Crunchy Tuna Salad with Apples

By drbabs • September 30, 2010 • 2 Comments

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Author Notes: When I was in optometry school, my best friend Nancy and I shared a bedroom at the dean's house. (Yes, we were insane. We only did it for a year. It was a long year.) We weren't allowed to cook, but we had a small refrigerator outside the bedroom and a shelf where we could store cereal, bread and staples like canned tuna. We ate a lot of tuna that year, and managed to make it palatable by adding flavorful and crunchy ingredients. I still bring tuna salad to work occasionally for lunch, and this is one version that I really like. - drbabs

Serves 2

1 6 ounce can tuna packed in olive, flaked and broken up into small pieces oil
1/2 honeycrisp (or other crisp sweet apple) cut into small dice
1/2 Granny Smith (or other crisp tart apple), cut into small dice
1/4 red pepper, chopped into tiny pieces
1/4 fennel heart, chopped into tiny pieces
1 small stalk celery heart, cut into tiny pieces
salt and pepper to taste
zest of one small lemon
lemon juice to taste
1 cup finely chopped baby arugula
olive oil as needed
2 teaspoons toasted pine nuts

In a large bowl, mix together tuna, apple, red pepper, fennel and celery. Taste and add salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. Toss with baby arugula. Taste again and adjust seasoning. You might need more oil or lemon juice, or it might be fine.
Toss with toasted pine nuts and serve immediately.