Salmon is king for a switch up for classic tuna salad

Salmon may be my favorite fish.

More than 30 years ago, I broiled salmon fillets seasoned with salt, pepper and dried dill for dinner nearly every Friday. What a treat.

Over the years, I’ve learned a lot about salmon, which is honestly disheartening. Wild-caught salmon still ranks up there as a healthy fish, rich in natural omega-3 fats.

Farmed salmon has some serious issues. Atlantic salmon, which used to be plentiful, is now endangered. That means salmon sold as Atlantic salmon is all farmed.

In an article published in 2022, Time magazine wrote: “Many experts and scientific studies cast doubt on the blanket claim that salmon should be part of a healthy diet when the fish comes from open-net farms.”

Hmmmm.

That’s why, for me, if I’m going to enjoy salmon, it must be wild-caught. Fortunately, I have a source of canned, wild-caught salmon (vitalchoice.com) from which I make my salmon salad.

The best source for omega-3s is natural fish, not pills. And since there are issues in terms of overfishing, a while back, I tried a new-for-me fish: sardines. Since sardines are caught young and small, concern over mercury is negligible.

For Nan, however, sardines are an “ick” fish. Probably some learned sense from earlier in her life when sardines were too fishy tasting compared to tuna.

I found a terrific brand of sardines fished from the ocean near Portugal that come in organic extra virgin olive oil. The first ones I used for salad. I wanted to avoid tuna due to its mercury issues, so I made a sardine salad using my tuna salad recipe.

I blended the olive oil from the sardines with some mayonnaise, which looked like regular mayo. I smashed up the boneless, skinless sardines just as I did tuna. Then I added onion, diced celery, no-sugar sweet pickle relish (homemade; the recipe is shared in another column), plus the usual salt and pepper. One new addition made all the difference: finely chopped apple (I like Opal apples, but any firm sweet apple works). Whatever fishiness sardines may have is softened by the apple.

Today, since I had a perfectly ripe avocado available as a vessel for the salmon salad, I also drizzled a little high-quality balsamic vinegar on top. That combination elevated my salmon salad to something special.

After calculating my salmon salad’s nutritional analysis (without the balsamic vinegar), I realized it’s a real winner since it is low in carbs (1.8 gm) and high in omega-3 fat (27.5 grams).

Give it a try.

• Don Mauer welcomes questions, comments and recipe makeover requests. Write to him at 1leanwizard@gmail.com.

Don’s Low-Carb Salmon Salad

2 (6-ounce or equivalent) packages or cans, water-packed, wild-caught, skinless and boneless sockeye salmon, drained

1/4 medium yellow or red onion (about 3 ounces), cut into 1/4-inch dice

8 (about 1 ounce) green olives, cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 medium stalks celery, strings removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley leaves

3/4 cup good-quality mayonnaise, more if needed*

2 tablespoons sugar-free sweet pickle relish

1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Add the drained salmon to a medium mixing bowl and, using a fork, break apart into small pieces. Add the onion, olives, celery and parsley to the bowl and stir together until combined. Add the mayonnaise, pickle relish, salt and pepper. Using a rubber spatula, stir and toss until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Nutrition values per serving (serves 6): 317 calories (78% from fat), 27.5 g fat (4.5 g saturated fat), 1.8 g carbohydrates (1.3 net carbs), 1 g sugars, 0.5 g fiber, 82 g protein, 20 mg cholesterol, 469 mg sodium.

*I prefer mayonnaise made with avocado oil over mayonnaise made with soybean or canola oil.

Suggestions: This can be made with canned, extra virgin olive oil-packed wild, skinless and boneless sardines. Add the oil from the sardines and mayo to a bowl and whisk together until combined. Follow the recipe and add 1/4 to 1/2 apple cored and diced.

This recipe can also be used with canned wild mackerel in extra virgin olive, along with added apple.

Of course, this recipe, with or without the apple, can be used to make tuna salad, either water-packed tuna or extra virgin olive oil-packed tuna.

— Don Mauer