This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Give your regular tuna sandwich a high octane upgrade with this spicy tuna salad recipe. A little bit of hot sauce and some jarred jalapeños bring the heat to this anything-but-boring tuna salad. You’re going to look forward to lunch all morning long!

spicy tuna salad in a bowl with crackers

Spicy Tuna Salad

I have always loved tuna salad, but sometimes I just feel the need to change it up. This zesty tuna can be as hot or as mild as you’d like it, depending on the oomph your jarred jalapeños pack.

Many major brands label their canned peppers as mild, medium, or hot, so choose accordingly! And if you -like we do- love some fire, use “hot” canned peppers, go for it with the hot sauce, and add the optional cayenne pepper.

Whatever you do, don’t skip the crunchy celery and onion! The texture they bring to the party makes this tuna salad hard to stop eating! And the cilantro adds a burst of freshness that really makes you want more.

Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email and we’ll send it to you – plus new recipes sent daily!
ingredients for spicy tuna salad in a bowl

Spicy Tuna Fish Salad

My first thought after eating a giant serving of the salad plain was that it would make a killer pasta salad and boy was I right! To turn this into a pasta salad, double the dressing and add 8 ounces of bite-size pasta.

spicy tuna salad in a bowl with a spoon

Spicy Tuna Salad Recipe

Not a fan of tuna? This salad is terrific with leftover rotisserie chicken, too. Whether you eat it with whole wheat sandwich bread or crackers, it’s destined to go into your regular recipe rotation.

a hand holding spicy tuna salad on a cracker

Spicy Tuna Salad

Avatar photoMary Younkin
Give your regular tuna sandwich a high octane upgrade with this spicy tuna salad recipe. A little bit of hot sauce and some jarred jalapeños bring the heat to this anything-but-boring tuna salad.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 

Dressing Ingredients

  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons Cholula hot sauce adjust to taste
  • 2 teaspoons juice from jarred jalapenos
  • teaspoon kosher salt, adjust to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • teaspoon cayenne pepper OPTIONAL

Tuna Ingredients

  • 10-12 ounces tuna in water well-drained
  • ½ cup jarred sliced jalapenos chopped small
  • ¼ cup celery very thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons red onion very thinly sliced and chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped small

Instructions 

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, hot sauce, jalapeno juice, salt, and peppers. Add the tuna, jalapeno, celery, onion, and cilantro. Stir to mix well.
  • Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Not a fan of tuna? This salad is terrific with chicken too.

Nutrition

Calories: 261 kcal | Carbohydrates: 2 g | Protein: 14 g | Fat: 22 g | Saturated Fat: 3 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g | Trans Fat: 0.1 g | Cholesterol: 37 mg | Sodium: 466 mg | Potassium: 176 mg | Fiber: 0.4 g | Sugar: 1 g | Vitamin A: 201 IU | Vitamin C: 4 mg | Calcium: 22 mg | Iron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

spicy tuna salad in a bowl with crackers and text overlay describing the photo

You May Also Like

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rating