Simple Tuna Salad

Ingredients

• 1 can (7 oz) white tuna
• 6 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sweet pickle relish
• garlic powder
• 2 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 hard-boiled egg

Method

Drain the tuna thoroughly — press it against the tin wall with the back of a fork to squeeze out excess brine, which dilutes the salad and muddies the umami. This is a fish-cookery matter of moisture control: canned tuna releases liquid throughout storage, and that liquid tastes metallic and stale. Transfer the drained tuna to a medium bowl and break it into flakes with a fork. Don't pulverise it into paste; you want texture.

Add the mayonnaise and relish together. The relish's vinegar and sugar cut through the richness of the mayo's yolks and oil, and the sweet-sour balance is what anchors this assembled-dishes approach. Fold gently to combine — this isn't a binding step, just a bringing-together. Now taste. This is essential. Canned tuna varies wildly in salt content between brands; some are brined heavily, others less so. Decide whether you need the vinegar or lemon juice based on what you taste. Vinegar gives a sharper edge; lemon juice is rounder and slightly bitter. Pick one, not both. Start with 1 tablespoon and fold it through, then add more if the salad feels flat. Season with a quarter-teaspoon of garlic powder and a pinch each of salt and black pepper. Taste again.

Fold through the shredded cheese and the chopped hard-boiled egg — add these last so they don't break down into the mayonnaise. The egg provides richness and a textural contrast to the soft tuna; the cheese adds salt and fat that bind the salad together. If the mixture looks dry (mayonnaise brands differ in oil content), add another tablespoon of mayo rather than more vinegar — excess acid will curdle the emulsion. The salad should be moist enough to cling to a spoon but not slick.

Serve this at room temperature or chilled, depending on context. On bread, it benefits from a light hand: let the salad sit for ten minutes before assembly so the flavours marry, then spoon it onto toasted bread. In a cold-dishes format — over leaves or in a tomato — chill it for at least thirty minutes to let the egg and cheese firm up slightly, which improves texture against crisp greens.