Tuna salad is a vibe. Those who love it love it and those who hate it just haven’t tasted the right tuna salad. I love it and I pretty much always have. Give me a tuna melt and I’m in HEAVEN. This miso tuna salad has been my go to forever because: miso! Miso makes everything better, it adds depth, umami and healthy probiotics.

tuna salad ingredients | www.iamafoodblog.com

The best tuna salad

This tuna salad is a simple mix because it’s one of my go-tos when I’m hungry but don’t have any groceries. It’s a little umami bomb and absolutely the perfect moreish no-carb snack. To a can of drained tuna, I stirred in a little bit of kewpie mayo, white miso instead of salt, celery for crunch, and green onions for bite. Crisp seaweed snacks are the best for scooping it up! It’s also amazing on super soft Japanese fluffy bread, toasted sourdough, or sourdough crackers.

Small Batch Sourdough Crackers

How to make miso tuna salad

  1. Super simple: mix together the miso and Kewpie until smooth and then add tuna, diced celery, and sliced green onions. Season with freshly cracked black pepper and enjoy!

Miso tuna salad ingredients

  • miso – a traditional Japanese seasoning that is pretty much found everywhere now, miso adds depth and salty umami to this tuna salad. It adds a rich savoriness and as a bonus you don’t need to season with salt.
  • kewpie mayo – this is a no brainer, kewpie mayo is so delicious, more on that below!
  • tuna – you can use any tuna you like, we’re going to drain it so it doesn’t matter too much. I usually go with a chunk tuna as opposed to flaked. I like tuna packed in water, usually light tuna because it’s supposed to have less mercury. If you want your tuna a bit more rich, you can always add more kewpie but you can’t control the flavor of oil packed tuna.
  • celery – tuna salad isn’t tuna salad without celery to add crunch.
  • green onions – sliced them up and add them for freshness and a bit of oniony bite
  • pepper – freshly cracked of course!

tuna salad | www.iamafoodblog.com

Which miso

For tuna salad I like to reach for a white miso, which is mellow and sweet. It’s called shiro miso or sweet miso and you can find it near the tofu at places like Whole Foods or at Asian grocery stores.

15 Minute Miso Coconut Chicken Ramen Recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Which mayo

Kewpie mayo, forever and always! If you’re not a mayo fan, you have to try Kewpie mayo: the ubiquitous clear, red-topped squeeze bottle of mayo found in practically every Japanese household. It’s tangy from rice vinegar, slightly sweet, and extra creamy. It is absolutely delicious  and will take this salad to the next level! Read more about kewpie here.

kewpie mayo | www.iamafoodblog.com

What else can I make with kewpie mayo?

You can use kewpie mayo anywhere you would use regular, but here are some recipes to get you started:

  • Mayo ramen – for an extra rich luxe restaurant style ramen
  • Ebi chili mayo – Deep fried tempura prawns with sweet and spicy Kewpie
  • Japanese Egg Sando (or this one)  – Japanese egg salads aren’t Japanese unless you use Kewpie. This is gonna be the best egg salad you’ll ever taste
  • Japanese potato salad – It just hits different. It’s the Kewpie!
  • Takoyaki – the classic takoyaki topped with Kewpie
  • Deviled eggs – eggs get an upgrade with Kewpie mayonnaise
  • Sushi bake – because it’s the creamiest, warmest, most satisfying casserole

 | www.iamafoodblog.com

I hope you try this tuna salad, it really is the best!
xoxo steph

 

tuna salad recipe | www.iamafoodblog.com

Miso Tuna Salad

Miso makes everything better, it adds depth, umami and healthy probiotics.
Serves 2
4.97 from 33 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp white miso
  • 2 tbsp kewpie mayo
  • 1 can tuna drained
  • 2 tbsp celery diced
  • 2 tbsp green onions sliced
  • freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Mix together the miso and kewpie until smooth. Add the drained tuna, celery and green onions.
    tuna salad ingredients | www.iamafoodblog.com
  • Mix throughly and season to taste. Enjoy on its own or on top of crackers, toast, or seaweed.
    tuna salad | www.iamafoodblog.com

Notes

Adjust the miso content to taste, miso pastes vary greatly in terms of saltiness. Also, feel free to add more kewpie mayo if needed.

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Miso Tuna Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 216 Calories from Fat 101
% Daily Value*
Fat 11.2g17%
Saturated Fat 1.8g11%
Cholesterol 45mg15%
Sodium 468mg20%
Potassium 250mg7%
Carbohydrates 2.9g1%
Fiber 0.7g3%
Sugar 0.8g1%
Protein 22.2g44%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
miso tuna salad recipe - www.iamafoodblog.com
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26 Comments

  1. i love the flavor of miso, and korean seaweed can make anything taste good! will have to try this on a hot, lazy day.

  2. Sasha von Oldershausen says:

    If you don’t have access to kewpie mayonnaise, would regular mayonnaise work ok here, too?

    1. Stephanie Le says:

      yes, for sure! you might want to add a touch of rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar for a bit more of a kewpie mayo taste, but it’ll taste just as good with plain mayo.

  3. Heather says:

    I’m with you – I used to be a big time mayo hater but I’m slowly coming around to it. I still don’t like super mayo heavy pasta or potato salads, but when I was in Chile (where they are mayo-obsessed) I had hot dogs slathered in it and they were actually delicious! I keep meaning to buy kewpie mayo – I pretty much love any Japanese food so I’m pretty sure I’ll be a fan!

    1. Y says:

      Mayo hater but miso lover. I’ll have to find a way to make this work

      1. Emc says:

        You can use small curd cottage cheese, instead. You will be amazed at how good it is in place of Mayo.

  4. James McNulty says:

    This sounds really great. Add a little rehydrated seaweed, some cucumber for crunch, a shallot, or???
    I use Miso all the time in soups, stews, vegetables, etc. Keeps forever in fridge because it is so salty. It also comes in a lower sodium formulation which is what I use.

  5. mayo + tune = match made in heaven!!! and the addition of miso is super cool! also, those cartoons in the header are totally adorable!!!!!!!! x

  6. 5 stars
    Mayo-lover over here! Definitely want to try this, though I’d probably end up putting it all between a couple slices of bread.

  7. 5 stars
    Great idea adding seaweed! Thank you for the recipe :) Pinned

  8. Mani says:

    5 stars
    This sounds great! I’m a little obsessed with kewpie mayonnaise haha, it’s especially good with a bit of Sriracha to make chilli mayo :)

  9. cynthia says:

    5 stars
    omg I LOVE this!! You make miso magic, lady — still not over that miso + mustard genius in your beautiful green bean salad, and now miso + MAYO (my favorite thing ever, lololol #fattylife). This is so great.

  10. Nikki says:

    5 stars
    I made this for lunch twice this week! I didn’t have kewpie mayo so I used light mayo and subbed the celery for pickled jalapeños. I made a basic tuna sandwich with it and it was SO EFFING GOOD. I’ll be making this all the time now. My tuna game has been forever changed.

  11. Laurence says:

    5 stars
    Love it!

  12. Ro says:

    5 stars
    This was amazing! I hate canned tuna and am always looking for ways to make it good. This is exceptional.

    I had to make my own Kewpie Mayo from a recipe I found on serious eats and frankly had to sub a few items… I’d say straight Mayo with rice vinegar and Miso would recreate what I came up with.

    The Kewpie Mayo on its own was super unique and tasty but it didn’t stand up to the white Miso at all… Which is odd because it’s a spicier stinger flavor than American Mayo.

    Anyhow I just ate 3 cans of tuna and wanted to offer a big thanks and kudos for a great creation.

  13. Linda says:

    5 stars
    I made this today and used red pepper instead of celery. Delicious! Didn’t know miso would taste great with kewpie mayo! Will definitely make this again in the future :)

  14. Allyssa says:

    5 stars
    I don’t like Mayo either so I usually add half mayo and half mustard for tuna salad and it went really well with the miso. I didn’t have celery so I added some radish for crunch and served it with avocados. SO GOOD! Thanks for the awesome recipe. I’m a huge fan of your blog :)

  15. Ioana says:

    5 stars
    This sound so good. I have never used miso paste for any meals that aren’t soups. I’ll have to try it soon!

  16. David says:

    5 stars
    Will try this basic “sea chicken”* mix in onigirazu, asnpart of a bento box lunch.

    * Japanese call tuna salad of this type, “sea chicken.” It is a huge fave in Japan especially among the young and konbini crowd (konbini are convenience stores).
    As near as I can determine, the name stems from the American marketing of “Chicken of the Sea,” brand canned tuna!

  17. Ady says:

    5 stars
    This turned out amazing!!! i was a little suspicious about the miso at first as it could be quite salty by itself, but WOW, that was the best part! it adds so much umami to the usual basic “tuna salad sandwich”.

    I just want to say thank you x 10000 for all the recipes you’ve shared on this blog. I go through your recipe archive everyday to figure out what to make for the next meal because all the recipes are right up our alley – eg. we especially love all your Japanese, Vietnamese, and Chinese recipes!! Before i found your blog, i could barely cook… and a year later (and with covid forcing us to cook at home everyday), my husband can’t stop bragging to his friends how well i can cook now… and i feel like i owe this credit to you guys!!

    1. Stephanie says:

      ady,
      this is the sweetest comment ever :) you made our day!

  18. Rose says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is quick to make & incredibly delicious! I love the umami punch it carries. Served it on roasted seaweed & topped with toasted sesame seeds. Definitely a winner!

  19. Sara says:

    5 stars
    This is delicious! I made it exactly as written and it was great but me being me i had to kick it up a few notches.. i added a tiny bit of red onion in addition to the green, i diced up and added some pickled jalapenos, and added some wasabi…after this i felt like it was missing something so i added a small amout of dill relish (a classic in my go to tuna salad mix).. It is amazing! The relish gave it that little kiss of sweetness it was missing. Its amazing! Thank you so much for the inspo!

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