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Divisive and deeply personal, tuna salad sandwiches are the bad boys of the light lunch world. And who can resist a bad boy? This one is loaded with meaty tuna, protein-heavy egg, mayo, crunchy celery, a mustard punch and a cheeky pickle. Are you sneaking out the office at lunch to meet him?

Meat-free egg salad sandwich is another one that lunchtime etiquette dictates is eaten in out-of-office, but totally worth it! You weren’t going to share it anyway!

Top down shot of person holding sandwich with tuna, egg and green onions cut in two halves

Easy tuna salad sandwich

Tuna is a big fish with a big reputation. You either love it or hate it. And I believe hating is just down to a bad experience. Let me guide you towards a better one:

Choose ethically sourced products with the MSC logo.
Go for chunks rather than flakes, which can be mushy.
For salads or sandwiches, I choose tuna in water. For cooked tuna recipes, I’ll choose in oil – you can use it to cook with!
I like albacore tuna, it’s firm and milder in flavour. Yellowfin and skipjack, which are more commonly stocked in supermarkets, tend to be softer in texture and more fishy. Your choice!
Cheap tuna is cheap for a reason. It’s worth investing in the best you can afford and tasting the difference.

So, go on, give tuna a second chance!

A tuna salad sandwich is the perfect nutrition capsule if you’re not home for lunch. As well as bursting with protein, it is easily transportable, more so than a salad anyway, thanks to the bread bookends. Just don’t eat it on the bus.

This might sound weird, but I find plain tuna and mayo a bit too intensely fishy. Even though I love the fish itself, I’m not someone that could ever spoon it straight from the tin. I find tuna really needs to be balanced by other flavours to make it more enjoyable.

Close up side shot of tuna salad sandwich with fresh green onions on a small blue plate

Tuna salad recipe

I’ve included some extras to make this tuna mayo sandwich more salady. Not only do they add much needed texture to what could end up a salty marshy mess, they bring a fair bit of nutritional value too.

First eggs. Tuna and eggs seem to work so well, is it the smooth and pasty texture when they’re combined with mayo? Or the creaminess of egg versus the saltiness of fish? I’m not sure, it’s just sandwich alchemy.

My Russian roots dictate pickles and celery for crunch and green onions for tang. I can’t help the sour flavours!

Sweetcorn, red onion, olives, avocado, chopped peppers or cucumbers are all likely contenders too. When it comes down to it, tuna is a pretty accommodating fish. Invite who you like!

All fish love a few drops of something a little sour or bitter. I’ve used mustard and lemon juice, but you could even use horseradish or wasabi if you really want to blow the scales off!

And herbs. Dill is my true-love herb. But parsley is a close second! You could even try cilantro, but perhaps not with pickles.

Top down shot of a slice of bread on a plate topped with tuna salad filling

Recipe Tips and Notes

Tuna quality is make or break in a sandwich. I always buy responsibly sourced albacore tuna in water.
As well as high-quality tuna, I choose higher welfare eggs and very decent mayonnaise.
And bread. I’m picky about my bread and have to select the right type for the right job. A sandwich calls for something pillow-soft and evenly sliced. I’m backing a multigrain, but a feathery white is also a dream. Hunks of sourdough are for toast and soup, fyi.
I have pimped my tuna to the max., and yes, it does come across a little Eastern European with the egg, pickles and dill. But I am not sorry! There’s no need to mirror my recipe (although I highly recommend it!) so what is your sandwich going to say about you?
I’ve used crunchy dill pickles, but if you’re not a fan swap them for juicy capers to keep the vinegary edge.
And it wouldn’t be a salad without leaves now, would it? Delicate salad cress is my go-to sandwich greenery. A touch of pepper and barely-there texture means it doesn’t interfere with other ingredients.
Rocket or watercress are more robust flavours that compliment tuna, but you run the risk of large leaves hanging from your sandwich. Or mouth. You were warned!

Serving suggestions

This tuna salad recipe for sandwiches is a well-balanced meal in itself. But that’s not to say you can’t add a bowl of soup or salad if you wanted one! Spring minestrone or borscht are both light and tangy. Or celeriac remoulade or a garden salad will up the plant points.

Aside from a cool sandwich, mix it up as a hot cheesy salmon sandwich (swap the salmon for the tuna mix, hold the cress), or as a baked potato topping.

Process shots of tuna salad filling being combined to be put into a sandwich

Storage and leftovers

A sandwich is not for keeping. Upturned edges and soggy centres are a big turn off. Eat your sandwich as soon as a possible! Mine’s lucky if it even makes it to lunchtime!

Unless you’re a tuna fanatic who eats tuna salad three times a week, it’s unlikely you’ll be needing a batch. But if you are, this tuna salad with egg will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Make sure you cover it tightly!