Healthy Tuna Salad Meal Prep

When it comes to tuna meal prep, this post is everything you need. It covers fresh tuna and canned tuna recipes, as well as popular ingredients and substitutions. There are also tips, tricks, and everything in between. Whether you plan to load up on creamy tuna salad, crispy tuna patties, or impressive tuna towers with mango, there’s a recipe here that’ll get you through the week. 

Tuna Prep Meals: Ingredients & Substitutions

The ingredients and substitutions you need will depend on what tuna meal prep recipes you come up with. Is it a raw, fresh tuna recipe or does it involve cooking? Are you using canned tuna? What cuisine are you going for? The answers to all these questions will help you define the best ingredients and possible swaps for each one. 

• Fresh tuna:
  

  Bluefin, sushi-grade tuna is the highest quality and best-tasting type. It’s considered one of the fattiest types of tuna, has a much stronger flavor, and the meat is redder when compared to yellowfin tuna. 

• Canned tuna:

  Skipjack, white albacore, and yellowfin tuna are the most common types of canned tuna. Use them interchangeably as long as there’s no soy content in the brand’s ingredients. Some will be canned with water and others with oil. Tuna canned with oil typically has a stronger flavor, but use whichever you prefer.

• Mayonnaise:

  Most meal prep tuna salads are mixed with mayo for creamy richness. If you’re trying to cut back on fat, try unsweetened plain Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream instead. Avocado seed mayo is a healthy alternative too if you don’t mind the nuttiness that comes with it.

• Sriracha:

  I love Sriracha as much as the next person, but Korean Gochujang chili paste is the next best thing to maintain a similar Asian flavor profile. Otherwise, you could swap it for Frank’s red hot sauce.

• Veggies:

  Carrots, peas, and sweet corn are the most common veggies used in healthy tuna salad meal preps. Feel free to use fresh, frozen, or canned ones. If frozen, they need to be completely thawed and drained. If they’re canned, give them a good rinse and then strain them well before adding them to the recipe.

• Cucumbers:

  Cucumbers are popular additions to fresh tuna recipes like sushi and poke bowls. Persian and Japanese cucumbers are best because they have fewer seeds, so they don’t soften quickly or release lots of moisture into foods. Try to avoid English cucumbers.

• Rice:

  For poke bowls and towers, use Japanese short-grain rice specifically for sushi. The rice grains will stick to one another and hold their shape a lot better. For regular bowls and casseroles try Jasmine, Basmati, brown, or wild rice. If you want a low-carb version, go for cauliflower rice.

Tuna Prep Meals: Tips & Tricks

Fresh and canned tuna are highly versatile ingredients. You can enjoy them cooked, raw, marinated, baked, etc. There are limitless ways to prepare, season, and serve this fish. Fortunately, that gives you lots to work with if your tuna meal prep ideas and cravings change throughout the week. Don’t feel trapped because pivoting is easy if you know what to do and avoid when prepping the tuna.

• Drain it well:

  When using canned tuna, it’s best to drain it well to prevent excess moisture from getting into your recipe. Never add the contents straight from the can into your mixing bowl or casserole dish unless specified by the recipe.

• Watch the temperature:

  The best way to prevent bacteria build-up in fresh tuna is to refrigerate it below 40F.

• Go against the grain:

  Think of fresh tuna as a freshly grilled beef steak. It’s hard to cut in the grain’s direction, so always slice against the grain for the cleanest cuts and perfect slices.

• Use a sharp knife:

  Never slice fresh tuna with a blunt knife because you’ll squish the meat and pull on some of the fibers. Stick to sharp knives at all times.

• Wait until semi-frozen:

  If you don’t trust your knife skills, wait until the frozen tuna steak is somewhat thawed before slicing it with a sharp knife. It’ll be much easier to cut into because the meat is still somewhat firm. Let it finish thawing completely once you’ve sliced it.

• Buy frozen:

  Unless you trust your fishmonger, it’s always best to buy frozen tuna instead of fresh, raw steaks. Frozen tuna is more likely to have been frozen soon after being caught and processed, reducing the potential amount of bacteria that could’ve built up. On the other hand, fresh tuna is more likely to have been mishandled, misplaced, and refrigerated at unsafe temperatures at some point in the supply chain.

Tuna Meal Prep Recipes

With these simple but flavorful recipes, you can turn fancy poke towers and juicy burgers into easy weeknight dinners that are ready to be served the minute you get home.