Easy, Great Tuna Fish Salad

I was a middle-school kid when I discovered how to make the perfect tuna fish. My older sister asked if I would make her a tuna sandwich, so half out of spite I decided to make her the most extreme tuna I could. I didn’t merely squeeze the can, I squeezed it with all my might, for as long as I could. I didn’t just mash it, I mashed the tuna so finely that it was like a powder. I added mayo, and wow! The best tuna I could imagine! Even my sister was impressed.

So here are my suggestions for making the perfect tuna fish. First, buy good albacore tuna. (I’ve been disappointed only by Starkist.) Use a metal “tuna can strainer” to vigorously squeeze out every last bit of water or oil. Use a pastry cutter, the type that has dull blades rather than wires, to mash the tuna (in a large bowl). Give it about 100 quick ‘grinds’, about a minute, to get it powdery. If your arm aches, pretend you’re working out at a gym. Last, add mayo, and optionally some finely chopped celery, onion, or scallion. I add a lot of mayonnaise, about 3-4 Tbsp per tuna can. Mix it thoroughly; you want each tiny flake of tuna covered in a thin layer of mayonnaise for a smooth, even, mild taste. (It’s worth buying the gadgets even if you use them only occasionally for tuna.)

Cole Slaw

I shudder when I see people pay a fortune for a little container of deli coleslaw. Buy a package of shredded cabbage (about 14 oz) from your supermarket and mix up the following in a large bowl:

• About 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 scallions or 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp mild vinegar (regular white, or Asian Rice Vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• Juice of 1/4 or 1/3 lemon

After mixing it well, add the shredded cabbage, stir until the cabbage seems evenly covered, and let it sit in the refrigerator until you need it.

Pitchers of Tea

I try to keep two types of cold tea in my refrigerator all summer long. First, I add three tea bags to a quart pitcher of water, and let it steep in the refrigerator. (I prefer black tea to pekoe tea, and I like the Red Rose brand.) That’s for those who don’t want sweet tea.

For my kids who insist on sweetened tea, I compromise. I use one of those mixes like 4C with lemon and sugar, which I mix at half strength. Then, I toss in a few tea bags to bring it up to strength and add some “real” tea flavor. Let it steep in your refrigerator for at least an hour, and when your kids come running in on a hot day, that’s what they’ll grab. Of course, you can make better tea completely from scratch, but you might like this time saver.

Limeade

• One scant cup sugar
• One cup lime juice (store-bought or fresh squeezed)
• 7 to 8 cups water

Mix it all up, stick it in the refrigerator, and you’ve got a great half gallon of limeade. It may seem like a lot of sugar, but it just balances the acidity of the lime juice. This recipe does not work with bottled lemon juice, for some reason, only lime juice, so for lemonade you must buy a bunch of lemons and squeeze them yourself.

I happen to have a big pot of peppermint growing in my garden (it must be in a pot or it will spread wildly). I cut off a footlong stem, rinse it, roll it into a ball to crush the leaves, and drop it in a half gallon of limeade. It makes a great lime-mint tea. I picked that idea up from the delightful Zula restaurant in Englewood.

Chickpea Salad

Adapted from a company’s recipe I got from a can, decades ago. This recipe is just perfectly balanced, a real treat in each bite. And on the second day, the flavors are even better (Shabbat lunch!)

• 16 oz canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1/2 a red pepper, diced
• 1/2 a small red onion or vidalia onion, finely diced
• 1 to 2 tsp Mexican oregano, or regular oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 to 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar, to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
• Salt / pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients except the chickpeas. Then add the chickpeas and mix it up. I buy Mexican oregano that tastes similar to marjoram or the usual Greek oregano, but it’s a different plant entirely. I get mine from Spice Jungle (KSA) on Amazon.

Corn Salad

Suppose corn was on sale at the supermarket, you cooked it all up and now you have leftovers. Try this recipe. Almost any ingredient can be either doubled or omitted, and the results will still be fine.

• 2 cups of cooked corn (3 to 4 ears, kernels sliced off)
• 1 avocado, pitted, scooped out, diced small
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, preferably cut in half
• 1 (14 oz) can of black beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, preferably extra virgin
• 1 or 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp lime zest (optional)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Combine the first four ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the remaining ingredients, pour them into the bowl, and gently stir.

By the way, here’s my foolproof way to cook corn without overcooking it: in a large pot with an inch of boiling water, stack the corn like log cabin beams so they barely touch, and steam them for 8-10 minutes, covered. Or else first load them into a pot with 1-1/2 cups cold water, put it on a medium fire and let it go for exactly 18 minutes, covered. Fancy “steamer inserts” seem to make very little difference. If you use induction, which reaches boiling quicker, adjust the time down by a few minutes.

Hummus

Who doesn’t like hummus? One of my sons has been working his way steadily through Sara Lewis’ fine cookbook, trying every variety. Here I’ll just give you a basic easy recipe.

• 1 can (about 15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup Israeli tahini (stir it well!) or more to your taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, e.g. extra virgin
• 1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp kosher salt or 1/2 tsp table salt

In a Cuisinart-style food processor, or using an immersion blender, add everything except the chickpeas and mix well until it seems fluffy or foamy. Then add the chickpeas in two or three batches. If it gets too thick, drizzle in a bit more oil and/or cold water, until it loosens and mixes to a smooth consistency.

As variations, try adding ingredients like: sriracha or harissa sauce, za’atar, lemon zest, lime juice, parsley or cilantro, spinach, good quality pine nuts, smoked paprika or any spice blend you like. On Amazon, check out “Teeny Tiny Spice Co.” (EarthKosher) or “Spice Jungle” (KSA) for great spice blends.

Dan Dyckman received his M.D. from Brown University in 1984, followed by an internship year in a Connecticut hospital, a Masters Degree in Biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health in 1987, and a Computer Science degree from U.C.Berkeley in 1991. He is now retired.