How To Revamp Canned Tuna For Flavorful Tostadas

Canned tuna has come a long way. Once upon a time, it was just primarily used for sandwiches but today you find the nonperishable food staple in an array of dishes. Pastas, salads, fried patties, tuna melts, and casseroles all benefit from the flavor and protein boost of this seafood snack. If you're a fan of utilizing this versatile good, you've probably even made all of the above. But for a new take on tuna, look south of the border to Mexican cuisine.

A tostada is a casual but delicious dish that consists of a flat, fried corn tortilla topped with things like meat, beans, cheese, and vegetables. As it turns out, tuna makes a great tostada topper as well. Because the flavor of fully-cooked canned tuna can be relatively bland and dry, it benefits from the addition of all kinds of ingredients. So, you can definitely tailor your seafood-based tostada to your own personal tastes by adding items like vegetables and hot sauce.

What ingredients to add to your tuna tostada

If you have tuna salad already mixed up and on hand, try taking a scoop and spreading it onto a tostada shell instead of your normal toasted rye. To transition into the Mexican theme, give it a good douse of hot sauce like Cholula or Tapatio and top everything with a generous portion of ripe avocado. This is a surprisingly excellent way to enjoy a tuna tostada. 

You can also make a lighter version of this. Instead of mixing the tuna with mayonnaise, drain a can of tuna and flake it gently with a bit of oil and lime juice. Then, you can add anything with lots of flavors on top like sliced radishes, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, and some avocado for a creamy texture. Mexican crema would be great drizzled over the top of this too.

For an Asian spin, mix up a can of drained tuna with a little mayo mixed with some sriracha or gochujang sauce. Mix in some julienne cut carrot, diced cucumber, toasted slivered almonds, green onions, and cilantro. Top with sliced avocado and some toasted sesame seeds. If you want to go big on the veggie game, try our spruced-up tuna salad recipe that's generous with cucumber, red bell pepper, and carrot. It would be perfectly served on top of a toasted, crunchy corn shell also.