Do your kids eat tuna salad?

[Aubrey]

I was making some today, dreading it, because I knew mine wouldn't eat it. But we're overdue for the grocery store, & it's all that was left. As I was mixing, I thought...gee...this looks like some of the awful recipes from the 60s & 70s that we post here as jokes. And then I thought...I bet *nobody* under 20 eats tuna any more. In fact, if I had my choice...I don't think I'd eat it any more, either.

 

So is tuna salad weird, outdated, & kinda gross? It doesn't seem very kid-friendly these days, & I remember it as a staple for my friends & me growing up. :001_huh:

[secular_mom]

Mine don't eat tuna salad. DS loves Creamy Pasta Tuna Helper so I make that for him every now and then but oldest hates the smell of it, so she won't eat anything until the smell is gone from the house, LOL. Oldest use to love tuna salad when she was little, she also used to love cheese- those are non-edibles for her now. Not because of allergies or intolerance, she just hates them.

I still eat a tuna sandwich now and then, but I only use the Italian tuna canned in olive oil.

[Veritaserum]

I have never been able to stomach tuna. :ack2: I'd rather skip the meal than eat it. It probably doesn't help that I visited a tuna cannery multiple times. Dh will eat it at lunch at work (i.e. FAR away from me with that gross smell).

[TheCoffeeChick]

I like tuna mixed with lots of dill relish, a very small amount of mayo, bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper - I spread it on saltines or put it in a pita with lettuce and it is divine. My kids don't like tuna in any shape or form.

 

But if tuna salad is what I think it is (cold pasta salad with tuna) then bleck! :ack2: No way I'd eat that, let alone my kids. Oh, and tuna casserole like my mom use to make ... double bleck!! :ack2: :ack2:

 

ETA: Okay, I realize now that tuna salad is not what I thought it was - it is what I described as divine! LOL So, I like tuna salad, but I despise pretty much anything else made with tuna.

Edited October 29, 2010 by BramFam

[Luckymama]

I couldn't answer the poll because:

 

ds17 loves tuna anything

dd15 gags at the smell

dd10 will only eat tuna salad (ie tuna, mayo, pickle relish etc) by itself, not on a salad or a sandwich

 

Dh has yet to meet a tuna dish he won't eat.

 

I only eat fresh, wild caught tuna. I blame endless tuna casseroles during Lent :lol:

[Mrs Mungo]

My kids love tuna sandwiches. They make it with mayo, relish and finely chopped apples. However, *I* hate canned tuna! I like other forms of tuna (like seared ahi) just fine.

[Chris in VA]

I only like albacore tuna, packed in water, and only solid, not chunk.

Dear sons don't like it at all, dd likes it once in a while. (I hate to make it because of the can and pressing the water out.)

I grew up on tuna and Miracle Whip. Now I think my mom makes it too "wet." I like to add chopped up dill pickles and a little mayo.

[kalanamak]

I

 

So is tuna salad weird, outdated, & kinda gross? It doesn't seem very kid-friendly these days, & I remember it as a staple for my friends & me growing up. :001_huh:

 

Make creamed tuna on toast. Less tuna-y. Hot and filling. Less carp than Tuna Helper.

[Aubrey]

I like tuna mixed with lots of dill relish, a very small amount of mayo, bacon bits, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper - I spread it on saltines or put it in a pita with lettuce and it is divine. My kids don't like tuna in any shape or form.

 

But if tuna salad is what I think it is (cold pasta salad with tuna) then bleck! :ack2: No way I'd eat that, let alone my kids. Oh, and tuna casserole like my mom use to make ... double bleck!! :ack2: :ack2:

 

ETA: Okay, I realize now that tuna salad is not what I thought it was - it is what I described as divine! LOL So, I like tuna salad, but I despise pretty much anything else made with tuna.

 

I didn't specify a recipe because everybody seems to make it slightly different, but NO, I don't mean any kind of pasta salad, lol!

[Aubrey]

So do y'all think canned tuna mixed w/ some variety of pickly/mayo/stuff & put on crackers, bread, whatever is right up there w/ the 1970s jello molds? Has tuna gone out of style w/ the beehive hairdo? Or was it always weird (at least not kid-friendly), & my mom was nuts to feed it to us?

 

Or is tuna as groovy as ever? (And, no, I don't mean the fresh fillet of good stuff. I *do* mean the can mixed w/ condiments.)

[Aubrey]

Make creamed tuna on toast. Less tuna-y. Hot and filling. Less carp than Tuna Helper.

 

I don't have/make tuna helper, but anything w/ the word "creamed" in it hits my gag reflex. :lol: Sorry!

[abbeyej]

Maybe you just need to update your recipe? More fresh stuff, less gloppy stuff... ;o) You can do fresh apples and parsley and pecans or celery and fresh dill with almond slivers or red and green grapes chopped up... And cut back on the mayonnaise and add extra lemon juice. ... It doesn't have to seem like mid-20th-century vintage goo. ;)

[TheCoffeeChick]

I only like to make tuna salad with the pouches - you don't have to drain them. :)

 

But it does seem that not many kids like to eat it any more.

[Pamela H in Texas]

"I like it just fine; it's just not delicious."

 

We probably only have it a few times a year. Hubby a bit more. We'd probably eat more if we ate more meat at all.

[kamom]

I say, why make it if you can make better things with tuna?

I make a cheese sandwich with tuna it it, we call it a tuna melt. Just as good is adding bBQ sauce to it and then making tuna melts. Yum yum

[Aubrey]

Maybe you just need to update your recipe? More fresh stuff, less gloppy stuff... ;o) You can do fresh apples and parsley and pecans or celery and fresh dill with almond slivers or red and green grapes chopped up... And cut back on the mayonnaise and add extra lemon juice. ... It doesn't have to seem like mid-20th-century vintage goo. ;)

 

You know what's funny, now that I think about it? My one kid who'll eat tuna is the only one who won't eat fish.

 

I think canned meat is pretty icky & weird. Why is tuna an exception (to me), I wonder?

 

Mostly, I've been feeling like I'm not as good of a mother as mine was because my kids refuse tuna. Today, I looked at the glop in the bowl, & thought...maybe I'm doing ok, after all. :lol:

 

Lemon juice sounds good. Pepper sounds good. I *hate* mayo. Why do I put it in tuna???

 

But ultimately, we just used up tuna that I bought...2-3 yrs ago. I doubt I'll be buying more to experiment w/. ;)

[Lawana]

Dd loves it, ds can take it or leave it. So I voted for loves it. I don't associate it with jello mold 50's style cooking at all.

[Ellie]

I grew up on tuna and Miracle Whip.

There's your problem. Miracle Whip is n.a.s.t.y.:ack2:

 

:D

[kamom]

You know what's funny, now that I think about it? My one kid who'll eat tuna is the only one who won't eat fish.

 

I think canned meat is pretty icky & weird. Why is tuna an exception (to me), I wonder?

 

Mostly, I've been feeling like I'm not as good of a mother as mine was because my kids refuse tuna. Today, I looked at the glop in the bowl, & thought...maybe I'm doing ok, after all. :lol:

 

Lemon juice sounds good. Pepper sounds good. I *hate* mayo. Why do I put it in tuna???

 

But ultimately, we just used up tuna that I bought...2-3 yrs ago. I doubt I'll be buying more to experiment w/. ;)

 

Seriously, try it in cheese sandwiches. My kids love it that way and it's cheap, healthy protein

[rootsnwings]

My kids like it but I make it more like egg salad with tuna instead of vice-versa. And the lemon juice is the secret ingredient! Seriously makes it yummy! We top ours with hot sauce & eat it with crackers. I serve with canned peaches & a slice of cheddar--it's the perfect flavor combo. This is actually one of our favorite meals & we have it weekly! :)

[sagira]

Mine LOVE it, but only in a sandwich.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I love tuna salad sandwiches. I make them for myself frequently. The kids won't eat tuna, though, but they are incredibly picky.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Mine aren't crazy about it but they eat it. I do not put it on the menu all the time but if there are no other choices we have tuna fish sandwiches. I reserve half of it and put relish in that for the adults but leave it out for the kids because they prefer it with only mayo.

[stacim]

We just had it twice this week for lunch! My mom made it so it was a little sweeter than I care for, but I appreciated her bringing us lunch, so no complaints here. We make ours with mayo, eggs, a little onion, pickle relish, celery and dill. I always make a big bowl so we can get two lunches out of it and have it either on crackers or toasted bread for sandwiches. The 5 yo doesn't love it, but will eat it. The older three love it.

[Daisy]

My kids love it. We eat it about once a week.

 

White Albacore tuna only (actually we'll only eat Trader Joe's canned tuna. The other stuff is too mushy, nasty).

Just barely enough mayo to hold it together.

Relish (dill or sweet)

chopped celery or egg if I have it.

 

On bread

In pitas

Stuffed into a tomato or cucumber boat.

With crackers

Rolled up in a tortilla

 

They don't care. They'll eat it anyway it comes.

 

We like salmon salad also.

[sbgrace]

My kids have never been offered. I suspect guy with sensory stuff wouldn't eat it because he won't eat anything of mixed texture. I think my other child would actually like it but because of severe allergies we're not introducing fish to him.

 

I love tuna salad. I assume others do as well--you can get tuna at Subway and it's extremely plain. I like it. I like tuna in any form though.

[amy g.]

My 12 and 4 year olds make tuna salad for themselves all of the time.

 

They mix tuna with vinaigrette and eat it out of a half of a red bell pepper.

[JoJosMom]

My DD loves all fish...except canned tuna. Now me, on the other hand, I loove it! Tuna salad, tuna casserole, tuna from the can...I'm definately from low-brow stock! DH is easy, too; he eats what's in front of him.

[ChrisB]

We like tuna salad.

 

Our version:

canned tuna

just enough mayo to hold it together

sweet pickle relish

shredded cheddar cheese

sometimes finely diced onions, depending on who is eating it

 

My mom likes it with finely diced celery too.

[Jen in PA]

DD loves it, DS tolerates it but much prefers salmon salad. I pack it for all of us on most co-op days, and send it with DH multiple times per week.

[sheryl]

I was making some today, dreading it, because I knew mine wouldn't eat it. But we're overdue for the grocery store, & it's all that was left. As I was mixing, I thought...gee...this looks like some of the awful recipes from the 60s & 70s that we post here as jokes. And then I thought...I bet *nobody* under 20 eats tuna any more. In fact, if I had my choice...I don't think I'd eat it any more, either.

 

So is tuna salad weird, outdated, & kinda gross? It doesn't seem very kid-friendly these days, & I remember it as a staple for my friends & me growing up. :001_huh:

 

Yep, my dd has really gotten into it! We alternate with can tuna or can chicken (or left over chicken diced) and make salad. We add almonds or walnuts, raisins or cranberries, shredded cheese, lettuce strips and mix together. Then we can layer further with pickle, tomato, etc. Yummy. We serve with Trader Joe's Organic low sodium tomato soup. YUMMY!

[WiseOwlKnits]

My kids would eat it every day if I let them. Seriously. I limit their intake of it because of the mercury worries they say there are with tuna. I love tuna too... DH can't stand the smell of it and won't eat tuna in any shape or form.

[MaMa2005]

DS not only loves tuna salad, but will eat tuna straight out of the can! I love it because it always makes for an easy lunch/light dinner.

[Annie Laurie]

My kids would eat it every day if I let them. Seriously. I limit their intake of it because of the mercury worries they say there are with tuna.

 

Ditto. But my kids also happily eat fresh salmon, other fresh fish, salmon patties, and canned sardines. (The sardines are hard for me to stomach myself, but they're a great source of Omega 3s and have about zero pollutants since they're such a small fish).

[Mom in High Heels]

Indy loves tuna salad. Loooooovvvveeees it. Would eat it almost every day if I let him. He likes it on bread (whole wheat), on crackers, or in a pita with lettuce and cheese. He loves fish of any kind, but something about tuna makes him sing. He loves a good grilled tuna steak! It used to be a lot cheaper when he and I could split one, but now he wants his own. :)

 

I don't make my tuna salad with mayo though as I despise mayo. I generally use a little organic ranch dressing (not made with mayo) just to bind it together. My recipe is pretty simple:

 

Tuna

Dill Relish (NEVER sweet)

Chopped celery

Dash of seasoned salt (I like Lawrey's)

Ranch dressing (just enough to bind)

 

If you're concerned about mercury, you should try this mock tuna salad I make. It tastes just like tuna, but is made with chickpeas! It's so yummy! Indy doesn't even know it's not tuna! When I threw a baby shower for my friend, I served this in wraps and no one could believe it wasn't real tuna. Hurrah!

 

Mock Tuna Salad

 

1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and mashed

2 tablespoons mayo or ranch

2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard

1 tablespoon pickle relish

1 celery stalk finely, chopped

 

 

Mix all ingredients and serve in sandwiches, salads or on crackers. You can add other ingredients if you like, but this is the basic recipe.

[elegantlion]

There's your problem. Miracle Whip is n.a.s.t.y.:ack2:

 

:D

 

:svengo: I thought it was just going to be shopping carts, shoes, and crock pots. Now it seems we have the Miracle Whip vs. Mayo debate. :tongue_smilie::lol:

 

My ds and dh love tuna. Ds will stick a litle Miracle Whip on it and eat it out of a bowl. I put dh's on a little bread and toast it in the toaster oven with a piece of cheese on top.

[Guest Katia]

After thinking about it a bit.....seems that I lied in my poll answer. :D

 

When my kids were little, like your kids' ages, they wouldn't touch tuna with a ten foot pole. My dh always made that nasty tuna casserole with pasta and cream of carp soup; you know that one? My kids hated it, so they just assumed they hated tuna and never ate it.

 

I used to like the tuna salad of which you speak and used to eat it. I don't refuse it if served to me at a friend's house, but I won't make it anymore. Dh will only eat it if it doesn't have any onions in it. The kids won't touch it.....see above.

 

However, now my kids LOVE tuna, but NOT tuna salad. They all make onigiri. To them, it's ambrosia. I must admit, I love it, too.

 

I also like to drain tuna and mix it with spinach, add a drizzle of olive oil and Balsamic vinegar. This is now my 'grown up' tuna salad.

[kpnick in nc]

One dish my entire family never tires of is tuna ala king. Tuna subs from Subway are my favorite!

[Heidi @ Mt Hope]

Oddly, all 3 of my boys (and myself!) will eat tuna. It is one of the few things they *all* like. I mix it with mayo and a little seasoning salt. Our favorite way to eat it is on English muffins, topped with cheddar cheese broiled in the oven.

[myfunnybunch]

LOL, I couldn't vote because I have one Yes!, one Eh and one No Way.

 

Cat

[lisabelle]

My kids love tuna sandwiches. They make it with mayo, relish and finely chopped apples. However, *I* hate canned tuna! I like other forms of tuna (like seared ahi) just fine.

 

I like raw tuna in sushi, but I hate it seared or cooked in any fashion. To me it tasted like canned tuna...only way more expensive!

[DianeW88]

No, it's cat food. :ack2: We do eat chicken salad, however.

[kristavws]

My kids love tuna salad! We usually have it at least once a week, although I have to serve my youngest his on a rice cake, since he refuses to eat bread.

 

Krista

[kristavws]

There's your problem. Miracle Whip is n.a.s.t.y.:ack2:

 

:D

 

:iagree:

 

I wouldn't eat tuna salad made with Miracle Whip either. Yuck!

 

Krista

[Dawn in OH]

My nine year old boy, no.

Eight year old girl, no.

Three year old boy, yes.

 

I love it, made MY way. I've been offered it at friend's homes and was grossed out. My husband and I do not take our tuna salad the same way. I have to make two separate batches.

[Pretty in Pink]

My kids love tuna and would eat it several times per week if I made it that often!

[Parrothead]

We eat tuna here pretty often. We all enjoy it quite a bit. My tuna salad is different than any I've ever seen. I got the recipe from dh's grandmother.

 

2 cans tuna drained and flaked

1 apple peeled, cored and chopped

1/8 cup pickle relish

juice of half a lemon

2 celery stalks, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/3 cup chopped pecans

2 hard boiled eggs, chppped

 

Mix all ingredients with just enough mayo to hold it together.

 

Off to find the left overs for a snack.

 

There's your problem. Miracle Whip is n.a.s.t.y.:ack2:

 

:D

:iagree:

[Dawn in OH]

:iagree:

 

I wouldn't eat tuna salad made with Miracle Whip either. Yuck!

 

Krista

 

 

Oh I just saw this. I will not, cannot, eat anything made with Miracle Whip!

[Carrie12345]

All of my kids like it (as do dh and I), with REAL mayo, of course. They get annoyed b/c I limit how much they can have, due to the mercury content.

[gingersmom]

My kids have never eaten it.

 

They have never put mayonnaise on anything. I haven't own a jar of mayo in about 25 years. The thought of it grosses my kids out.