Kimchi Tuna Salad

Kimchi Tuna Salad
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich
Total Time
10 minutes
Rating
4(1,213)
Notes
Read community notes

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
1,213 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

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.

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!

Remember to put a bowl under strainer when you drain the Kimchi! If the ingredients hadn’t said “with juice” I would have dumped it all down the sink. Surprisingly good flavor which isn’t too spicy. I did goof and added 3T instead of 3 tsp of sesame oil. It probably softened the heat.

The kimchi tuna ratio seems a little high on kimchi for my American palate but I find this intriguing. I would try to add a little kimchi to my usual tuna salad with mayo and celery first and maybe also the other ingredients.

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.

I was going to the fridge for fresh ginger, when I discovered a takeout container of picked ginger. I chopped it up and added it instead. It was really tasty. Kind of like a sweet pickle in western tuna salad.

This is so delicious! The celery isn’t really necessary since you already get a decent amount of crunch from the kimchi, but sesame oil and furikake seasoning are a must. This would go with any carb - toast, bagel, tortilla chips - but is great just on its own as well for a high protein snack. I don’t even like tuna all that much and this is so good!

My combo was cucumber, radish, and a half pound of tiny red boiled potatoes instead of celery. Did all the rest as written but made half and it was a nice light meal for 2. Sambal - about a T - gave a nice kick.

Delicious! Instead of tuna I used boneless & skinless canned salmon. I made it early in the day & had it for dinner - the marination time helped! I cut back on the celery & added fresh peas that I had gotten at the farmers market that morning. I also served it over a spring greens salad mix. I would try this with leftover rotisserie chicken as well!

Great recipe! Changes/notes I made: - Definitely add some mayo (about ¾ cup), I used Japanese mayo (e.g. Kewpie) - Mine needed salt and pepper - Used 12 oz tuna (dry weight, usually three cans) for 16 oz kimchi - Added two roughly chopped hard boiled eggs - Added two dollops of gochujang

This is a staple now that I have this recipe to riff on. Yesterday made it with some leftover cooked kale and collards, plus a couple of small tins of Portuguese mackerel instead of tuna. Have made it with Spanish sardines and some spare kohlrabi. Sometimes I add mayo, sometimes I add more sesame oil or lemon juice. We eat it with something starchy like rice, sourdough bread, pasta, whatever. Versatile, tasty, delicious. Thank you!

Amazing recipe Blown away by how I can now elevate my normal tuna lunch!

Delicious and perfect for a make ahead lunch. We loved it over soba noodles, including the picky 17 year old.

Great for a light lunch, I found the flavor balance perfect. If you don’t already enjoy kimchi this is probably a bit aggressive for an introduction. The celery adds good texture. I had mine over rice. Toasted sourdough is a good idea. It does call for some neutral base.

easy, nutritious, pantry staple recipe

I was out of furikake and celery, so substituted a handful of roughly chopped cilantro. It added a fresh note that complimented the tang and spice.

This was delicious and I'll make again. But I do have a suggestion. The ginger matchsticks, even cut really, really thin, were too obvious. Next time I'll grate the ginger

Used Thai chili flavored tuna (from a pouch) with mild kimchi (about 2:1, tuna to kimchi) and added a Tbsp of sweet pickle relish. No mayo or oil needed. Was amazed at how well the kimchi and tuna taste together. Will definitely try this again; next time with the sesame oil and rice crackers!

There is a HUGE difference in Kimchee from one brand to another and this is borne out by the extremes noted from different comments. I could eat Kimchee every day and often do. If I need something to take with my evening pills I mix some with hummus and eat with blue corn chips

So delish and easy and can be. I pressed the kimchi to really release the liquid. Served over butter lettuce for added volume. Miso soup on the side.

This was interesting. I make my own kimchi so only needed to pick up the celery. Made it exactly as the recipe said. Added a bit of homemade mayo. It was good. Not sure why I didn't love it however.

Definitely use some mayonnaise - about 1/2 - 3/4 cup won’t make it at all like traditional tuna salad, but serve as a nice way to marry the flavors. I used fish sauce instead of rice vinegar, and really wish I hadn’t. The kimchi I used (which is delicious and I didn’t have to chop it) was pretty salty and very spicy, and the fish sauce made it a bit *too* salty, though not inedible. I’d start with 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil, as the full 3 is a little overwhelming.

Wish I could give it way more stars! This is so good I have been making it weekly. It usually makes two servings for me so I get to eat it twice! Per a note, I eat it on a toasted baguette or sourdough with butter. I left out the celery, did use the mayonnaise and eyeballed the amount of kimchi that felt right to me with the 12oz can of tuna.

The Trader Joe’s kimchi I used didn’t have much juice, so I used rice vinegar and fish sauce as suggested. It was fabulous, even without the ginger (which I forgot until after I finished the first bowl). Even better with the ginger!

added an entire bunch of green onions and served with sliced avocado and korean roasted seaweed. delicious!

This was delicious! Served warm with Udon noodles—just right for a rainy evening. My partner can’t tolerate as much spice, so I rinsed his portion of the Kimchi and made the “dressing” without the Kimchi juice and served the juice on the side so he could spice it to his tolerance.

I substituted julienned carrots and red bell peppers for celery.

Added some cucumber chunks and scallions and it was even more perfect. Definitely needed quite a bit more oil and vinegar as the tuna soaked it up quick. Used tuna in water - maybe tuna packed in oil wouldn’t be as absorbent.

Makes awesome tuna melts!

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