My Asian-style everyday tuna salad

Whenever we have something ricey for dinner (which these days means chia seedy or quinoa too – we throw in a handful or two with the rice), I always cook a little extra to make one of my favourite lunch dishes. I have about 100 variations on the humble, everyday tuna salad and this is one of my best. It’s wholesome and hearty but still light and enjoyable for lunch. Anything too heavy for lunch sends me to Slumpsville by 3pm. Not conducive to a happy pick-up time, let me tell you!

I pretty much eat some variation on a tuna salad every single day for lunch. I will probably die of mercury poisoning, but I will die happy. Mind you, if it’s not Sierna tuna, I won’t touch it. I don’t know why, but I LOVE Sirena and LOATHE all other brands of tuna. I can’t even claim that I only use the expensive brand for their save-the-seas ‘one fish, one line’ policy. I just like it.

You can omit anything you don’t like in this everyday tuna salad and add anything you do. The dressing (a modified, less oily Changs) is powerful enough to take some big flavours (think red cabbage, carrots, roasted pumpkin or capsicum), but I prefer sticking with the mild greens (think spinach, cucumber or sugar snap peas). The quantities are an estimate – throw in whatever looks about right.

Everyday tuna salad

Makes 1 big serve or 2 smaller serves
Takes moments

1 95g tin tuna (I like Sirena, but any will do)

¾ cup cooked brown rice with added chia seeds (or quinoa is good too)

1 cup rocket (or baby spinach, or any other greens you like)

¼ red onion, finely sliced

5 baby tomatoes, halved

1 stick celery, thinly sliced

1 sprig lemon thyme (bit posh, omit if you don’t have any, but adds a little something-something if you do)

1 tsp sunflower seeds
1 tsp flaxseeds

Dressing

1 tsp white vinegar
½ tsp lemon juice
½ tsp raw sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 ½ tsp sesame oil

Mix all the salad ingredients together in a bowl.

Put all the dressing ingredients into a screw-top jar, pop on the lid and shake, shake, shake your cares away.

Add the dressing to the salad mix (you can store any leftover dressing in the jar in the fridge for about a week, probably more).

Enjoy!