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Home Canned tuna recipes

Tuna sandwich

By:Nagi
Published:30 Aug '23Updated:4 Jan '24
106 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Here’s my classic tuna sandwich. Tuna in oil, not water. Juice from the pickle jar adds tang – oh, and let’s use the pickles too! Dijon for flavour, dill for lovely herbiness, celery for crunch and green onion for freshness. Spread onto your favourite bread and enjoy!

Picking up a Tuna sandwich

Only homemade tuna sandwiches

One of my dark food secrets is that I’m actually a picky eater. The list of things I don’t want to eat is actually pretty long. Which is why I have to cook.

Case in point – tuna sandwich. There’s just no way I’d ever get one from a food court sandwich shop let alone a pre-packaged one from a servo (that’s a gas service station, for all you non-Aussies out there!). Eewww, bet the bread is soggy, the filling is just nothing but mayo-greasy sloppy with cheap tuna that’s just horridly fishy.

Maybe there are great tuna sandwiches out there. But why risk it when you can eat a sure thing at home, adding zing and freshness to transform fish out of a can into a sandwich filling so good you’ll want to use it as a dip for dunking? (Oh yes I do!)

Tuna salad sandwich filling

Tuna sandwiches ready to eat

What you need for Tuna Sandwich Filling

Here’s what I put in my tuna sandwich filling.

What goes in Tuna salad
  • Tuna in oil will make tastier sandwiches than tuna in water. Olive oil is better than just plain oil. But if tuna in water is all you’ve got, don’t hesitate to plough forward!

    Canned tuna types – As with most things in life, not all canned tuna is created equal. Better quality tuna and responsibility fished tuna is pricier. πŸ™‚

  • Whole-egg mayo has a smoother flavour than ordinary, non-whole-egg mayo which is typically more vinegary and some brands are overly sweeter to my taste. I only stock whole-egg mayo (Hellmans and S&W are my favourite) and Kewpie (also an excellent choice!)

  • Pickles – We are using both the pickle and the juice from the jar for the tang and free extra flavour in the tuna mixture. So the pickle type matters! I use your everyday standard dill pickles. Not sweet pickles, not sweet gherkins, not cornichons, not sour pickles, not spicy pickles!

    (Just jesting with the sternest, you can use any pickles you want here. :))

  • Green onion – For freshness. Substitute with eschallots (US: shallots) ie the baby onions, or 1/4 cup red onion finely minced.

  • Celery – For much needed crunch, else the filling is just mush. Finely minced so it melds in.

  • Dill – For herby freshness. My favourite with tuna, though basil and parsley would make great alternatives.

Also: bread of choice (not going to lie. Everyday sandwich bread is my favourite!). And lettuce. For extra perky freshness and soggy-bread-protection.

Tuna sandwich ingredients

How to make tuna sandwiches

This is going straight to my “for experienced cooks only” section: Dump everything in a bowl and mix. Don’t be intimidated! I’ll hold your hand through the whole process – I’ve even made a recipe video for you! 😂

  1. Tuna filling – Drain the oil from the tuna then put it in a bowl with all the other Filling ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to mix assertively, breaking up the tuna into almost like a paste. Bashing up the celery and pickles to soften the edges and squeeze out a little juices into the filling is encouraged.

  2. Make sandwich – Butter the bread, top with 2 slices of lettuce then tuna sandwich filling. Use as much or as little as you want. Clamp the other slide of bread on then cut and eat! See note below the photo for making ahead.

stack of Tuna sandwich

Matters of Tuna Sandwich

And a few final words on the humble Tuna Sandwich:

  • Shelf life – The filling itself will keep for 3 days in a normal container or 5 days in a super airtight container (I have these insanely airtight Glasslock containers that extend food life because it’s like vac-packing).

  • Sandwich shelf life – To minimise bread sogginess, butter the bread and use a layer of lettuce on each slice to act as a protection barrier. Sometimes I’ll double up, for extra protection. If you do that, your sandwich will be good for a day!

  • Number of sandwiches – This recipe makes a generous amount for 4 sandwiches using everyday sandwich bread. You can make more if using smaller bread rolls.

  • Scale the recipe – To make more or less, or to scale a recipe to the tuna can size you have, click / tap on the servings and slide. Handy! πŸ™‚

As a side note, JB made mayonnaise using the oil we drained from the tuna. Trés cheffy thing to do, awesome tuna flavour, but it makes far more than you need for a single batch of this recipe and I’m not quite sure what to do with the leftover mayo other than make more tuna sandwiches, which means opening more cans of tuna and more leftover oil! 😂 So we didn’t use the homemade tuna mayo in this recipe. But drop a comment below if you want the recipe and JB will jot it down and we’ll pop it in the notes of the recipe card. – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

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Picking up a Tuna sandwich

Tuna sandwich

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Sandwich
Western
4.87 from 29 votes
Servings4 – 6
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Here's my version of the classic tuna sandwich. Tuna in oil, not water. Juice from the pickle jar adds much desired tang (oh, I use the pickles too!). Dijon for flavour, dill for lovely herbiness, celery for crunch and green onion for freshness. Spread onto your favourite bread and enjoy!
Makes enough for 4 sandwich-bread sandwiches, or 6 medium bread rolls.

Ingredients

Tuna sandwich filling:

  • 425g/ 15 oz canned tuna in oil , drained (Note 1)
  • 3/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise or Kewpie (Note 2)
  • 3/4 cup finely diced celery (1 stalk, cut in 4 lengthways, then finely diced)
  • 5 tbsp finely chopped dill pickle (Note 3)
  • 2 tbsp liquid from pickle jar (Note 3)
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp finely chopped dill (or parsley or basil)
  • 1/3 cup finely sliced green onion , ~2 stems (Note 4)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

For sandwiches:

  • 8 pieces butter lettuce (2 per sandwich)
  • Salted butter , for spreading
  • 8 slices bread or 4 rolls (Note 5)
Prevent screen from sleeping

Instructions

  • Filling – Put all the Tuna Filling ingredients in a bowl. Mix well using a wooden spoon, breaking up the tuna so the filling becomes fairly smooth. The pickles and celery will take a beating too which is encouraged -> flavour melding!
  • Sandwich – Divide Tuna Filling between 4 sandwiches (or more/less depending on bread size). I butter the bread and use 2 pieces of lettuce per sandwich. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

1. Tuna in oil will make tastier sandwiches than tuna in water. But if tuna in water is all you’ve got, don’t hesitate to plough forward with this recipe! Same recipe works equally well with canned salmon.
2. Whole-egg mayo has a smoother flavour than ordinary, non-whole-egg mayo which is typically more vinegary and some brands are overly sweeter to my taste. I only stock whole-egg mayo (Hellmans and S&W are my favourite) and Kewpie (also an excellent choice!)
3. Pickles – Not sweet pickles, not sweet gherkins, not cornichons, not sour pickles, not spicy pickles. Just your everyday standard dill pickles! Pickled cucumbers are also good, though typically a little softer. (OK, I’m exaggerating, you can use any pickles you want here. πŸ™‚ )
4. Green onion – Sub with eschallots (US: shallots) ie the baby onions, or 1/4 cup red onion finely minced.
5. Bread – I like using plain, run-of-the-mill white sandwich bread! But, you can get fancy with your artisan stuff you want. πŸ™‚
6. Storage – filling will last 3 days in an airtight container, give it a good mix as it gets watery. Assembled sandwich is best eaten fresh though if you want it to last longer, use a piece of lettuce on each piece of bread to provide a soakage protection layer (also don’t skip the butter).
Nutrition for one sandwich assuming 1 tbsp butter is used on white sandwich bread, thick cut (is there any other kind??):

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 688cal (34%)Carbohydrates: 29g (10%)Protein: 27g (54%)Fat: 51g (78%)Saturated Fat: 14g (88%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 22gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mg (20%)Sodium: 1154mg (50%)Potassium: 344mg (10%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 711IU (14%)Vitamin C: 3mg (4%)Calcium: 116mg (12%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
Keywords: Tuna Salad, tuna salad sandwich, tuna sandwich
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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106 Comments

  1. Mia says

    May 11, 2025 at 11:30 am

    4 stars
    I love this recipe and make it again and again. I add a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice and mustard for additional tang and use red onion instead of spring onions. I also use a bit of parsley. Works well on wraps and as a tuna melt!!

    Reply
  2. Shannon says

    December 9, 2024 at 10:41 pm

    5 stars
    So yum! Made exactly to recipe except I used dried dill (half tbsp for 2 serves). Used a 185g tin of Sirena tuna, so I did some maths to reduce the other ingredients in proportion – was worth it as it was perfect!

    Reply
  3. Erin says

    October 15, 2024 at 12:46 pm

    5 stars
    I made this today. I got 6 sandwiches from this recipe. Probably the bread is smaller. It was so yummy! A sandwich like this in the supermarket costs AU$8. I saved so much money making it myself. Perfect for meal prep!

    Reply
  4. Ella says

    September 11, 2024 at 7:28 am

    5 stars
    Absolutely wonderful!

    Reply
  5. Angela says

    September 3, 2024 at 12:18 pm

    5 stars
    Who knew you could elevate a humble tuna sandwich with just a few basic add-ins? Love this! Used tuna in water due to preference, but everything else was perfect.

    Reply
  6. Angela says

    September 1, 2024 at 2:39 pm

    Is it too late to get the mayonnaise recipe that uses the tuna oil? I was so excited and intrigued when I read about that.

    Reply
  7. Ellen Tannenbaum says

    July 10, 2024 at 12:48 am

    Also delicious made a bit chunkier, which is our preference.

    Reply
  8. Carol says

    July 5, 2024 at 7:45 pm

    5 stars
    Could I use my tuna dip in sandwiches?. It consists of tuns well drained (I get the one in water) a finely diced onion, and some cream cheese, enough to mix to a paste. My husband has invited 12 mates for an afternoon of watching photos of a mates trip. Terrific, what do I feed them that’s not going to have me with my head in the oven all afternoon. Any advice greatly appreciated.

    Reply
  9. Dee says

    July 1, 2024 at 7:23 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious and healthy, easy to make under 20 mins

    Reply
  10. Tish says

    June 26, 2024 at 9:57 am

    5 stars
    Too hot to cook in Southern California today. Made your Chicken salad for lunch and your tuna salad for dinner! Both recipes are fantastic!

    Reply
  11. Troy says

    March 21, 2024 at 12:29 am

    5 stars
    This is a five star recipe for sure!

    Reply
  12. Joanie says

    February 7, 2024 at 2:29 am

    5 stars
    The best, tasty, tuna salad EVER!!!! With the dill and dijon mustard, game changer.

    Reply
  13. Joa says

    January 31, 2024 at 10:39 pm

    Really yum. We are in a heat wave at the moment and my tuna sandwich felt very refreshing !! No dill at the shop so I substituted with chives.

    Reply
  14. Fiona says

    January 18, 2024 at 7:40 pm

    5 stars
    Made for dinner tonight as tooooo hot to cook. DELICIOUS!!!!! I only had a tbsp of dill which l believe is more than enough as may be abit overpowering. Will keep this up my sleeve for when summer strikes, thanks.

    Reply
  15. Ingrid says

    January 12, 2024 at 12:18 pm

    Hands down the best tuna sandwich.
    Wouldn’t have it any other way …except with JB’s special mayo recipe 😊.
    Sounds delish. Nagi, I would love to have JB’s mayo recipe using the oil from the can tuna.
    Thank you Nagi β™₯️

    Reply
  16. Liana says

    January 3, 2024 at 1:06 pm

    5 stars
    I was addicted to these tuna sambos while pregnant! I ended up using all the pickles in the jar
    each time I made them

    Reply
  17. Gerilynn Baxter says

    November 2, 2023 at 5:22 am

    5 stars
    Delicious. Made a vegan version just substituting tuna and mayo with chickpeas and vegannaise and daughter loves it. Thank you.

    Reply
  18. Andrew Ratcliffe says

    October 26, 2023 at 7:55 am

    True story. It’s 21:37 in the UK, and I’ve just decided to make a tuna sandwich. I have a nice tin of tuna on the shelf and then wonder what to do. Ahh.. Nagi, ten minutes later. The best tuna dip I’ve ever made. Let it down with lemon juice and a touch more olive oil. Toasted a pitta, and hey presto. The best snack ever. Thank you, Nagi XX

    Reply
  19. Dbell says

    October 26, 2023 at 3:50 am

    5 stars
    Skeptical at first but was pleasantly surprised. Very good recipe.

    Reply
  20. Trudy Van Gestel says

    October 20, 2023 at 8:57 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe! Perfect for a quick Friday night dinner. NO COOKING!!! πŸ˜† I added some capers as well & I rolled it into a wholemeal wrap! Very filling delicious & healthy not to mention a bit messy but well worth the fuss. Will be making this again and again! Everyone loved it including my 100 year old Dad! Thanks Nagi

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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