Gochujang Tuna Salad

January 16, 2021

I’ve been having so much fun working my way through a big tub of gochujang that I bought a while back, adding it to random things I’m eating and discovering how much flavor it can bring to my meals. My latest experiment was gochujang tuna salad. It creates a uniquely savory and spicy tuna salad that is great for sandwiches, wraps, or just stuffing into crunchy vegetables!

a bowl of gochujang tuna salad on a board with vegetables

What is Gochujang?

Gochujang is a Korean chile paste made with chile peppers, rice, fermented soybeans, and salt. It kind of reminds me of a spicy version of miso. Gochujang is really starting to trend in the U.S. because of its uniquely sweet-salty-spicy and UMAMI flavor, and because we’re all kind of over our infatuation with sriracha and looking for the next best thing. You can usually find a tub or tube of gochujang in the international aisle of most major grocery stores (I used this one), or if you’re really adventurous, try making your own homemade gochujang!

Scroll down to the step by step photos section below the recipe to see images of what gochujang looks like.

How to Serve Gochujang Tuna Salad

As with most tuna salad, this tuna salad can be made into a sandwich or wrap, scooped up with crackers or vegetables, or you can even serve it in little lettuce cups (maybe topped with some shredded carrot).

Try These Other Tuna Salad Flavors

Love to jazz up your tuna salad? Try these other tuna salad variations:

gochujang tuna salad stuffed into a celery stick
A bowl of gochujang tuna salad surrounded by vegetables and a celery stick dipped in the center

Gochujang Tuna Salad

Add some extra umami heat to your lunch with this simple and tasty gochujang tuna salad.
Total Cost $2.52 recipe / $0.63 serving
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4 ½ cup each
Calories 184.1kcal
Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise $0.10
  • 1 Tbsp gochujang $0.23
  • 1 12oz. can chunk light tuna in water $1.99
  • 2 green onions, sliced $0.20

Instructions

  • First, stir the mayonnaise and gochujang together until smooth.
  • Drain the tuna well, then add it to the gochujang mayonnaise mixture, along with the sliced green onions. Stir until the tuna is evenly mixed with the mayonnaise. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to eat.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 184.1kcal | Carbohydrates: 3.83g | Protein: 17.28g | Fat: 11.18g | Sodium: 498.58mg | Fiber: 0.43g

How to Make Gochujang Tuna Salad – Step by Step Photos

Front view of gochujang container

This is the type of gochujang that I used. It comes in a tub and lasts next to forever in the fridge. I got this at Kroger, which actually had 2-3 different brands available.

Close up view of gochujang paste

And this is what it looks like inside. It’s a thick, red paste. It looks (and tastes) like a spicy version of miso.

mayonnaise and gochujang mixed together in a bowl

Because gochujang is so thick, you’ll want to mix it together with the mayonnaise first. Combine ¼ cup mayonnaise and 1 Tbsp gochujang and stir until smooth.

tuna and green onions added to the bowl

Drain one 12oz. can of chunk light tuna in water and slice two green onions. Add both to the gochujang mayonnaise.

finished gochujang tuna salad

Stir the tuna and green onions into the gochujang mayonnaise until evenly combined.

A bowl of gochujang tuna salad surrounded by vegetables and a celery stick dipped in the center

Enjoy with vegetables, crackers, as a sandwich, or a wrap!

The post Gochujang Tuna Salad appeared first on Budget Bytes.

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