This tangy and delicious Tuna Potato Salad is perfect as a side for a summer cookout or holiday party, with juicy tomatoes, bright olives and buttery tender baby potatoes. The potato salad is tossed in a simple yet vibrant lemon and herb vinaigrette and topped with canned tuna.
The key to perfect potato salad is all about properly cooking the potatoes. Sure, you can make the most delicious dressing, buy the most expensive toppings and include flavorful ingredients, but if you don't get the potatoes right, all that effort is for nothing. With that in mind, this potato salad with tuna features a simple yet highly effective cooking method for the potatoes, plus a vibrant lemon and herb vinaigrette and, of course, protein-packed canned tuna.
The Best Way to Cook Potatoes for Salad
So what's the trick to perfectly cooked potatoes? Steam! That's right, the best way to ensure potatoes are evenly cooked is to cook them in a steamer basket. And be sure to cook them whole. Do NOT cut the potatoes ahead of time or you run the risk of the edges flaking off or the centers getting waterlogged. I recommend rinsing the potatoes first, steaming them for about 20 minutes until a fork inserted into the center meets just a bit of resistance, then remove from heat and cover with a dish towel to catch the excess moistures and gently finish cooking the potatoes. Perfect every time!
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Ingredients that Matter
This tuna and potato salad is highly customizable, but I'll show you the ingredients I prefer for this recipe. Here is what you'll need to make the salad:
- Baby Yellow Potatoes. Reach for 1.5 pounds of baby or new potatoes. These are small, young potatoes with relatively thin skins. They should be smaller than a golf ball but bigger than a marble. Look for uniform size potatoes without any green or blemishes on the skin.
- Tuna. Use the best quality canned tuna you can find and afford. If you can find jarred oil-packed tuna, use that! If you can only find more inexpensive canned tuna, that'll do just fine. Be sure to drain off the water, but if it's oil-packed, you can include the oil in the dressing.
- Tomatoes. I like to use a pint of cherry tomatoes. But feel free to use a couple cups of chopped fresh tomatoes of your choice.
- Olives. Green or black olives are perfect for this salad. Just use your favorite type. Consider giving them a rinse if they are particularly salty olives.
- Capers. A couple tablespoons of capers gives lovely pops of salty goodness throughout the salad. Be sure to drain them as the brine is quite salty.
- Artichoke Hearts. You can find artichoke hearts packed in water (often in a can) or marinated in oil and spices. You can even find them frozen. Any type will do just fine.
- Lemon and Herb Vinaigrette. For the dressing, use fresh lemon zest and juice, Dijon mustard, parsley, table salt and extra-virgin olive oil.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Tuna and Potato Salad
This potato salad with tuna is super simple to make but I'll give you plenty of details so yours turns out delicious and beautiful! Here's how to make it:
- Start by prepping the ingredients. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, roughly chop the olives, quarter the artichoke hearts and drain the capers.
- Make the lemon and herb vinaigrette in a mason jar. Simply add the zest and juice of the lemon, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, salt and extra-virgin olive oil and shake to combine.
- To steam the potatoes, rinse them well then place in a steamer basket set over simmering water. Cover and steam until a fork inserted into the center meets just a bit of resistance, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and place a dish towel directly on top of the potatoes. Let the potatoes continue cooking gently off heat until a fork inserted into the center slides in easily, another 5 minutes. Uncover and cool for 10 minutes before cutting the potatoes in half.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, olives, artichokes and capers to a mixing bowl and toss with half the dressing. Stir well and allow the salad to sit on the counter for 10 minutes for the potatoes to continue to cool and the dressing to absorb into the salad.
To finish the salad, add the tuna and more dressing and gently toss. Top with more fresh parsley and serve immediately. Be sure to reserve a bit of the vinaigrette (the recipe makes about 10 tablespoons; I recommend saving about 2 tablespoons) and dress with a bit more just before serving.
Substitutions
This recipe is quite easy to adjust based on your dietary restrictions and flavor preferences. Below are some recommended substitutions:
- Potatoes - Baby or new potatoes are best for this salad. You can use yellow, red or purple, depending on what's available. You can also use fingerling potatoes as they are often quite small and tender. If you can only find regular potatoes, try to use small yellow, white or red potatoes. Russet potatoes are too starchy for salads. you want a higher moisture potato as they'll retain their structure once steamed.
- Tomatoes - Cherry tomatoes work great for this recipe, but feel free to use grape or other small tomatoes. You can use slicing or heirloom tomatoes, just be sure to cut them into bite-sized pieces.
- Olives - For the photos in this recipe I used a generic "green" olive, but this recipe would be great with Castelvetrano or kalamata olives. You can, of course, leave them out all together if you just don't like olives.
- Dressing - Try making this tuna potato salad recipe with our preserved lemon vinaigrette, white balsamic vinaigrette or basil vinaigrette. While I always recommend making dressing from scratch, you can of course use store-bought dressing.
- Herbs - Parsley is a solid, mildly flavorful herb that I think goes quite well with this potato salad, but you can swap in a bolder herb like tarragon, basil, dill or chives.
Equipment
You don't really need special equipment for this recipe, but I recommend using a steamer basket insert or a pot with a steamer insert. I like to make this dressing in a simple small mason jar but you could also use a stick immersion blender if you want a smoother sauce.
Storage
This recipe is perfect to make ahead of time for a backyard cookout or summer holiday party. Of course, it's not exclusively a summer recipe, but I think it tastes best in warmer days. To make the recipe ahead of time, simply toss everything together, cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container overnight. I recommend reserved at least a couple tablespoons of the dressing in a jar and pouring some on just before serving.
You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days, but note the tuna flavor will intensify the longer it sits in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing this recipe.
More Summer Sides
Try these other delicious summer sides, perfect for summer holidays or cookouts:
- Pesto Orzo Salad
- Skillet Charred Corn on the Cob
- Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Peach and Goat Cheese Salad
- Crispy Prosciutto, Blueberry and Blue Cheese Salad
- Skillet Mexican Street Corn Dip
- Whipped Ricotta Dip
Adam's Tip from the Test Kitchen
Cool the potatoes slightly before cutting. This will allow the starches to set up a bit, ensuring they won't fall apart. But be sure to toss them in a bit of the dressing while still warm. As the potatoes continue to cool to room temperature, they will absorb some of the dressing, making for a more flavorful potato salad.
FAQ
Oil-packed tuna, often sold in jars, is the highest quality tuna. Yellowfin, white and albacore tuna will all work very well in a potato salad.
I think the best method for cooking potatoes for a salad is to steam them whole. First, the steam ensures even, gentle cooking that lowers the risk of overcooking them or breaking them up as they cook. And cooking them whole also keeps the potatoes shape once cooked.
Sides
Looking for more side dish recipes like this? Try these:
Summer Recipes
Here are some of my favorite summer recipes:
Recipe
Tuna Potato Salad
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
Description
This tangy and delicious Tuna Potato Salad is perfect as a side for a summer cookout or holiday party, with juicy tomatoes, bright olives and buttery tender baby potatoes. The potato salad is tossed in a simple yet vibrant lemon and herb vinaigrette and topped with canned tuna.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. baby (or new) yellow potatoes
- zest from 1 lemon, plus 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup olives, roughly chopped
- ½ cup artichoke hearts (from marinated or canned artichokes, drained)
- 2 Tbsp. capers, drained
- 1 (5 oz,) can tuna (water or oil-packed), drained
Instructions
- Rinse the potatoes and place in a steamer basket. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a large pot then add the steamer basket of potatoes and cook until the potatoes are just barely tender when a fork is inserted into the center of the potatoes, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and place a clean kitchen towel on top. Allow to cook off heat with the towel on top until fork tender, another 5 minutes.
- While the potatoes cooks, make the dressing by adding the lemon zest and juice to a mason jar along with the parsley, mustard and salt and shake to combine. Add the olive oil and place the lid on the jar. Shake well to combine. Set aside.
- To assemble the salad, cut the potatoes in half when cool to the touch. Place in a mixing bowl along with the tomatoes, olives, artichokes and capers. Pour on about 4 tablespoons of the dressing and toss well. Cool at room temperature for 10 minutes. When ready to serve, flake the tuna into bite-sized pieces and place on top of the salad. Dress with a couple more tablespoons of the dressing and more fresh parsley.
Notes
- To make the recipe ahead of time, toss the ingredients with about half the dressing (leave the tuna off the salad at this point). Store the salad in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, dress with more sauce, toss well and top with tuna and more herbs.
- Use a good quality oil-packed tuna, if possible, preferably jarred.
- Use your preferred olives.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: sides
- Method: steaming
- Cuisine: American/Italian
John says
This is a great dish for summer, very easy to make. The capers, artichoke hearts and olives give a tangy taste to the dish.