia says
I have a love-hate relationship with canned tuna… I like tuna salad in sandwiches purchased from deli but not made at home. If I am in the mood for a similar salad I usually use canned salmon. I bet these avocado boats would be just perfect if I used canned salmon instead of tuna
Vicky says
Yes you could totally use canned salmon instead! I am not normally a huge fan of canned tuna and don’t eat it too often but every now and then it really hits the spot!
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
Yep, nothing better than to reach into the pantry and turn a humble can into something like THIS. Boring old tuna salad will never do though. Your kicked-up tuna salad looks and sounds amazing, and I love the idea of serving it in the hollowed-out avocado peel. How fun!
Vicky says
No more boring tuna salads! : ))
Geoff says
Is this something that can be made ahead and refrigerated? This sounds like a great option for lunches at work but it would be kind of a hassle to make at the office.
Vicky says
Yes you can definitely make this ahead, just add in the avocado the day of or right before eating so it does not brown.
Allison Pearson says
Black beans are not paleo they are legumes
Vicky says
This recipe is not labeled as a paleo recipe, nor do I mention the word paleo anywhere in the recipe.