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    Home » Side Dishes » Elote Tuna Salad

    Jul 12, 2019 · Modified: Oct 16, 2020 by Sues · This post may contain affiliate links, uses cookies, and generates income via ads · View privacy policy + disclosure statement linked in footer · 8 Comments

    Elote Tuna Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This Elote Tuna Salad has all the elements of Mexican Street Corn, but is served in salad form with tuna, macaroni, and more. It has a little bit of a kick and a whole lot of satisfying flavor!

    Head-on view of a white bowl of elote tuna salad with lime wedge garnish and Portofino Tuna cans and a serving bowl of salad in the background with recipe title at topThank you to Portofino Tuna for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are 100% my own and I truly appreciate your support of We are not Martha!

    If there were an award for world's worst decision maker, there's an extremely high chance I would win it. Though I'm not big into astrology, I have to admit I'm a true Libra when it comes to balance and the ability to see every side of a story. Of course, this can be great at times... But it's also incredibly annoying at others. Like when I'm at a restaurant trying to decide what to order and the waiter is staring me down waiting for me to say something and my other dinner guests are impatiently waiting and thinking "just order something already!" Obviously my entree choice at a restaurant isn't a life-altering decision, but at the time, it feels so very important. Especially when I'm starving. Compounding my difficulties is the fact that my husband isn't a food share-r and never wants to order a few different things so we can try a little bit of more than one thing (somehow he always knows exactly what he wants almost immediately upon sitting down at a restaurant). Quite often when I just don't know what to order, I choose a salad.

    Salads are the best because they let you have so many different foods all in one bowl. I'm excited to be working with Portofino Tuna today so I can show you how I incorporated their tuna into this Elote Tuna Salad. I also added a bunch of other ingredients, like everything you would find on elote corn, along with some other things I love. Instead of spending hours making tough food decisions, I simply added the ingredients that make me the happiest. But the tuna is definitely the star of this show.

    Have you tried Portofino Tuna yet? As you can see from the cans below, it's solid albacore tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil with a little bit of sea salt added in. I have to admit that for a long time, I only bought tuna packed in water just because that's how I always ate it growing up. If you're the same, you need to try Portofino Tuna in olive oil ASAP! I'm telling you, it elevates the flavor and consistency of the tuna in the most wonderful way; something water just can't do. This tuna is smooth, mellow, and extremely tender and is delicious either in recipes, mixed with a little mayo, or all on its own. I love that Portofino is made with hand-selected wild caught albacore and yellowfin tuna and I also love that each can or pouch has just three ingredients: tuna, olive oil, and sea salt.

    Head-on view of three cans of Portofino Tuna stacked on each other

    You can either use the cans or the pouches to make this recipe, but I also have to give a shoutout to the pouches for being great to commute with. You can bring thems to work or on-the-go for a healthy lunch or snack. And because the tuna is packed in olive oil, you really don't need to mix it with anything and can just dig right in!

    ELOTE TUNA SALAD RECIPE

    Of course, the tuna is also fabulous for utilizing in recipes, including salads. Like most salad recipes, this Elote Tuna Salad is pretty simple to put together. The toughest part is grilling the corn, but considering you can do it in a grill pan (or a simple skillet), it's really not difficult at all!

    I like to put a little butter in my skillet and then add the corn in and let it sit for a few minutes. Then toss it, let it sit for a few more minutes, and toss it again. Repeat until corn is charred to your liking.

    Collage showing process for grilling corn in grill pan, including fresh corn kernels in pan and corn kernels grilled in pan

    While the corn is grilling, you can mix up the elote dressing. This is what brings the tuna salad together and adds in all that zingy elote flavor. But again, it's simple and just consists of mayo (you can use light or regular), chili powder, cayenne, and lime juice... Exactly what I like to rub on my corn when I'm making it elote style.

    Collage showing process for making elote dressing, including overhead view of ingredients (mayo, cayenne, chili powder, and lime juice) in white bowl and overhead view of all the ingredients mixed together into a dressing

    The other things essential to elote corn are cotija cheese (you could also use queso blanco) and cilantro (if you really don't like it, you can leave it out or use parsley instead). Obviously plenty of Portofino Tuna is also essential to this salad! And then I decided to add in some elbow macaroni to make it even more of a picnic dish along with some red onion, chard, and jalapeño pepper.

    I'd say those are the makings for a pretty fabulous salad, right?

    Overhead view of elote tuna salad ingredients in a serving bowl, including tuna, jalapeño, red onion, chard, macaroni, cotija cheese, cilantro, and grilled corn

    Drizzle the dressing over the top and toss it all up!

    Overhead view of a white serving bowl filled with elote tuna salad all tossed together

    Serve the Elote Tuna Salad in individual bowls with a little extra cheese and cilantro sprinkled over the top. And a lime wedge for good measure.

    Overhead close-up view of a white bowl filled with elote tuna salad and topped with cotija cheese and a lime wedge

    This salad makes the perfect side dish for any BBQ, picnic, or summer celebration, but it also makes an ideal lunch. And really, it's packed with enough good stuff to also make for a really satisfying dinner, especially on a hot evening when you don't feel like being on your feet in the kitchen, but want a delicious meal. Preferably eaten on the deck.

    Bird's eye view of two bowls of elote tuna salad on a flowered towel with tuna cans and pouches in the background

    As should be expected with a salad based on elote corn, Elote Tuna Salad packs a wonderful punch. It's certainly not overly spicy, but it's full-flavored with a little kick thanks to the chili powder, cayenne, and jalapeño. The cheese mellows things out a bit and the tuna adds an incredibly satisfying aspect.

    Bird's eye view of two bowls of elote tuna salad on a flowered towel with a fork in the background

    To be honest, most of the time when I eat tuna, I whip it up into a simple tuna salad with a little mayo or Greek yogurt and avocado with some celery. I also love a good tuna melt and have them on standby when I want a super fast dinner that will really satisfy. But now I want to start adding tuna into all my salads. Sure, I'd love a corn salad with a kick any day, but the tuna elevates it into a truly satisfying side or meal.

    Head-on view of a white bowl of elote tuna salad with lime wedge garnish and Portofino Tuna cans and a serving bowl of salad in the background

    Next up? I'm seriously craving a Caesar salad with tuna. Suddenly, decisions feel pretty easy for me to make!

    Portofino Tuna can be found at grocery stores like Market Basket, Price Chopper, Big Y, Hannaford, Shaw's, Fresh Market, and more! Check out their website to see where it's available near you.

    What's your favorite way to enjoy tuna?

    Elote Tuna Salad -- This Elote Tuna Salad has all the elements of Mexican Street Corn, but is served in salad form with tuna and a few other add-ins. It has a little bit of a kick and a whole lot of satisfying flavor! | wearenotmartha.com

    Elote Tuna Salad

    This Elote Tuna Salad has all the elements of Mexican Street Corn, but is served in salad form with tuna, macaroni, and more. It has a little bit of a kick and a whole lot of satisfying flavor!
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: lunch, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Eclectic, Mexican
    Keyword: BBQ Salads, Elote Corn, Summer Salads, Tuna Salad
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Makes: 8 servings
    Author: Sues

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup dry elbow macaroni
    • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
    • 3 cups fresh corn, from about 4 ears (you can also use frozen)
    • 9-10 oz. Portofino Tuna
    • 2 cups chopped red or rainbow chard (you can also use kale or spinach)
    • ⅓ cup diced red onion
    • ¼ diced jalapeño (from 1 jalapeño pepper)
    • 1 ½ tsp finely chopped cilantro, plus more for topping
    • ⅓ cup crumbled cotija cheese or queso blanco, plus more for topping
    • ⅓ Tbsp regular or light mayonnaise
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • ½ tsp cayenne
    • 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

    Instructions

    • Bring medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add elbow macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain and cool.
    • In the meantime, add butter to a non-stick grill pan or frying pan. Once melted, add corn kernels in and let cook for about 4 minutes before stirring. Let sit for another 4 minutes and stir again. Repeat a couple more times until the corn is nicely charred. Remove corn to a large bowl and let cool a bit.
    • Once corn is cooled, add tuna, chopped chard, cooled macaroni, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and cotija cheese to the bowl.
    • In a separate small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chili powder, cayenne, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
    • Pour dressing mixture over corn and toss well to combine. Serve salad in individual bowls and top with additional cheese and cilantro.
    Share a Photo of Your Finished Recipe!Mention @wearenotmartha and share a photo if you've made the recipe!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sharon says

      July 12, 2019 at 6:29 pm

      Looks awesome.. Can’t wait to try!

    2. Natalie says

      July 15, 2019 at 12:20 am

      5 stars
      I love tuna salad! Looks so delicious and balanced - such a great idea for a healthy summer dinner or lunch.

    3. Veena Azmanov says

      July 15, 2019 at 2:13 am

      5 stars
      This salad looks yum. I love all the combination to this salad. Tasty and healthy too.

    4. Laura | Wandercooks says

      July 15, 2019 at 3:23 am

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh this looks so colourful, delicious and healthy, I'm so glad I found your recipe! Can't wait to try! Also, from one struggling decision maker to another - I completely empathise! Haha nothing like a waiter staring you down to make it even harder to choose. Best thing to do is cook at home and decide in your own time. 😉

    5. Tatiana says

      July 15, 2019 at 3:36 am

      5 stars
      I love the simple ingredients in this salad. A great healthy and filling lunch. ?

    6. Shashi at SavorySpin says

      July 15, 2019 at 4:41 am

      5 stars
      I am a huge fan of Portofino Tuna - and I'm loving how you have showcased it in this tasty, colorful salad!

    7. Anne says

      July 18, 2019 at 3:51 pm

      5 stars
      This salad looks so good. I am going to look for portfolio tuna in my supermarket

    8. lauren says

      July 20, 2019 at 10:32 pm

      5 stars
      Not gonna lie, tuna salad with avocado sounds preeeetty amazing but I would love a big bowl of this elote tuna salad! Such a great way to add protein to a summer pasta salad.

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