Fighting Heat with Heat: Mama's Spicy Tuna Salad, a Great Summer Recipe

For many people, summertime foods need to be refreshing. From citrus salads, to cold lemonades, they yearn for relief from the heat in their foods. For me, nothing says summer food like "spicy". I think it's the added heat in the foods we eat that makes us better appreciate the cooling effect of the accompanying side dish. Just as an icy cold beer tastes better on a hot day, foods with cooling effects like cucumbers or yogurt taste better after a spicy meal.

I'd like to share a recipe that has been in my family for ages. It incorporates both the spicy and the cooling effect that I crave in my food, not only during the summertime but year-round. The recipe that I would like to share is called Mama's Spicy Tuna Salad. This dish is so good it's sure to make your mama proud.

Many adjustments can be made to this recipe to accommodate different tastes. If you are not a tuna fan, you can replace the tuna with chicken to make a lovely spicy chicken salad. Or, if you are absolutely opposed to spicy foods, you can make this recipe friendly for the gentler palette simply by removing the jalapenos.

I made two versions of this salad last year at our Fourth of July barbecue. I made one version with the full amount of jalapenos and labeled it "spicy" and the second version with half the amount of jalapenos and labeled it "medium". I served both with a side plate of sliced apples.

Mama's Spicy Tuna Salad

1 seven ounce can of white to not drained

6 tablespoons mayonnaise (light okay)

1/4 cup of white onion, finely chopped

1/8 cup diced jalapeno pepper

1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 stock celery

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

½ medium cucumber, sliced for sandwiches

½ large tomato sliced for sandwiches

1 pinch garlic powder

salt-and-pepper to taste

In a medium bowl stir the tuna and mayonnaise together. Next, add the dill weed, garlic, salt and pepper. Slowly stir in the remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Put mixture in refrigerator for at least one half hour. While the mixture cools in the refrigerator, slice tomato and cucumber for sandwiches. Layer cucumber tomato and tuna salad on French baguette or on crackers and Enjoy!

Special tip: serve sliced avocado on the side. The creaminess of this vegetable will add some additional relief from the heat!