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!

Thank 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!

When I can't make up my mind about what I want to eat (which is pretty much all the time), I often opt for a salad so I can eat lots of different foods. 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.

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. But the olive oil in Portofino Tuna really elevates the flavor and consistency of the fish in the most wonderful way; something water just can't do.

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 them 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!

🌽 How to make elote tuna salad

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

📖 Recipe