Fresh from the Kitchen: Recipes & Food Inspiration
- Mom's signature: canned tuna, chopped hard-boiled eggs, mayo, mustard, relish, and pickle juice for savory, briny flavor.
- Chill the tuna salad at least 30 minutes so flavors meld; it tastes best cold and is great for meal prep.
- Serve cold on your favorite bread like white, wheat, or buttery toasted sourdough. Store airtight in fridge up to five days.
A well-made tuna fish sandwich is one of life’s simple pleasures, and I’m so proud to share my mom’s recipe with you and your family! It’s easy to make and full of flavor, which is why everybody who tries it falls in love at first bite.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you’ll love my Auntie’s potato salad recipe, too!
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❤️ Why You’ll Love this Recipe
Quick & Easy – We used to beg for this quick tuna fish sandwich recipe as kids, and my mom was happy to throw it together because it was so simple. I learned how to make it before leaving for college, and it has been a staple in my kitchen as well.
Protein Packed – Each serving of the tuna salad has 25 grams of protein to help fuel your day!
Delicious Flavor – You’ll taste savory, bright, sweet, and sour flavors, and the whole situation gets better with time, so it’s meal prep friendly. Even the littlest eaters in my family love it.
👉🏾 The women in my family throw down in the kitchen, so I have inherited plenty of dishes you’ll want to keep in rotation. Try my Aunty Toyin’s jollof rice, Aunt Georgia’s peach cobbler, or Grandma’s sour cream pound cake and southern pinto beans next!
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What You’ll Need for this Recipe
Tuna from a can or a packet, which is typically Albacore, Skipjack, or Yellowfin. Use the one you enjoy most. I grab whichever of these is most affordable and packed in water.
Hard-Boiled Eggs are non-negotiable for texture, taste, and a macronutrient boost. You can adjust the number of eggs to your liking.
Relish and Pickle Juice were my mother’s secret ingredients here, and they add great briny, pickle-y flavor that really takes the tuna to the next level. If you don’t have relish, chopped pickles also work!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Mustard – I’ve made this dish with plain yellow mustard, deli mustard, brown mustard, spicy Creole mustard, Dijon, alladat! Substitute as needed.
Sweetener – Feel free to omit the sugar, or swap in another sweetener like honey or a zero-sugar option like stevia.
Spices – We use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder, but you can add in what you like to achieve your preferred taste. Lemon pepper seasoning is a great option!
How to Make the Best Tuna Fish Sandwich
- Step One: Add the boiled eggs to a bowl, and chop or mash them into pieces that are one inch or smaller. (Photos 1 and 2)
- Step Two: Mix in the remaining ingredients, cover, and chill. (Photo 3)
- Step Three: Serve on your choice of bread. (Photo 4)
Pro Tip #1
Chilling the tuna salad is optional, but I highly recommend it to give the flavors time to meld together and marinate. It also tastes better when cold versus room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to five days. I don’t recommend freezing it.
How to Serve
Temperature: Serve the tuna salad cold on your favorite bread. We grew up eating white wheat or white sandwich bread, but I prefer it now on buttery toasted sourdough. The warm to cold contrast is SO good.
Garnish Ideas: Try adding tomato slices, greens like arugula, or pickles to your sandwich. If you like cheese, check out my mini tuna melts!
Pairings: This tuna and egg sandwich recipe can work nicely as a dip for crackers or chips–I prefer sour cream & onion or Voodoo chips! And tuna salad lettuce wraps are quite tasty.
More Favorite Seafood Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you’ll enjoy this classic tuna fish sandwich recipe soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Mom’s Tuna Fish Sandwich
Classic, southern-style tuna salad sandwiches that every member of the family will enjoy–just like my mom used to make
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Instructions
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Peel the eggs and place them into a mixing bowl. Use the back of the fork to mash and chop them into one-inch pieces (or smaller).
5 hard-boiled eggs
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Stir in the tuna, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, pickle brine, juice from the lemon, sugar, and spices until evenly mixed.
1 pound canned or packet tuna, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup mustard, ¼ cup sweet and sour relish, 2 teaspoons pickle brine, ½ lemon, ¾ teaspoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, sea salt, black pepper
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Cover and place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill the tuna salad for at least 30 minutes.
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Spread a serving of tuna salad onto a slice of bread, then top with another slice of bread. Repeat to make four more sandwiches or store for later. Serve immediately.
10 slices sourdough bread
Notes
Chilling the tuna salad is optional, but I highly recommend it to give the flavors time to meld together and marinate. It also tastes better when cold versus room temperature.
Modifications
I’ve made this dish with plain yellow mustard, deli mustard, brown mustard, spicy Creole mustard, Dijon, alladat! Substitute as needed.
Feel free to omit the sugar, or swap in another sweetener like honey or a zero-sugar option like stevia.
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Keeps for up to five days. I don’t recommend freezing it.
Nutrition
Calories: 691kcalCarbohydrates: 74gProtein: 38gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 12gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.05gCholesterol: 229mgSodium: 1440mgPotassium: 419mgFiber: 4gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 487IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 122mgIron: 8mg
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