Loaded Tuna Salad - Video Recipe

I'm called "The Tuna Mouse" at home because of how quickly a Loaded Tuna Salad just seems to vanish!

The extra briny olives give color and the salty taste goes well with sweet bread and butter pickles. Mixed into canned tuna, for a rich flavor, are chopped eggs and mayo.

It's one delicious concoction that fits snuggly into pita bread or bread roll, fills a pitted half slice of ripe avocado, or scooped on a green salad. All all the ingredients I find easily at 99c only Stores and the Dollar Tree!

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The addition of green olives makes this Loaded Tuna Salad extra unique. It's quite easy to find them at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree markets. You can use the plain type or ones with pimentoes.

Eggs are still cheap these days, I get an eight-count container at my local Dollar Tree. I use one whole boiled egg, chopped. This ingredient is optional and okay to leave out.

You can use a little chopped pickle, or just go with pickle relish, which I always have a half-used jar left over from hot dogs, way back on a refrigerator shelf.

I also add finely chopped onion to my Loaded Tuna Salad, but leave it out if you don't care for the taste of raw onion.

Mustard and Mayo are cheap if you have a Dollar Tree or 99c only Store in the 'hood. Hey, even Grey Poupon shows up on my 99c only Store shelves every once in a while. Okay to use any favorite mayo, including Miracle Whip or vegan mayo.

The main ingredient, canned tuna, is a cheap$kate staple in my kitchen pantry. I usually get "Chunk Light" tuna in water. I use two small cans for this recipe. "Solid" canned tuna is more expensive because it is a solid hunk of tuna and almost twice as much the amount as "Chunk."

Make sure not to mistakenly get tuna in oil, unless you like it that way. Also, drain the tuna of water, so Tuna Salad doesn't get all soggy and mushy.

The basic recipe is good for other canned fish like salmon, or chicken, too. So get out the can opener and twist off a few condiment jar lids and mix up my tasty and Loaded Tuna Salad.

Loaded Tuna Salad - VIDEO

Play here, video runs 1 minute 36 seconds

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• 1 can of solid tuna in water - about 6 ounces, or 2 cans of "chunk" tuna. Drained.
• 1 boiled egg - peeled and chopped.
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion - red, white, green or yellow onion.
• 1 tablespoon green olives chopped or sliced - with or without pimento.
• 1 tablespoon sweet relish - okay to use chopped pickle.
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise - add more or less to your taste.
• 1 teaspoon regular or dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste - I find canned tuna salty enough, so I usually leave out salt.

Directions
Set aside 1 boiled egg (15 minutes at low boil) to cool.

 Fine-chop onion. Roughly chop green olives and a pickle (if you don't have pickle relish.

To a bowl add drained tuna, along with peeled and chopped boiled egg, chopped pickle (relish,) green olives and onion.

Add one tablespoon of mayo at a time to reach desired creaminess. As you mix all ingredients and taste. I like a little black pepper to season my Loaded Tuna Salad. I find there is enough salt from canned tuna.

Serve in pita or regular bread. Delicious as an appetizer with crackers or add a scoop to an avocado half, or fave salad.

How about a Loaded Tuna Melt? Just add a slice of cheese to Tuna Sandwich, and brown it with melted butter in a stove top pan, just like you would a regular Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

It's okay to leave out some ingredients. The main ones are tuna, mayo and pickle relish.

Lazybones shortcut

Roast Chicken With Green & Black Olives

No chopping, peeling or sauteing was used in the preparation of this recipe -- in other words, it's easy.

Among my favorite canned or bottled pantry ingredients are green and black olives. Just check out my Fish Veracruz and my wife's delicious tuna salad, both made with green olives; I'll also add canned black olives to most any pasta dish .

It was only a matter of time before I came up with adding both to 69 cent per pound chicken leg quarters (in 10 lb. bags) from my local Latin market . And olives are a dollar store staple.

Sometimes you take a chance and it all works out. Briny green olives and plump black olives roasting in the juices of dark chicken meat meld and compliment each other - the sourness and salt from the olives are made mild, adding just the right amount of tartness. This dish is a little bit Middle Eastern and a touch Italian.
I especially enjoy making a simple dish with great flavor -- I hope you do too.

Ingredients (serves 3 - 4)
1 small jar of green olives - with or without pimentos, drained. They can be chopped, sliced or whole, whatever is on sale.
1 can of black olives - drained.
3 - 4 chicken leg quarters - or any chicken pieces on sale.
Pepper to taste.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add chicken to a large pot or pan. Drain green and black olives. *Sprinkle olives over and in-between chicken pieces. Season with pepper. Roast uncovered for an hour and a half. If you use white meat, reduce time to about an hour. Done when chicken juices run clear (no red) when pierced with a knife or fork. Skin-on chicken will render more fat, so you may need to skim off some of it (but do leave a little, it's such a delicious decadent pleasure, especially drizzled over rice or couscous).

 

* For extra flavor add any fresh or favorite herb you have on hand, a teaspoon of chopped garlic and a cup of white wine, along with the olives.

Fish Veracruz (Green Olives & Tomato)

99 cent and dollar frozen packages of fish are perfect for single servings of this most expensive Mexican restaurant seafood entree. Traditionally made with red snapper, any firm fish will do. The other ingredients are the dollar store staples of green olives, and diced, crushed or whole canned tomatoes. A pinch of dried oregano and a bay leaf complete the flavorful seafood Latin dish.

It is all about the sauce. I've had Red Snapper Veracruz at many local Mexican restaurants in L.A. -- well a small taste, that is, this being my wife's favorite (she usually gives me a couple of spoonfuls). I like the complex combination of sour, salty green olives and the citrus, sweet tomato, sharing the plate with a flaky fish fillet.

I've bought 4 oz. frozen packet of mahi mahi, tilapia, tuna and salmon at 99c Only Stores, and $1 packages of the same in the frozen cases of regular chain grocery stores. Now that comes out to $4 per pound, not the best deal but fine for a single serving -- when I buy fish I always get huge fillets, too much for a serving, so this forces me to cut down. Four ounces is enough.

It is a quick, easy and delicious dish. The version I made used chopped whole tomatoes that were on the verge of turning - too soft for a salad, but great for a sauce. I had to add a 1/4 cup of liquid - but you can use canned tomatoes, it will taste the same, plus it will be plenty saucy.

Ingredients (single serving)

• 4 oz. fish fillet - any firm fish including: mahi mahi, tuna, salmon, swordfish and tilapia.
• 1 small can of tomato - chopped, crushed or whole (whole are easy to break apart once heated through). Okay to use one large fresh tomato - will need to add 1/4 cup of water, stock or white wine.
• 1/2 jar of green olives (about 12 whole) - drained, with or without pimento. Roughly chopped.
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice from bottle or fresh - optional.
• 1 tsp. chopped garlic from jar or fresh.
• Pinch of oregano and one bay leaf.
• A little chopped jalapeño for some heat - optional.
• 1 tbsp. of olive oil for sauteing fish
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Add 1 tbsp. of oil to a pan and brown one side of fish over medium/high heat (if fish has skin, brown on that side). Don't cook all the way through, you will finish steaming it in the sauce. Set aside.

In the same pan add chopped tomato (fresh or canned) with liquid. Add green olives, lemon juice, oregano and a bay leaf. Scrape bottom of pan to get flavorful brown bits mixed into sauce. Place fish fillets on top of sauce, browned side up. Cook over low/medium heat about 10 minutes, or until liquid is reduced by half. Add stock or white wine if using fresh chopped tomato.

Rice is an excellent accompaniment to soak-up the Veracruz sauce.

Amy's Tuna Salad with Green Olives

The addition of green olives makes this Tuna Salad unique. I'm called "The Tuna Mouse" at home because of how quickly my wife's Olive Tuna Salad seems to just vanish!

The extra briny olives give color and the taste goes well with chopped sweet bread-and-butter pickles mixed into canned tuna -- and made richer with chopped eggs and mayo.

This is one delicious concoction that fits snugly into pita bread, makes a great tuna melt, fills a pitted half slice of ripe avocado, or tops a salad with a couple of scoops.

Canned tuna is one budget item I always keep stocked. Everyone has a favorite Tuna Salad recipe and this is The 99 Cent Chef's!

 Ingredients
2 tablespoons onion - fine chopped.
2 tablespoons green olives - chopped or sliced.
1/4 cup bread and butter pickles - chopped, or sweet relish.
1 6oz. can of "solid" tuna in water - may need to reduce other ingredients if you use "chunk" tuna (which is a smaller amount.)
4 tablespoons mayonnaise - okay to adjust amount to suit your taste.
2 boiled eggs - chopped.
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard - or regular Dijon mustard.
Celery salt and pepper to taste.

 

 Directions
Boil 2 eggs for about 10 minutes. Remove eggs from water and set aside to cool. 

Fine-chop onion. Roughly chop green olives and pickles. 

Peel and chop boiled eggs.

Drain tuna and add, along with chopped pickles, olives and onion, all ingredients in a large bowl. Season with celery salt and pepper, mixing well. 

Finally add one teaspoon of mayo at a time to desired creaminess. 

Serve in pita or regular bread.

Or  how about a Tuna Melt? Just slather Tuna Salad onto bread and top with a slice of cheese. Brown the sandwich with a pat of melted butter in a frying pan.