This Carrot and Tuna Salad combines pantry staples with a number of recent elements for a light-weight, satisfying, and protein-packed dish! Serve this scrumptious recipe as a facet dish, sandwich filling, bento facet, or low-carb primary course. {Vegan/Vegetarian Adaptable}
If you happen to’re searching for a easy, pantry-friendly salad with minimal prep, this Carrot and Tuna Salad is the right alternative. Filled with well-balanced, nutritious elements, it’s a win-win for a fast and wholesome primary dish or facet salad!
In search of extra wholesome salad recipes like this? Strive my Japanese Potato Salad, Japanese Cucumber Salad, and Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing recipes!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Easy elements. It requires solely a handful of recent elements and pantry staples.
- Tremendous wholesome! It’s wealthy in fiber, minerals, and vitamins—due to the carrots and heart-healthy tuna.
- Straightforward to customise. You possibly can add, swap, or substitute nearly each ingredient to save lots of time or spare you a visit to the shop.
- Generally is a hearty meal, facet dish, or snack. The addition of tuna makes the salad hearty sufficient to face alone. You possibly can benefit from the salad as is or serve it over toast, in onigirazu (rice sandwich), or on whole-grain crackers. Yum!
- Wonderful for meal prep! Carrot salad is likely one of the hottest Japanese meal-prep dishes, generally known as jobisai (常備菜). Because it shops effectively within the fridge, you can also make a big batch and luxuriate in it all through the week.
Substances for Carrot and Tuna Salad
- Carrots
- Pink onion or shallot
- Canned tuna
- Toasted black sesame seeds
- Dressing:
Discover the printable recipe with measurements beneath.
How To Make Carrot and Tuna Salad
Preparation
Step 1 – Reduce elements. Julienne the carrots, place them in a bowl, cowl with a humid paper towel, and microwave for a minute. Microwaving calmly softens them whereas nonetheless retaining a few of their crunch. Subsequent, thinly slice the purple onion (or shallots) and soak in a bowl of chilly water to take away the bitterness. Squeeze out the water and put aside.
Step 2 – Make the dressing. Whisk all of the dressing elements in a big mixing bowl.
Assemble
Step 3 – Toss to mix. Add the drained tuna to the bowl, break it into items, and coat with the dressing. Then, add the carrots, onions, and many of the black sesame seeds. Give every part one other toss.
Step 4 – Refrigerate and serve. Let the salad marinate within the fridge for no less than 1 hour earlier than serving. When able to serve, sprinkle with the remainder of black sesame seeds for a nutty crunch and a pop of shade. For non-obligatory garnishes, you may also add parsley sprigs and a lemon wedge.
Nami’s Recipe Ideas
- Use a julienne peeler – To create julienned strips, first peel the carrot. I take advantage of my Y-shaped Japanese peeler from our on-line store, JOC Items. Then, slice the carrot into lengthy, skinny strips; I take advantage of my favourite Japanese julienne peeler, additionally from JOC Items.
- Microwave to shortly tenderize the carrot – The temporary cooking time helps keep their vivid shade, pure sweetness, and crispness, providing a pleasant stability between uncooked and tender textures with out making them mushy. I cowl it with a humid paper towel and zap for 1 minute (1000W). Alternatively, you’ll be able to sprinkle the carrot strips with a tiny little bit of salt, let it sit for 3 minutes, and rinse underneath chilly water so it wilts barely.
- Versatile dressing – This vivid, zippy French dressing fantastically enhances the important thing parts of the salad. It’s so versatile—I like to recommend making a giant jar! You should utilize the dressing for different salads or roasted greens.
Variations and Customizations
- Strive totally different greens. Strive utilizing cucumbers, zucchini, and daikon radish. These are comparatively simpler to julienne than carrots.
- In search of an improve from canned tuna? I extremely suggest this model of jarred tuna. The big chunks are spectacular, and the standard is noticeably superior.
- Vegan/vegetarian? Skip the tuna and add chickpeas! It’s also possible to add grilled tofu, edamame, avocado, or different greens.
How To Serve Carrot and Tuna Salad
- As a facet dish – This salad goes effectively with any meal!
- In a sandwich – It’s fabulous as a sandwich filling! I add it to my Wanpaku Sandwich.
- As a snack – Put it on crackers as a topping and luxuriate in it as a snack.
- Packed in a bento lunch field – This salad provides a pop of vivid shade to your lunch field.
- As a primary course – I get pleasure from this salad by itself after I need to go low-carb.
Storage Ideas
To retailer: Retailer the salad in an hermetic container. It’s going to preserve effectively for 3–4 days within the fridge.
To freeze: Place the salad in an hermetic container or resealable freezer bag. Freeze for as much as a month. Thaw within the fridge in a single day. Serve chilled.
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To Put together the Substances
- Peel 2 carrots with a vegetable peeler. Then, minimize the carrots into skinny, lengthy strips with a julienne peeler. It’s also possible to julienne along with your knife utilizing the hosogiri reducing method.
Save any leftover items of carrot that you may’t peel to make use of in one other dish later. Place the julienned carrots in a microwave-safe bowl and canopy with a humid paper towel.
Cook dinner the carrots within the microwave for 1 minute (1000W) to calmly soften them. Take away the paper towel and let cool.
Thinly slice ½ purple onion. Soak the sliced onion in a bowl of chilly water to take away the bitterness.
To Make the Dressing
In the meantime, make the dressing. To a big mixing bowl, add 1 Tbsp further virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp soy sauce, ⅛ tsp freshly floor black pepper, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- Mix with a whisk. Reduce the lemon in half (reserve the additional lemon for garnish). Squeeze 2 tsp lemon juice into the dressing and whisk once more.
To Toss the Salad
Drain 1 can albacore tuna (ideally packed in olive oil) and add the tuna to the bowl. Break it into small items and coat with the dressing.
Then, add the cooled carrots and toss with the tuna.
Squeeze the water from the onion slices and add them to the bowl.
Add many of the ½ Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds to the bowl (reserving some for garnish) and provides every part one other toss.
Cowl the bowl and marinate the salad within the fridge for no less than 1 hour. Switch the Carrot and Tuna Salad to a serving plate.
Energy: 98 kcal · Carbohydrates: 10 g · Protein: 5 g · Fats: 4 g · Saturated Fats: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fats: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fats: 3 g · Ldl cholesterol: 7 mg · Sodium: 329 mg · Potassium: 310 mg · Fiber: 3 g · Sugar: 4 g · Vitamin A: 12125 IU · Vitamin C: 7 mg · Calcium: 44 mg · Iron: 1 mg