It took me a while to come around to macaroni salad, and I’m still learning to love potato salad. But I don’t remember ever not liking tuna salad. Something about that salty fish-creamy base combination has always clicked with me; it must be the same alchemy behind smoked salmon on cream cheese, or sardines on buttered toast. For years, my deli order was a tuna salad sandwich on whole wheat with pickled peppers, a Dr. Brown’s cream soda and a small bag of Cape Cod reduced fat potato chips. (The reduced fat kind are crunchier. I cannot explain this.)
So as we look to Memorial Day weekend and the delicious food it may bring, I’m earmarking Lidey Heuck’s tuna pasta salad. Lidey adds peas and dill (or parsley) for extra pops of freshness, and the requisite chopped celery and red onion add crunch. Greek yogurt, mustard and lemon juice add plenty of tang to keep things interesting, and you can use whatever small pasta shape you like. I’m partial to small shells for any pasta salad where peas are involved; getting a little pea nestled into a little shell is so satisfying.
Featured Recipe
Tuna Pasta Salad
Today’s specials:
Jalapeño grilled chicken breasts: When Eric Kim described his new recipe to the New York Times Cooking team, he declared these the juiciest chicken breasts he’s ever made. A cast-iron or grill pan (plus the hood vent and some open windows) will work just fine if you, like me, don’t have an outdoor grill.
Sheet-pan paneer tikka: “A one-pan meal of sweet, crunchy veggies and luxuriously spiced paneer in under 30 minutes” is how Zainab Shah describes her dish. “Really ridiculously good” is how Caro, a reader, describes it.
Browned-butter rhubarb crisp: I make a point of eating as much rhubarb as humanly possible while it’s in season. Share this simple but luxe Yossy Arefi dish with friends at your next cookout (don’t forget the vanilla ice cream), but keep the leftovers for yourself to eat with yogurt for breakfast.
The post Tuna Salad, but Make It Pasta appeared first on New York Times.
