Tangy Carrot-Tuna Salad

The other day, I was excited to find gorgeous bunches of carrots with lush carrot greens intact. At the time, my plan was to make a pot of carrot soup with ginger and other spices but all of the sudden, I’m experiencing summer like temperature where I live! So instead of a steaming pot of soup, I quickly changed my plans and made a bowl of carrot tuna salad that I usually make in the summer.

This is a summery dish, but I tried to maintain the fall color mode with my tableware at least with pieces from classic British manufacturers, Churchill China, Burleigh, & Spode. Love the warm colors of burnt orange, red and white and plum together on the table!

What You Need to Make This Delicious Salad

This is a light yet satisfying salad you can make quickly, especially during a busy weekday. Main ingredients you need are:

• 4-5 medium carrots with carrot tops – Peel the carrots and use a grater to grate all of your carrots. I have an OXO grate & slice set that I use almost daily in my kitchen.
• Half of sweet onion, chopped
• One can of white albacore tuna in olive oil – Be sure to add the olive oil from the can to the salad, tuna immersed in olive oil give the oil lots of flavor.
• Two tablespoons of Greek Yogurt (I used 0% milk fat) – Greek yogurt adds light creaminess to the salad.
• One tablespoon of Dijon mustard – This is the tangy flavor component to this dish!
• Juice of half a lime or lemon – You always need a squeeze of citrus juice for refreshing flavor.

Oven Dried Carrot Greens

I don’t know about you, but I’m one of those people who love carrot greens. It’s super nutritious, packed with fiber, calcium, vitamins A, C, and K. You can eat it raw or steam it lightly, but it does have some bitterness. In fact it taste very similar to Shungiku which is an edible chrysanthemum common in Japanese hot pot dishes. But it’s no wonder, they both belong in the Apiaceae family, which also includes parsley, fennel, cumin, celery to name a few.

I like to oven dry these greens and enjoy it as toppings for soups or salads. It only takes 12-15 minutes in a 350 degree oven to make and you end up with lightly roasted flavored greens without the bitterness!

Squeeze Out the Excess Water and Assemble the Salad

Watery salad is so un-appetizing I make sure when I make a salad like this that I drain all the water from veggies before I assemble them. Add one teaspoon each of sea salt and sugar to shredded carrots and chopped onions and toss them together. Let it sit for about 20 minutes then take handful of veggies into your hand and squeeze out the water!

After the water is drained from the veggies, add rest of the ingredients to the bowl and toss them together. That’s all it takes and don’t forget to add some of that delicious oven dried carrot greens before you dig in!

What to Serve With Carrot-Tuna Salad?

I had plateful of this salad with slices of good raisin bread, but here are some of my dishes that I served this carrot salad with:

• Open Sandwiches
• Charcuterie Board
• Couscous with Bell Peppers and Kalamata Olives
• Cheese Biscuits with Rosemary and Sundried Tomatoes

Print Recipe

Tangy Carrot-Tuna Salad

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

Ingredients

For Oven Dried Carrot Greens

• 4 cups carrot greens thoroughly washed and plucked from stems

For the Salad

• 4-5 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• ½ sweet onion chopped
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 can white albacore tuna in olive oil
• 2 tbsp greek yogurt 0% milk fat
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• juice of ½ lime or lemon
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Oven Dried Carrot Greens

• Turn oven to 350° and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Spread carrot greens on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Toss occasionally and check if greens are crispy. When done, let it cool and store in air tight jar.

Carrot-Tuna Salad

• In a bowl, combine grated carrots, chopped onions and stir in salt and sugar. Set it aside for 20 minutes then take vegetables in your hands and squeeze out the water.
• Once water is drained from carrots and onions, add tuna, olive oil from the tuna can, greek yogurt, dijon mustard and citrus juice to the bowl and toss everything together.
• Chill the salad in the fridge or serve at room temperature. To serve, add fresh ground pepper and oven dried carrot greens as garnish.