How To Make Matthew McConaughey's Unique Tuna Salad

I had to try it. I had to investigate whether this viral Matthew McConaughey Tuna Salad is really "the" badass tuna fish salad recipe he proclaims. This homemade tuna fish salad is far from a seemingly simple deli salad. It has a long list of all kinds of things to include. McConaughey's ingredient list includes tinned fish, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, dill pickle gherkins, chopped-up crispy jalapeño chips, Italian dressing and frozen green peas. If you move quick, you can nail this healthy recipe for tuna salad in 20 minutes.

> In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Matthew McConaughey's Famous Tuna Salad Recipe  

During an episode of the podcast "2 Bears, 1 Cave" with Tom Segura and Bert Kreischer, actor Matthew McConaughey proclaims, "I'm a tuna fish salad master. Every Sunday night, clean out the fridge, Machito style, gonna make a badass tuna fish to last through the week." with his wife Camila Alves McConaughey. Matthew McConaughey is best known for his films, such as Dallas Buyers Club, Interstellar, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with Kate Hudson.

His chopped tuna salad went viral on TikTok, and we have to test it ourselves to see whether the lengthy recipe achieves celebrity chef status or is just ridiculously mid.

Well, naturally, we decided to test this recipe.  

Check out this quick story summary of our recipe!

Jump to:

• > In This Post: Everything You'll Need For Matthew McConaughey's Famous Tuna Salad Recipe
• Celebrity Chef Tuna Salad
• What Makes A Good Tuna Salad?
• Ingredients and Substitutes
• Instructions
• How To Meal Prep Chopped Tuna Salad
• > Recipe Card
• How To Make Matthew McConaughey's Unique Tuna Salad

Celebrity Chef Tuna Salad

Of course, Matthew McConaughey is not the only celebrity who makes a good-looking salad with corn and tuna fish salad. There are many celebrity tuna salad recipes in the Celebrity Chef World relmn.

Does it compare to Gordon Ramsay's best ahi tuna salad bowl with olive tapenade, Triscuit crackers, French green bean salad, and a runny quail egg? Valerie Bertinelli's tuna salad leans into her Italian heritage. She creates Italian tuna, mayo, capers, sweet pickle relish, Dijon mustard, sweet and hot cherry peppers, and hard-boiled eggs.

Meanwhile, how do you make Paula Deen's tuna salad? Combine the tuna, eggs, mayonnaise, lemon juice, chives, celery, relish, and onion in a mixing bowl. Or maybe you prefer Chrissy Teigen's recipe in the form of a tuna melt on a sandwich with tomato and cheese.

What Makes A Good Tuna Salad?

Simple canned fish recipes like this 15-minute Garlic Butter Canned Tuna Pasta are perfect when you are in a pinch, have a busy night or have no time for the grocery store.

There's no right or wrong way to make an easy, healthy tuna salad. At its core, a tuna salad is made with pre-cooked, canned tuna fish and mayonnaise.

McConaughey's version is worth trying, but it is more like a kitchen sink style with unexpected ingredients and little pops of bright colour. We love that he added crunchy jalapeno chips. It adds an undeniably perfect combination of crunch!

Of course, masterful McConaughey's tuna salad recipe needed to provide precise measurements. After all, when we make our healthy tuna pasta salad at home, we always say to use your best judgment and develop your personal recipe!

So, we've tweaked Matthew McConaughey's tuna salad a little to make it ours!

Ingredients and Substitutes

Let's recreate a creative tuna salad recipe that's refreshing with some crunch. There is a long list of ingredients in the bougie tuna salad, but each brings a different element to the flavour profile. It is not a chunky tuna salad you can whip up in minutes.

We suggest double-batching this for meal prepping. It taste even better the next day! Bulk it up into an easy chickpea tuna salad or healthy cold tuna pasta salad for lunch!

Canned Tuna Fish - He didn't specify his brand, so I went with my go-to Ocean's Flaked White Albacore Tuna. We love that they are MSC sustainable and Ocean Wise.

Apples - Any type of apples will do. However, we prefer tangier and crispy ones like Ambrosia, Fuji, or Pink Lady.

Corn Kernels - I have frozen corn in my freezer and will find any excuse to add corn to my recipes. I love a simple summer corn salad, spicy miso air fryer corn ribs or blistered air fryer corn on the cob!

Frozen Green Peas - I use green peas and edamame interchangeably. I prefer edamame soybeans instead. It has a better bite and does not get soggy.

Red Onions - Chopped red onion bring a nice spicy kick to the tuna salad. Shallots are excellent, too.

Dill Pickle Gherkins - dill pickles and Gherkins are both delicious. Gherkins are dill pickles without the dill herby mixture. I love dill and will often include fresh dill where it makes sense! The sour tany profile and crunchy bite are excellent for cutting through the heaviness of the mayonnaise.

Lemon Juice - Fresh lemon juice is always the correct answer. Bottled lemon juice tastes bitter and dull. Fresh lemons have a distinct citrus aroma, which I appreciate.

White Wine Vinegar - White wine vinegar has many purposes, including making vinaigrette in salad dressings, brining and pickling. Sometimes, I use the brine in capers or my dill-pickled gherkins instead. Another great substitute for white wine vinegar is apple cider vinegar. It has a similar acidity level and flavour profile to white wine that can be used in a 1:1 ratio.

Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise - If you never tried Kewpie mayo, I highly suggest you do. Compared to regular mayo, Kewpie mayonnaise is made with egg yolks instead of whole eggs. It is smoother, richer and has a more velvety texture. Japanese mayo also has a tangy-sweet, umami-rich flavour profile. It is sweeter and richer than American mayonnaise!

Agave Syrup - he lost me at Agave. I did not see the purpose of adding this sweetener. I tried adding Agave once but did not enjoy its sweetness. So, I skipped it in my adapted version.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil - There are several reasons to add extra virgin olive oil to salads, such as enhancing flavour, health benefits and its ability to help the body absorb carotenoids and nutrients from vegetables. A dash of olive oil also makes the salad less dry!

Wasabi Paste - It is not often we have fresh wasabi at home. But we usually have wasabi paste. I see the appeal of adding a dollop of horseradish to give the apple tuna salad a nice punch.  

Jalapeno Chips - McConaughey's recipe adds crushed jalapeno chips for a nice crunchy texture. Hardbite Wasabi Ranch Potato Chips is a great alternative that adds a wasabi profile.

Optional Ingredients

Fresh Dill Herbs - this wonderful herb adds a tangy profile to the salad.

Celery - There are two types of people. Either you are in Camp Celery or someone who believes that celery needs to be left out of tuna salads and finds the crunchy texture a turn-off. A little is needed. Dice it into small 6mm cubes - a classic Mirepoix uniform. There isn't a celery substitute in tuna salad. However, if celery tastes soapy to you, just omit it.

Capers - I love adding capers to my salads and pasta. Capers enhance flavours and textures with tangy, salty, and slightly herbal notes. Their brine is the perfect addition to the white vinegar salad dressing. Pickle capers in tuna salad lift and contrast-rich, fatty foods.

Most dry goods ingredients, tools, and supplies can be purchased at local Asian markets, Chinese grocery stores, or Amazon Online. Amazon Prime members receive free shipping and faster delivery times.

Instructions

This eggless tuna salad recipe comes with great texture and flavour. It will take a little time to prepare. This celebrity healthy, easy tuna salad recipe can be made in small batches or meal-prepped. Enjoy it alone, in a sandwich or with your favourite pasta! There is a lot of textural contrast to give this salad a more elevated take.

Follow our step-by-step instructions to ace McConaughey's go-to high-end tuna recipe!

Wash and pat dry vegetables and apples with paper towels. Trim both ends and cut into approximately 6-mm cubes.

Dice Dill Pickle Gherkins into 6-mm cubes.

Give your fresh dill herbs a rough chop. Reserve for later.

With a can opener, open canned tuna and drain well. Even if the kind of tuna is in olive oil, you should still get rid of that oil. It is always a good idea to use fresh olive oil. Use your best judgment.

In a large mixing bowl, all the ingredients, such as drained canned tuna, chopped vegetables, red onions or shallots, dill gherkins, chopped apples, frozen or fresh corn kernels, frozen green peas or edamame and salad dressing (olive oil, mayo, wasabi paste, salt and pepper to taste).

Add additional ingredients if desired.

Lastly, fold in crushed jalapeno chips and fresh dill herbs.

Garnish with home grown baby sprouts.

Serve and enjoy.

Pro Tip: Saran wraps the mixing bowl or put the corn and tuna salad in an airtight container. This salad tastes better after refrigeration because the flavours have time to mingle and develop.

How To Meal Prep Chopped Tuna Salad

You can efficiently incorporate this corn tuna salad recipe into your healthy family meal on a budget. Whether making freezer meals, making ahead for one, or batching, store the meal-prepped dill-herbed tuna salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.  

Adding chickpeas and pasta is a great way to bulk up and turn a simple tuna salad into a high-protein tuna pasta salad. My daughter's favourite is bow tie tuna pasta salad. She swears that bow-tie pasta has the best pasta-to-tuna salad ratio! I'm just glad that she enjoys the fruits of my culinary labour!

Healthy cold tuna pasta salad for lunch is the best way to beat the summer heat for an office lunch!

Other Homemade Canned Fish Recipes You'll Love

If you love apples in tuna salad, you may also like our blog's simple canned fish recipes. They're a total change of texture and flavour, but they're readers' favourites!

15 minutes Canned Tuna Pasta

Easy Salmon Patties Recipe

What To Serve With Tuna Salad

This great recipe is a flavourful tuna salad. It would go great with tortilla chips or a high-protein keto wrap. Maybe start the morning off with a high protein matcha latte too!

I'd love to see how you've used my recipes! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @INSTANOMSS #INSTANOMSS.

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