Your Tuna Salad Deserves This Tangy, Spicy Ingredient

Tuna salad is a great answer for a lunchtime sandwich or served on crackers as a party snack. It even brightens up green salads with its pleasant fishy overtones and creamy mayo dressing. And not only is it versatile in how it's served up, but you can also tweak a tuna salad recipe in a lot of different ways. Add celery and red onion for crunch, boiled egg for some velvety texture, or swap the mayo for a creamy mashed avocado. Dill pickles add a bit of zest, but if you love a tangy and spicy kick in your tuna salad, you shouldn't sleep on adding pepperoncini to the mix.

Pepperoncini is a mildly spicy, yellow-green chili pepper that's usually pickled. It's used as an ingredient, but also as a condiment and garnish on everything from hot dogs to salads.  You can find them pickled whole or as a sliced version for easier chopping. And in tuna salad, pepperoncini adds an "it factor," a little something extra bright, extra zesty, with just the right snap of spice that won't be overwhelming. The tangy notes of pickled pepper balance out the creamy mayonnaise and complement any other ingredients you choose to add to make your tuna salad perfect.

Sandwich-style is a classic way to enjoy tuna salad, and pepperoncini just makes the tuna salad sandwich experience that much better. Serve it on top of cucumber slices for a tangy and fresh snack alongside traditional tuna salad-topped crackers. Other ways you can enjoy this spicy, fresh take on tuna salad are in a wrap and as a filler for sliced tomatoes, halved avocados, or celery sticks. Dress up your tuna salad even more with a heavy garnish (or mix-in!) of fresh garden herbs like chives, basil, cilantro, or spices like paprika.

You can use this spicy tuna salad as a side dish itself, but you can also complete a meal by pairing it with other dishes like an Alabama White coleslaw or a well-doctored batch of canned baked beans. It's fresh and zesty enough to balance out the rich charbroiled taste of grilled meats. Take it a step further by using grilled, fresh tuna to make tuna salad instead of canned tuna. It'll create a smoky, fresh element for the tuna salad and is an excellent addition for your next neighborhood barbecue.