Matthew McConaughey’s Tuna Salad
This is the unusual tuna salad Matthew McConaughey described making on Sundays: creamy tuna mixed with wasabi mayo, pickles, crispy jalapeños, apple, corn, peas, red onion, Italian dressing, lemon, vinegar, and a little agave. The original recipe was described casually rather than given with exact measurements, so the quantities below are a practical version based on his ingredient list.
Serves: 4–6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chilling: 30 minutes to overnight
Ingredients
Tuna salad
- 2 cans tuna, about 5–6 oz (140–170 g) each, drained
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles or gherkins
- ½ green apple, finely diced
- ¼ cup corn kernels
- ¼ cup frozen green peas, thawed
- ½–1 cup crispy jalapeño chips, roughly crushed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1–2 tablespoons Italian dressing
- 1 tablespoon wasabi paste
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Prepare the tuna
Drain the tuna thoroughly.
Place it in a large bowl and break it apart with a fork, leaving some small chunks rather than turning it into a paste.
For the best texture, use good-quality tuna. Tuna packed in oil will give the salad a richer flavor, while tuna packed in water will make it lighter.
2. Make the wasabi dressing
In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, wasabi paste, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, Italian dressing, and agave.
Whisk until smooth.
Start with 1 tablespoon of wasabi. You can add more later if you want a stronger kick.
The dressing should be creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and noticeably spicy.
3. Add the crunchy ingredients
Add the red onion, pickles, diced apple, corn, and thawed peas to the tuna.
The apple and corn provide sweetness, while the pickles and onion bring acidity and sharpness.
Add the crispy jalapeño pieces last so they retain some of their crunch.
4. Mix everything together
Pour the wasabi dressing over the tuna mixture.
Gently fold everything together until evenly coated.
Don’t mash the ingredients—you want the salad to remain chunky with plenty of different textures.
5. Taste and adjust
Give it a taste before refrigerating.
- More heat: Add more wasabi or jalapeño chips.
- More tang: Add a little extra lemon juice or vinegar.
- More sweetness: Add another teaspoon of agave.
- More creaminess: Add another spoonful of mayonnaise.
- More crunch: Add extra crispy jalapeños, pickles, or apple.
- More seasoning: Add salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
The combination is supposed to be bold: savory, creamy, sweet, tangy, spicy, and crunchy.
6. Chill
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
For an even better flavor, make it several hours ahead or the night before. The ingredients have more time to blend together as it chills.
If you’re preparing it ahead, keep some crispy jalapeños separate and sprinkle them over the salad just before eating so they stay crunchy.
7. Serve
Classic sandwich
Pile the chilled tuna salad onto toasted bread with lettuce.
For an especially good sandwich, use sourdough or toasted whole-grain bread.
Open-faced toast
Spread a thick layer over toasted sourdough and finish with extra crispy jalapeños.
With crackers
Serve it as a chunky dip with sturdy crackers.
Lettuce cups
Spoon the tuna salad into crisp lettuce leaves for a lighter option.
The secret to the recipe
The wasabi and crispy jalapeños are what make this different from ordinary tuna salad. The wasabi gives the creamy dressing a sharp heat, while the jalapeños provide crunch. The apple, corn, and agave then balance that heat with sweetness.
And the frozen peas aren’t a typo—McConaughey specifically mentioned frozen green peas as part of his version.
Best version to make at home
For a balanced first attempt, I’d use:
- 2 cans tuna
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon wasabi
- ¼ cup pickles
- ¼ cup red onion
- ½ green apple
- ¼ cup corn
- ¼ cup peas
- ½ cup crispy jalapeños
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon agave
- 1–2 tablespoons Italian dressing
Mix it, chill it, then taste it again. Don’t be afraid to adjust the wasabi and jalapeños to your preferred heat level.
This makes a fantastic make-ahead lunch because the flavors become even more pronounced after resting in the refrigerator.
