Canned Tuna Ceviche –Transform ordinary canned tuna into a zesty, flavorful lunch by adding fresh lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, tomato and avocado – so good!
Canned Tuna Ceviche
Canned Tuna CevicheI have tons of easy ceviche recipes, a few of my favorites are Shrimp Ceviche Cocktail, Peruvian Ceviche in Cucumber Cups, Shrimp Ceviche and Avocado Salad and Mushroom Ceviche (Vegan) to name a few. This one is a perfect way to use up canned tuna from your pantry!
A high school friend (hi Cynthia!) actually gave me this idea. She had it while vacationing in Guatemala and shared the idea with me when she returned. When I read the email, I thought it was brilliant! It’s basically a poor man’s ceviche.
Now don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good fresh ceviche made raw fish or seafood. It’s actually one of my favorite things to eat. I actually shared a recipe here of Ceviche in Cucumber Cups or this ceviche-like Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad. But when you need a quick lunch using pantry ingredients, this is great and it’s inexpensive, Whole3o, low-carb, paleo-friendly, dairy-free and gluten-free!
For presentation, I put the ceviche tuna into the can to use as a ring mold, then inverted it onto my plate; completely optional of course! Topped with fresh avocado, this was filling and delicious.
How To Make Canned Tuna Ceviche
More Canned Tuna Recipes You Will Love:
- Chickpea Tuna Salad
- Mayo-less Tuna Macaroni Salad
- Italian Tuna and Brown Rice Salad (Riso e Tonno)
- Tuna Deviled Eggs
- Tuna Lettuce Wrap with Avocado Dressing
Canned Tuna Ceviche
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp minced red onion
- 1 to 1 1/2 limes
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 7 oz can chunk white albacore tuna packed in water (5.1 oz drained)
- 1 medium seeded plum tomato, finely diced
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, minced (keep seeds for spicy) or you can use pickled
- 3 drops Tabasco sauce, optional
- 2 oz sliced avocado, 1/2 medium haas
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the red onion, pinch of kosher salt, juice of 1 lime and olive oil.
- Mix in the chopped cilantro, jalapeño, drained tuna, tomato, and Tabasco, if using.
- Taste for salt and lime juice, adjust as needed (I used 1 1/2 limes).
- Cover and marinate in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes to let the flavors blend.
- To serve, top with fresh sliced avocado and serve.
This is a great recipe for a quick summer lunch. I’ve made this recipe a million times over the years. I’ve made it as-is which is a hit. I’ve also used scallions instead of red onion which is great. I’ve also added diced cucumber when I’m cleaning out my fridge – that’s also fantastic. I’ve eaten this with thin crackers, or on top of a chopped salad kit. It’s a very inexpensive, quick, tasty lunch.
Delish, I have made this a couple of times,and it was great. Making it a part of my lunch rotation
Delicious. My family liked it a lot.
Wow very impressed. Wasn’t sure how it would turn out with tuna but it was very delicious and ceviche flavors were all there.
I did 3 limes, added garlic powder and at the end I topped with a little Tajin on the avocado.
This is amazing with tortilla chips! So quick and easy to make 🙂
This recipe is seriously so easy and delicious!! I skipped the jalapeños and Tabasco, as I’m not big into spice, but it was still super good. I made homemade corn tortilla chips to eat it with and it was awesome! I’ll definitely be making again!
Though this is delicious, it is not ceviche. The ingredients are inspired by ceviche.
This is a glorified canned tuna salad.
I’ve been making this for a summer lunch when I have a friend or two over. Tonight I doubled the recipe for my family’s dinner. Kids and husband approved! All around great recipe! Thanks!
This was both simple and delicious! The flavors are both fresh and inviting. Will definitely keep this recipe in my rotation!
This was delicious. Already made 3 times. It’s become part of my weekly menu
This was delicious. I’ve already made it a staple at my house
This was a hit at our house.
Quick, simple and delicious 😋
I used a couple of dashes of tapatio hot sauce and served it on tostadas.
For me, I marvelous fresh change to tuna! Would recommend.
I absolutely LOVED this! It was super good! I added chopped cucumber which was really good, and added a shake of chili powder instead of the jalapeno since I didn’t have one on hand. Also, I had some tortillas in the pantry so I chopped one up into chip-sized pieces and baked in the oven for 9 minutes, they came out perfectly as the food-delivery system for this ceviche. Super easy to make, definitely my new fave tuna recipe.
This was remarkable. I love this! Easy and quick.
Fantastic lunch. Served it with Corn Thin crackers & a side of your Mexican Cauliflower “Rice”. Yum!!!
There’s no way that there is that many carbs in this dish. There are zero carbs in the tuna. There is a mistake here
The vegetables contain carbs
The BEST tuna recipe ever! I love tuna but this put me over the edge! It’s in my monthly lunch meal rotations!
This is truly amazing and I don’t care for tuna unless it’s is heavily coated in mayo or noodles! Definitely in my summer rotation!
This is a great light, healthy lunch! I opted to omit the avocado to save on the extra calories but this still had tons of flavor!
I plugged this into the WW recipe builder and came up with 2 smart points. I am planning to have it for lunch, so I cannot comment on the taste, but it does look good!
Thanks for doing the work! I’m on WW too and that was my next step.
I really enjoyed this for an easy lunch, & ate 2nd portion the next day.
I’m not a canned tuna fan, but decided to tYummy! Definitely spruced up the flavor! Got small amount red onion & jalapeno off salad bar.
Love cilantro & lime!
Mixed up without tomato (ate that on the side).
Instead of avocado, I opted to eat with pita crackers. Yummo!
Will do again!
Thanks!
Great idea salad bar! I’m alone and sometimes don’t want to get all the ingredients to make a recipe! THANK you!
I made this using American Tuna brand albacore. It was absolutely delicious! This canned albacore is available with added flavors such as garlic (mild) and jalapeno which I am going to use the next time I make this.
Hi Gina! I love your website and it has been such a help with my new nutritional plan! I just found out that your recipes are auto loaded into the MyFitnessPal App!! So incredibly perfect! Needed a recipe for a lower carb day and found this one! i’m gonna whip it up for dinner tonight! THANKS!!
Would you please post the recipe for TUNA CEVICHE on Pinterest with a link that works. I’ve searched, but the pins that are posted direct to error, not found. I clicked the Pinterest link on your website, thinking I could pin it from there, but it takes you to your entire Pinterest account. I waded through the pins with no success in finding it. The only way, it seems, to get to the recipe is by searching your website. That’s great, but I’d love to be able to save the recipe pin to Pinterest. Anything you can do is appreciated. Thank you 🙂
Well, this was different but SOOOO TASTY! I didn’t think my husband would like it, but he proclaimed how much more he liked it than his typical mayo tuna salads. He has asked for it again, but on top of a tostada. Enough about him. I loved it too! So fast and easy to make for a nice quick, and light lunch!
Just made this for lunch. I restarted weight watchers a week ago and needed some good lunch ideas. This was amazing and I can’t believe I was even eating canned tuna. It transformed it!
If you’re doing it for a big crowd you can use a large can of pink salmon and make small individual cupsRemove skin and bonez
Does anyone know if this is 21 day fix approved? if it is what containers would they be?
I will make this for dinner tonight.
Made this for dinner tonight–probably one of the yummiest things I’ve ever made! My kids loved it as well. Simple, relatively quick, nutritious, and delicious?!? Winning!!!??
Love it when meals are kid approved!
Hi,
I love the recipe but I'm from Europe, do you by any chance have the ingredients in grams? I would really appreciate it!
I’m not sure they’d be so gracious as to do that for you, so I might suggest you use an online weight converter or a unit converter app.
I am one of the poor folks for whom cilatro tastes like soap (thanks genetics!) Would parsley be a good substitute?
I made this first time and used parsley (all I had). It was fine. Great dish Gina!
Or leave it out, maybe chopped chives for flavor
I prepared the tuna ceviche tonight and it was "delicioso". I love ceviches and salpicones.
prepared this for lunch. it is wonderful. amazing recipe for a simple can of tuna! thanks Gina! p.s. can't wait for your book. I pre-ordered the day it became available <3
We made this for dinner two nights in a row. So great and very filling!
I make mine with cucumber, shrimp, and crab. I put it on top of a corn tostada shell with sourcream on bottom first. Delicious!!!!!!
This was so good! thank you so much!!!!
I make it the some way but I add a little bit of light mayo! So good!
I usually cheat and just add some balsamic salad dressing and veggies to albacore canned tuna. This sounds much better! Im going to my pantry now to get a can and prepare with this recipe. Thanx!!!
Just made this. So good and light!!
I have never been a fan of canned tuna in any shape or form but when I saw this recipe I had to try it! The flavors are so good in this dish that I've been looking forward to eating canned tuna for lunch all week! Great job – I can't wait for the cookbook!
I made this over the weekend for my wife who hates all seafood except canned tuna…and it is her NEW FAVORITE lunch!
Just made this, and can tell I will be eating it ALL summer long. Delicious! Can't wait to experiment with other add ins, like scallions, or cucumber.
Question – I love canned tuna – but if i don't eat it with mayo the fishy taste is overwhelming to me. does anyone else have this problem – and has made this and not had an issue?
Yes, you have to make sure you get solid white albacore… NOT light tuna. White albacore is the only canned tuna that doesn't have a fishy and gross aftertaste… light albacore is like cat food, to aggressively fishy. I'm very sensitive to fishy tastes so I understand!!
thank you!!!
Amazing! So easy and perfect for summer!!
Can I make this with canned chicken?
I just did. I thought I had tuna in the pantry…I didn't. I used canned chicken instead. If turned out great.
One word – YUMMY ! Must try this … TODAY!
Just made this today. Excellent! Love the fact it's low points but so delicious and filling to boot!
I made this yesterday to take to a friend's house and it was a big hit. Even a few people who said they don't like canned tuna enjoyed it. There was a little leftover, so I had it for lunch today and it was still just fine. Great for the 90 degree day we had!
I made this for dinner last night, using wild-caught canned albacore. I chopped up a persian cucumber and used lemons from my back yard (cheaper), but other than that, I did everything as is and it was incredible!!! I put it on a bed of organic mixed greens. Absolutely perfect, this one's a keeper. Thanks again, Gina!
Wonderful, thank you!
Im having some technical difficulty trying to save this recipe to my recipe box… when I click the blue save-recipe button, it saves the Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado recipe (which also looks amazing) instead of the Tuna Ceviche recipe. Anyone else having that problem?
Made this today, served with tortilla chips….very yummy!!!
Just made this for lunch today too and its delicious!!! Would love some corn chips but sliced up half a cucumber instead!! Loving it!
Made this for lunch today and it was absolutely delicious. Trying not to eat the other half. I think I'll be making this a lot! Thanks for the recipe.
I made this today for lunch – I used a little bit of honey mustard instead of the oil and added almonds for that crunchiness…… YUMMMMM!!!!! So delicious!
I make this but also add chopped, cooked cactus and put it in homemade corn tortillas (maseca). Love it!!
Monica
This is what we call "tuna salad" in my country (Peru) 😉 it is delicious! we sometimes serve it as an appetizer with crackers. You can add mayo (for more poitns) too.
This looks pretty good, and a nice twist on using canned tuna. I love buying Italian canned tuna so will give this a shot! The only difference is I am going to swap the Tobasco for Srirachia
Maybe because I am from California, but I thought everyone made tuna this way. There are tons of combinations of herbs and veggies to use…..I love cucumbers in mine. I always put a little lemon juice in canned tuna. We pile ours on lettuce or in pitas, on top of ciabatta bread, etc. Try this, you will love it!
I wrote on a blog yesterday that it was almost impossible to make canned tuna look good, but you know what? You did it! This looks fantastic, and I bet the flavours go really well together as well, mmm. Thanks for a great recipe 😀 x
Just put this together for lunch tomorrow. I added a bit of diced radish and diced yellow bell pepper to boost my veggie intake. Can't wait for lunch tomorrow. Thank you again, Gina for an amazing recipe!
This would also make a great Romaine Lettuce Wrap!!
I never would have thought to put cilantro with tuna- YUM! I happen to have all of these ingredients on hand and made this tonight for dinner. I served it on a bed of spinach. I made a double batch- can't wait for lunch tomorrow! Pre-ordered your book yesterday- can't wait until October!!!
Are you eating this as a salad on top of lettuce? Or how?
Absolutely love this for a fresh, summery salad! Great idea, Gina!
Made this for lunch today (with lemons since limes are so expensive lately) and wow, it was so fresh and tasty! I don't know why this never occurred to me before, 'cause I love ceviche. Yum yum, thank you!
OMG! I'm trying this tomorrow!!! Thanks, Gina!
I eat tuna quite a bit for lunch, and sometimes it gets old. Thanks for the great idea!
Sammi Sunshine
Hi Gina, I love your recipes. Would it be ok to put this one on my gourmet tuna site?
www.pacificfleettuna.com
I made this for lunch today, it was delicious!
Just made it for lunch, it was delicious especially with the avocado on top! Trying to keep myself from having more 🙂
While I love ceviche I have never tried to make it on my own. There isn't a lot of fresh fish available in my area. This is a great way to get the taste without the worry that the raw fish isn't fresh enough. Love it!
This recipe uses canned tuna, unless I've read it wrong…
Just made this, and I ate the whole thing! I skipped the olive oil and mixed the avocado in (1/2 not 1/4) and it was delicious and well worth the 7 WW+ pts!
I was just thinking of doing the same thing! Great for lunch or dinner!!
Isn't it 4 points not 7?
AWESOME. Does it keep well overnight…like to make and pack in lunches for work?
Do you think this would still work if I made it at night to eat for lunch the next day?
I think it would be fine!
Ooh nice! Do you think I could try this with salmon? I'm allergic to tuna..
why not, or crab : )
Excellent I'm excited! Unfortunately all shellfish and tuna is out 🙁
I was thinking of using salmon too!
Chicken
Great idea! I always keep canned tuna in the pantry for hungemergencies and this looks like a very fresh and tasty twist!
What a great way to transform canned tuna! It looks amazing!