This question came up when I tried to ask it myself. I think it’s funny how everyone has a different idea of what goes in the salad. My friend from work is a purist. She wants nothing but tuna and mayo. No spices—nothing. I like it when you can barely tell that there’s tuna in there.
I use tuna salad to get rid of ingredients that are about to go bad. But here is a list of stuff I use
THE BASE:
tuna
mayo
dill weed (pickles are an OK substitute, but try the dill weed just once,)
Now the optional ingredients—Like I said, I make salad to get rid of old fridge stuff, so I never make it the same way twice. Here are some things I’ve put in. Though I don’t think I’ve ever put it ALL in at once, so try at your own risk.
SPICES: I usually only use fresh—not because I’m a snob but because I’m usually getting rid of leftovers from the garden. I highly suggest NOT using all the spices at once. I pick mine based on what else is going in
Fresh basil
Fresh parsley
Fresh oregano
paprika
cumin
garlic salt or powder (salt if you already put garlic in, powder if you didn’t)
lemon pepper
Onion powder (If you don’t have onions)
ground mustard seed (more subtle than mustard itself)
FRUIT and VEGGIES:
Onion
green onion
chives
garlic
celery
carrots
grape tomatoes
apples
grapes
cucumber
dill pickles
some kind of nuts (I HATE nuts. This is what my husband puts in when he doesn’t want to share)
Other:
dash of lemon juice
Parmigiana cheese