Pickle Relish Is The Unexpected Addition Your Tuna Salad Needs

Tuna salad has been a longstanding favorite in households for almost a century, with its popularity dating back to the 1930s when canned tuna sales exploded in the United States. But what makes tuna salad so loveable? Canned tuna has always been a cheap, accessible, low-fat protein option. Add in creamy mayonnaise and sweet diced onions and it's no wonder families and workers turned to the quick and easy-to-put-together tuna salad for their go-to lunch.

But nowadays, tuna salad and canned tuna can sometimes elicit mixed feelings. But there's one condiment that's a hit everywhere: Pickle relish. Pickle relish already fits so well in classic egg and pasta salads or on top of other deli sandwiches and burgers, so don't count it out for your tuna salad either. Whether you're hoping to like tuna salad again or ready to elevate your favorite tuna salad recipe, look no further than pickle relish.

Savory, meaty canned tuna is the basis for your tuna salad's flavor, but it needs other ingredients to make a more dynamic bite. Canned tuna can be used for many recipes, but few people willingly eat it straight out of the can. Tuna salad can usually get some crunch and texture from the addition of onions, celery, or even sometimes fruit like apples. But what's great about pickle relish is how much it has to offer as only one additional ingredient — crunch, tang, and sweetness all in one bite.

The type of pickle relish you use is all dependent on your pickle preferences, of course. Using a classic homemade sweet pickle relish is the perfect choice for brightening up your tuna salad, making it great for making tuna salad sandwiches for a summer picnic. A dill pickle or spicy pickle relish are also fantastic choices and could pair well with other tuna salad ingredients such as bright green onions. You can even serve your pickle relish tuna salad on top of bitter leafy greens like spinach or arugula to contrast those flavors, as well.

Just like pickle relish adds a boost to the often downtrodden tuna salad, other mayonnaise-based salads can benefit from pickle relish as well. If your potato, chicken, or egg salad ever lacked nuance and turned out to be too bland, they don't have to be with the addition of pickle relish! Even if you're creating a simple salad, using pickle relish can make putting together a homemade dressing a breeze. The relish contains many of the elements you'd need for a good homemade dressing anyway — acidity, seasoning, sweetness — just balance it out with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and you're good to go.

Pickle relish can also easily elevate not only your lunch meals but fun party appetizers, too. Try adding pickle relish to your deviled eggs to add a signature pickle crunch to the creamy and savory appetizer. You can even use up the rest of your relish by incorporating it into dips and spreads to impress a crowd. All in all, pickle relish is a go-to condiment ready to take on any challenge — especially elevating your next tuna salad meal.