Kimchi Tuna Salad

By Ali Slagle

Updated May 7, 2021

Kimchi Tuna Salad
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(1,404)
Comments
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Kimchi and canned tuna make a popular combination in Korean cooking. These two pantry staples are found together in a number of dishes like kimchi jjigae and kimbap, and here they are the basis of a lively, fortifying salad. Combine them with fresh ginger and celery for crunch (or an equal amount of other crunchy vegetables, like thinly sliced sugar snap or snow peas, radishes, carrot, cabbage or fennel). The dressing is made using the spicy liquid from the kimchi jar, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil, but because each jar of kimchi is different, you may want to tweak the seasonings to taste. Eat the salad on its own; with gim, or seaweed, as a hand roll; or with something starchy to balance the punch, like a burger bun, rice, boiled potatoes, soba or ramen noodles.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1(16-ounce) jar cabbage kimchi, including juice
  • 2tablespoons unseasoned rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste (or lemon or lime juice or 1 tablespoon fish sauce)
  • 3teaspoons toasted sesame oil, plus more to taste
  • 10 to 12ounces canned tuna (preferably oil-packed), drained
  • 6celery stalks, thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced into less than ¼-inch-thick matchsticks
  • Mayonnaise (optional)
  • Red-pepper flakes, gochugaru or sambal oelek (optional)
  • 1tablespoon toasted sesame seeds or furikake (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

104 calories; 4 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 365 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a colander in a medium bowl and drain the kimchi. Coarsely chop the kimchi; you should have about 2 cups.

  2. Step 2

    To the medium bowl with the kimchi juice, add the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil; stir to combine. Stir in the tuna and celery, breaking up the tuna into large chunks.

  3. Step 3

    Add the chopped kimchi and ginger, and stir to combine. Because each batch of kimchi tastes different, it’s important to taste and adjust seasonings. If it needs more tang, add more rice wine vinegar. If it’s too intense, add more oil or even mayonnaise. If you want it spicier, add red-pepper flakes, gochugaru or sambal.

  4. Step 4

    Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, if desired. The salad keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,404 user ratings
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Comments

Jed

Delicious. A little secret: drizzle a bit of melted butter into the salad for extra deliciousness. (Oh, and lose the celery.) Served on toasted sourdough. Yum.

KG

I love kimchi, but it is scarce in rural Maine...I’ve made Emergency Kimchi with common cabbage (search the web) and it is delicious and authentic enough. Definitely making this with tuna and my staple, canned salmon as well. Great recipe!

Zudok

I've been looking for a way to enjoy kimchi in a way other than my go-to: using a fork, right out of the jar. This is an excellent recipe, easy, just in time for summer. I was hesitant to add the mayo but found that a couple of tablespoons kinda tied the room together without really altering the taste too much. Love it.

Cristina

Versatile, satisfying recipe. Added a couple of large spoonfuls of mayo and lots of furikake flakes. No chili flakes, as the flavor was intense enough. Added diced carrots and some Napa cabbage in addition to a bit of celery.

DebG

Now my favorite way to do tuna salad…on repeat for lunches during the week. Great stuffed in a pita!

My version is going in our repeat pile for sure!

Like many others, I riffed off this recipe to make my own. About 10 oz. kimchi, 2 cans tuna in water, 3 scallions, no celery, mayo or ginger. Sauce 1/2 c low sodium tamari, 1/4 c toasted sesame oil, 3T unseasoned rice vinegar, ginger powder and sesame seeds (all approximate). About 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved. All mixed with 8 oz. soba noodles. Next time I'll halve the noodles but the 2 of us had trouble stopping eating this! The combo made both kimchi and tuna less pungent, and so delicious!

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