Pepperoncini Tuna Salad

Pepperoncini Tuna Salad

NY Times - Eric Kim

This verdant tuna salad looks and tastes classic (but with the saturation levels all the way up). Acid and crunch come in the form of delightfully sour, salty pickled pepperoncini and their neon-green brine. Sweet relish anchors the salad with balance, as does deeply aromatic and nutty toasted sesame oil. Any canned or jarred tuna works; just be sure to drain it very well. This recipe calls for celery to be folded in at the end for crunch, but any vegetable would work: thinly sliced cucumbers, iceberg lettuce, watercress, green peas, asparagus, even raw onion. Eat this on a bed of peppery arugula or stuffed into a split, just-warmed croissant or brioche bun.

Yield: 2 servings

2 (5-ounce) cans tuna (preferably stored in oil), very well drained

¼ cup mild-tasting mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s

3 tablespoons chopped pepperoncini plus 1 tablespoon brine, plus more of each to taste

1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

½ garlic clove, finely grated

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup thinly sliced celery (from 2 stalks)

Croissants (optional), split, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the tuna, mayonnaise, pepperoncini and its brine, sweet relish, sesame oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir vigorously with a fork, breaking up the tuna into fine threads. Fold in the celery, then taste and add more salt, pepper, pepperoncini and pepperoncini brine to your taste. Stuff into croissants for sandwiches, if you’d like.