Seriously Upgrade Tuna Salad With Some Tangy Green Goddess Dressing

A good tuna salad recipe is made up of a few key components: tuna, crunchy veggies, and a mix of mayo and lemon juice. However, there are exceptions to the rule. Some of the best, most interesting preparations go against the norm; using salad dressing, for example, instead of the traditional mayo blend, can be a delicious change-up.

One of the best salad dressings to pair with tuna is green goddess dressing, a mayo-based dressing that comes packed with a medley of herbs; recipes differ, but many contain some combination of chives, tarragon, dill, or basil, as well as parsley. With the brightness of lemon juice, the earthy taste of fresh herbs, and a touch of umami from anchovies, green goddess serves as a complex and delectable accompaniment for fishy, flaky tuna.

You can either make the dressing yourself or buy it by the bottle at your local supermarket. Textures vary based on liquid content, so depending on the thickness of the dressing you choose or make, your finished tuna salad may be a bit more watery. If you want a thick and creamy tuna salad, use a green goddess dressing that isn't as thinned out with wet ingredients like lemon juice and olive oil. Either way, though, you'll end up with a much more interesting lunch.

Green goddess dressing, or so the story goes, is derived from a dressing that used to be served to Louis XIII with seafood — eel, to be exact. But it was first prepared in its more modern state by Chef Philip Roemer, who served it at San Francisco's Palace Hotel in 1923 as a reference to the play "The Green Goddess." George Arliss, an actor starring in the play, was staying at the hotel, and the dressing was served in his honor.

The original version of the dressing featured parsley and chives, though modern versions vary the included herbs. Some are basil-heavy, while some lean more strongly towards tarragon. Some updated versions also stray from using mayonnaise, opting for substitutions such as avocado or Greek yogurt. Vegan versions might use tahini. These variations will change the flavor and texture of the dressing from its original state; tahini, for example, imparts a nutty earthiness, while Greek yogurt will add additional tang.

Tuna goes well with all of these possibilities, but there's nothing that beats the classic variation. The fattiness and thickness of the mayo helps to bind the tuna together for sandwiches, and the fresh herbaceousness of the herb blend adds major flavor to the tuna yet doesn't overpower it.

If green goddess dressing and tuna work well together, it stands to reason that other salad dressings would make for good tuna salad toppers as well. Though that can certainly be true, not every dressing will pair as perfectly as green goddess does. Ranch dressing may be a good pairing for tuna, especially if you really love ranch, as it has the creamy texture that mayo typically provides and imbues a tangy savoriness to the fish. Caesar dressing, which has similar ingredients to green goddess dressing, like anchovies and lemon juice, also goes well with tuna.

You may find that, based on your preferences, one is better than the others, but both of these dressings are missing the earthy, bright quality that the abundant fresh herbs in green goddess lend. It just can't be beat; try it for yourself, and you may just have a new favorite tuna salad.