I’ve noticed an abundance of pantry-ingredient recipes since self-quarantining has become the new normal. Many of these pantry recipes include canned tuna– in pasta, in casseroles, or dressed up with a sprig of parsley– and I can’t imagine anything less motivating for me to try to cook. I’ve just never been excited about canned fish. It rubs me the wrong way. It smells unappetizing, tastes bland, and often reminds me of serving cat food. I understand if I have to turn to it in a time of crisis, sure, I will eat it, but do I have to settle for a dry chunk of smelly and blah? No! And neither do you.

To me, Thai salads oppose everything sad that canned fish represents. Thai salad is fresh! It’s tangy! Explodes with flavor! A number of years ago I traveled to Thailand and was obsessed with their salads for the following reasons.

1. They dressed meat. In a salad. And it was freaking delicious!
2. Liberal use of very fresh herbs, onions, and citrus juice. It was so fresh there could have been dirt on it– and I wouldn’t have cared.
3. Thai chilies are fire engine hot. It burned my tongue and yet I couldn’t stop eating.

While my version of a Thai salad is nowhere near authentic (sadly I can never find lemongrass near me as fresh as I’d like), I’m trying to bring these elements to the food with ingredients that are a little easier to find in these days of hoarded toilet paper and flour.

In the recipe below, I’ve starred pantry ingredients for anyone who’d like to do a (mostly) pantry-only version– this adds a lot of flavor and freshness to plain canned tuna. For those fortunate to still have access to a grocery store or grocery delivery, I do encourage all of the fresh ingredients– you’ll never think of canned fish the same way again. Serve it on top of rice or noodles so the dressing can soak into those as well (my favorite part). It’s nowhere near as spicy as in Thailand, but enough to make your taste buds sing. Feel free to add more or less spice as you please. Or up your game to fresh Thai chilies. Perfect for spring, this recipe will make all of your Zoom meal buddies jealous.

Recipe: Thai-inspired tuna salad

* starred ingredients are for a pantry-provision only version 😉

Ingredients

* 1/2 tablespoon sugar
* 3 teaspoons lime juice
* 2 teaspoons fish sauce
* 2 teaspoons soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
5-8 green onions, sliced. Set aside 3 tablespoons of the sliced white end.
2 jalapenos, seeded and minced. Set aside 1 tablespoon.
* 2 cans of tuna or salmon
1 cup chopped cilantro
* Optional: peanuts or sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Mix together sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cayenne pepper in medium bowl to make the dressing.
2. Add garlic, 3 tablespoons of green onion, 1 tablespoon of jalapeno, and canned tuna or salmon to the dressing and mix, breaking up the fish into bite-sized chunks.
3. Let sit for 5 minutes for the flavors to mix.
4. Mix in remaining green onions, jalapeno, and cilantro.
5. Optional: Serve with rice or noodles and top with peanuts or sliced almonds.