Tuna Mousse Recipe (Italian Tuna Salad)

Tuna Mousse is the most popular tuna salad recipe in Italy! It is often found in bars during the aperativo, coffee shops and even bakeries and convenient stores. This tuna mousse recipe can be served as a sandwich filling or inside rolled-up roasted red peppers— just as they do in Italy!

This easy homemade Italian tuna salad recipe features mayonnaise, onions, red wine or balsamic vinegar and the sophisticated flavor of capers or caper berries. Drizzling extra virgin olive oil (uncooked) into the tuna mousse maximizes the health benefits!

Italian Tuna Salad, or rather, Tuna Mousse!

How to Make Tuna Mousse

You can whip up this extremely easy tuna mousse recipe in 5 minutes! Simply combine all ingredients and blend. You can use a food processor, blender or use an immersion blender to mix the tuna to a smooth paste.

This Italian tuna salad recipe is simple, so it’s important that you choose quality ingredients!

Use Quality Yellowfin Tuna!

There are BIG differences between canned tuna brands. If it looks and smells like cat food, don’t use it! We recommend looking for tuna in glass jars (which tend to be of higher quality) or selecting canned tuna that specifically says it contains tuna filets.

Here is a link [affiliate] to Tonnino Tuna, a brand we like and use often. It is more expensive than low-quality canned tuna, but less expensive than tuna filets in a jar. We think it’s a great value!

Raw onions bother your stomach?

Try microwaving the onion pieces with a bit of olive oil for a minute or two before adding them to the tuna mousse. Cooked onions will still be delicious in this tuna mousse recipe and may help digestion.

Serve with roasted red peppers!

Serve inside rolled-up roasted red peppers, or use as a spread on toast points or ‘tramezzini’ (white, crustless bread slices). If used as a tramezzino sandwich filling, the sandwiches are usually cut into triangles to serve. 


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Italian Tuna Salad - Tuna Mousse

Tuna Mousse Recipe (Italian Tuna Salad)

PIATTO RECIPES
Tuna Mousse is Italy’s answer to ‘tuna salad.’ It is often found in bars during the aperativo, coffee shops and even bakeries and convenient stores. The tuna mousse is typically served as a sandwich filling or inside rolled-up roasted red peppers.
4.67 from 6 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Servings 4 people
Calories 164 kcal

Equipment

  • Blender, Food Processor or Immersion Blender

Ingredients
 
 

  • 8 oz canned tuna filets with oil
  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise
  • ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
  • ½ tsp fine salt
  • 2 tbsp vinegar red or balsamic
  • 3 tbsp capers or caper berries, chopped
  • small onion
  • 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin; or as needed
  • chives optional; to taste

Instructions
 

  • Purée the drained tuna, mayonnaise, pepper, salt, vinegar, capers (or caper berries) and onion to a smooth paste. Drizzle olive oil and blend until smooth.

Nutrition

Sodium: 642mgCalcium: 15mgVitamin C: 1mgVitamin A: 46IUSugar: 1gFiber: 1gPotassium: 116mgCholesterol: 23mgCalories: 164kcalTrans Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 2gFat: 13gProtein: 11gCarbohydrates: 1gIron: 1mg
Keyword healthy
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About the author

Classic recipes from Italy and beyond. Traditional Italian Cooking and Mediterranean Diet recipes!

PIATTO™ Recipes bring traditional Italian food recipes to your table with our tested, step-by-step recipes and videos. You'll find the best Italian recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Always tested, always delicious.

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