This healthy Mexican Tuna Salad is light, refreshing, and full of crunch. It’s made with tuna, light mayo, mixed vegetables, crisp celery, and a kick of pickled jalapeños. Served over shredded lettuce, it’s perfect with saltines, tostadas, or tortilla chips for an easy, protein-packed meal.
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Healthy Mexican Tuna Salad
I’m not kidding when I say this is the best Tuna Salad.
When I think of tuna salad, I think of springs and summer’s own version of comfort food. It’s creamy, filling, and filled with fresh and bright flavors. On the Mexican version you get hints of lime juice, crispy lettuce, and celery with every bite. And the best part? It keeps preparing to a minimum, making it the perfect quick meal.
Ready in 15 Minutes, this flavorful salad comes together so fast!
But if you want to make the ultimate Mexican Tuna Salad, it’s really all about this extra ingredient – pickled jalapeño juice!
I also love that it’s a healthy recipe that is packed with protein, it’s low fat and low calories.
🩷 xoxo, Ana
**This post was originally published on August 2020. It has been updated to be more helpful.
Make this healthy version Mexican Salad with Tuna.
My husband said: “This is not your typical Tuna Salad! I expected to see something like the classic American Salad that consists of tuna & mayo mostly. This version is way better!
PAUL
I always joke that Mexicans, take food to a whole different level! lol! Adding the vegetables, lettuce and jalapeños makes this canned tuna recipe super flavorful and delicious. Bonus point: it’s loaded with protein!
Ingredients notes:
**A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.**
How To Make Mexican Tuna Salad
This salad is easy, healthy, bright, flavorful, and will make any spring or summer meal a breeze. Prepare this protein packed dish in 15 minutes or less!
- Drain the tuna and place in a medium size bowl.
- Mix: Add the mayonnaise, mixed vegetables, celery, jalapeños and a squeeze of lime juice – (lime juice is optional). mix well.
- Fold in the lettuce – Do this after the second step so the lettuce won’t wilt when mixing the other ingredients.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve on a tostada or with saltines/tortilla chips on the side.
- Top with avocado and hot sauce
Tips and Notes
- Use High-Quality Tuna: Opt for tuna packed in water instead of oil to keep it lower in fat and higher in protein.
- Light Mayo or Greek Yogurt: Swap light mayo with Greek yogurt for extra protein and a tangy flavor. You can also do half mayo, half yogurt for balance.
- Extra Crunch: The chopped celery and shredded lettuce add a fresh crunch, but you can also mix in diced cucumber or radish.
- Make It Ahead: This tuna salad tastes even better after chilling for an hour, letting the flavors blend. Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
How To Serve
This easy recipe is perfect for a last-minute lunch or dinner when you want something delicious and fresh! There are so many ways to serve this ensalada de atun and everyone can pick their favorite way.
Here are some ideas to inspire you:
Make a sandwich along with a layer of aguacate (avocado) and tomatoes. Choose a firm bread like whole wheat so that it does not become soggy fast. Plus the nuttiness will compliment the tuna flavor!
- Tostadas: Atun tostadas are the classic way to eat this salad in Mexico. Top with avocados and hot sauce for an extra kick and spice.
- Saltines: Serving it with crackers it’s another popular way.
- Lettuce Wraps: Skip the lettuce in the salad and use butter leaves for the wrap.
- Use half of an avocado as a bowl. So much fun!
Serve this salad with a side of crunchy Elote Asado and a refreshing Limonada!
More Mexican Salads
Print recipe
Mexican Tuna Salad (Ensalada de Atun)
Ingredients
- 1 12 oz can White Tuna in water
- ¼ cup Light Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Mixed vegetables from a can or frozen - peas & carrots with green beans, etc.
- ¼ cup Celery - chopped in small chunks
- ¼ cup Pickled jalapeños (+ 2 to 3 tablespoons of their juice) - chopped in small pieces
- 1 cup Shredded lettuce - Use firm lettuce like Romaine or Iceberg
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper to taste
- Top with avocado - optional
- Serve with saltines, tostadas or tortilla chips.
Instructions
- Drain the tuna and place in a medium size bowl.1 12 oz can White Tuna in water
- Add the mayonnaise, mixed vegetables, celery, jalapeños and the jalapeño juice. Mix gently until all ingredients are integrated well.¼ cup Light Mayonnaise, ½ cup Mixed vegetables from a can or frozen, ¼ cup Celery, ¼ cup Pickled jalapeños (+ 2 to 3 tablespoons of their juice)
- Fold in the lettuce and season with salt and pepper to taste.1 cup Shredded lettuce, Kosher Salt , Black Pepper to taste
- Top with avocado and hot sauce.Top with avocado
- Serve on a tostada or with saltines/tortilla chips on the side.Serve with saltines, tostadas or tortilla chips.
Notes
- Fridge – This ensalada de atun will refrigerate well in an airtight container and it will last about a three days. The lettuce may become soft but celery should still remain crunchy.
- Freezer – This recipe does not freeze well. The mayo does not freeze or defrost well so don’t even try!
So delicious and easy to make during the week when things get busy!
This is my new favorite way to eat canned Tuna! I made it for a potluck and everyone raved it about it. Served this ensalada de atun over tostadas. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much Maria for the kind review! I’m so happy everyone loved it at the potluck. Have a great day!
xo, Ana
This has become my go to summer salad! It Is light, refreshing and easy to make. I made it for my daughter-in-law and her mom for lunch, then served it as an appetizer for a neighborhood get together. I served it with Almond Sea Salt crackers. I did add some chopped fresh carrots and slivered almonds for some crunch. It is always a hit.
This is great to hear Peggy! I’ll try it with almonds next time. Hope you have a great day!
Ana
Forgot to rate this when I added my comments. Sorry!
Tuna salad?!?!? Not even close to what I’m used to. This blows away the traditional tuna salad (pretty much tuna and mayo) that I’m familiar with. Oh and BTW I won’t eat that traditional tuna salad but I will happily eat this recipe.
This Ensalada De Atun turned out amazing! So fresh and easy to make.