Tuna Salad

Tuna Salad
Dorcas Annette Walker

My husband loved to fish- something I never became enamored with. Hiking through tall weeds to get to a fishing site, fighting hungry misquotes, or wading up an ice cold creek was never my idea of fun- not to mention having to touch and hook squirmy worms that to my mind belonged in the garden. Before our daughter, Dawn, attended grade school and then later on our son, Dwight, all valiantly followed their father on his summer fishing trips. I stayed home waiting for the sun burnt worn out fishermen to arrive exhausted late in the afternoon triumphantly holding up their day’s catch. While Dana gutted and cleaned the fish I got my iron skillet hot and ready to fry up the fish for supper. There is nothing tastier than a mess of fresh fish fried crispy golden brown with homemade hush puppies and tartar sauce on a summer evening. To my husband’s chagrin once he taught Dawn and Dwight how to fish, they always managed to out catch their dad. Competitions ran high each summer bringing home an abundance of fish that I was able to freeze. Now that both kids are grown, Dana’s fishing equipment lies neglected in his workshop and I miss having fresh fish each summer to fry up. Thankfully today one can buy frozen or canned fish year round.

We are all urged to add more fish in our diets and for awhile tuna was the rage until someone decided that tuna contained high amounts of mercury causing a health scare about eating tuna. Further studies have concluded that the benefits of eating tuna in moderation outweigh the dangers. Lately I’ve been seeing advertisements about the jellyfish’s ability to give a person a better memory. Next thing someone else will decide that jellyfish are a health danger. It never ceases to amaze me what idea or notion shows up. Since I don’t live by the ocean I have no worries that one of the fishermen in my family will catch and bring a jellyfish to my house. While I know how to fry fish and use tuna in the kitchen, I’d have no earthly idea how to prepare a jellyfish. So I’ll just leave the jellyfish eating to the experts.

Since I always keep a couple cans of tuna handy in my pantry it only takes me a couple of minutes to make up a batch of my Tuna Salad. My favorite way of eating Tuna Salad is in a sandwich with lettuce and sliced tomatoes along with chips. Tuna Salad can also be layered in a soft tortilla to make a wrap or placed on top of a tossed salad for a different twist. However you serve your Tuna Salad you will have a filling and healthy addition to any meal. Preparation time for the Tuna Salad is ten minutes and this recipe serves five to six.

Tuna Salad

2 (12 oz) cans of tuna- your choice
1 hardboiled egg diced
1 heaping tb of dried onion or 1 small fresh onion minced
1 c mayonnaise
salt & pepper

Drain the tuna and dump into a small bowl with the egg and onion. Stir in the mayonnaise adding salt and pepper to taste until well mixed. Chill and serve!

Weekly tip: To save freeze fresh fish in lidded containers completely covered with water. To use frozen fish thaw, roll in a mixture of cornmeal and flour, and then deep fry!

Dorcas Annette Walker is a published author, columnist, speaker, freelance magazine writer, and photographer from Jamestown, Tennessee. Contact her at: dorcasannettewalker@gmail.com For more recipes check out her Creative Tennessee Mountain Cookin blog at: www.dorcasannettewalker.webs.com