Japanese-Style Tuna Noodle Salad Recipe (2024)

For even more canned fish recipes check out Tin Fish Gourmet by Barbara=Jo McIntosh. Subtitled Great Seafood from Cupboard to Table. With recipes from Anchovies to Tuna, included is a tuna-pasta shell salad with peas, scallions, and diced red pepper in a vinaigrette dressing. Recipes in the book are varied and well described.

Made this for my Japanese girlfriend and said that it mostly resembled what her mom makes, my ultimate barometer. She recommended just a pinch of sugar and a few more slivered vegetables (carrots and peppers) to add, which made it a truly excellent salad. Didn’t have any scallions so I quick-pickled some shallots in rice vinegar and they were a great topping. Hope everyone is staying healthy.

I haven't made this yet, but I do cook with wakame. For a couple of bowls of miso soup, I use maybe 1/2 tsp. 1/4 cup of dried wakame, once hydrated, should give you enough to make this salad for 20 people, not 4.

Excellent! We used this as a base, as I've not been to the market for a week and just rummaged in the veggie bin. Wound up quickly stir frying some onion and cabbage, then threw in some kale to wilt. Didn't have the seaweed, sweet miso, udon or seaseme seeds instead just used brown rice ramen (Costco!) and for crunchy topped with chopped sugar snap peas and some cashews. This was great; it tasted fresh and had some sweet, salty, crunchy and soothing noodles. Thanks!

Here in France a staple picnic dish or light lunch is a mixture of day-old rice, tinned tuna, olives, cherry tomatoes, chopped bits of hard boiled eggs, scallions, and anything else one might deem appropriate, all bound together with a flavorful vinaigrette.

Lyn,Seaweed sheet for sushi (called Nori) is a good substitute for wakame, or even those seaweed snack thing work.

No, kombu is really different. I use kombu when I'm cooking beans and it rehydrates to be very thick and leathery. Rehydrated wakame is a lot more delicate. Also wakame is already in flakes, where kombu comes in sheets.I think you could actually use a little frozen spinach, if you have it.

I made this last night as soon as I saw the recipe. Loved it!I had all ingredients on hand except the Wakame. Which I am sure would have made it even better. As we are sheltering in place, my kids expected a WWII-K ration type dinner when they saw I was using canned tuna. Instead they had a gourmet surprise. This will be in regular rotation from now on.

Cooked exactly as instructed but swapped in two bags of Top Ramen in place of udon. Sooo delicious. Will definitely make again

Didn’t have udon, so used soba, and used some Korean tuna with red chili, and it turned out great. Quick, easy and tasty lunch.

Sweet miso is also known as shiro miso or white miso. It is the mildest type. If you had a darker, stronger type on hand, you could try using a bit less.

Made this for lunch today. Turned out great even with some ingredient substitutions. Lightly steamed julienned sugar snap peas for seaweed. Not sure what "sweet miso" is (could use a little help in the recipe text!) but had some miso and used that. Forget the furikake no Asian grocery nearby and no time to mail order. I don't mind experimenting like this, and have a very "flexible" palate, but it would be nice to see tested alternative ingredients for recipes like this.

add a little more oil to the dressing if your tuna is packed in water

Pretty sure miso is one of those foods like ketchup, mustard, pickles, olives, etc. that pretty much last forever in the fridge. Even fresh ginger will last forever if you cut it up and keep it submerged in sake or dry sherry in the fridge. That storage method also makes a great tasting sake or sherry that may be used in any asian recipe calling for sake, shaoxing or sherry. I used the same Chinese preserved turnip in spicy stir-fried green beans for about 20 yrs. without problem. Still here.

Alan, so many ways to make this. Any noodle will do. I think the key is noodle, soy sauce, tuna. From there, you can make a dressing from soy sauce and a bit of rice or white vinegar, add a bit of citrus juice, even a dash of sugar or honey. For veggies, you could saute some shaved carrot, shallots, or green onion, spinach, like others said, kale. You can even add a bit of mayo if you like. Sometimes I also boil noodles and then refry them in a bit of oil -canola, peanut, coconut, what have you.

Really good, really tasty, and quick to assemble. Add some dry chilli flakes for a bit of kick

I used leftover salmon instead of tuna. Quick, easy, and delicious

When a recipe calls for sesame oil do they mean toasted or not? I assume toasted in this context but there is also just plain sesame oil. Anybody know?

We love this recipe- after a couple times with my teen telling me it was yummy but too oily she specifically said “leave out the oil, just use the tuna oil”. Tonight I finally acquiesced, that worked much better for us. I was also super lazy, so did not do the wakame… but def prefer it this way… less soupy, more creamy. Used chickpea miso making the whole thing so smooth with delish umami and less oily (obviously).

Delicious! Julienned a couple of carrots. Could have added some sliced cucumbers. Yum!

Added Daikon matchsticks and scallions for texture and flavor. It's a solid and tasty recipe that is really quick.

Really good, my only modification is to use a tablespoon of miso (either salty or sweet), and some fresh thinly sliced veg like peppers etc.

I had a bit of tuna, dressing and green onions left over. I mixed it all together and added a little mayo then spread it on a slice of homemade sourdough. Yum. I now have two new ways of using canned tuna.

This is sooo good and a great way to use up small amts of condiments and salad greens. I used somen noodles, and added rice vinegar and a little oil to the water they cooked in. Served them cold on a bed of arugula. To the recipe dressing I added capers, a bit of sliced shallot, some leftover peanut sauce, and some sweet chili sauce. I used TJoe's Skipjack tuna in a pouch (no oil or water added), and topped the whole thing with dried salted edamame and sesame seeds. Wonderful easy meal!

Some have asked for possible substitutes for wakame and furikake. Since wakame gives you umami, I might used dried mushrooms (shiitake or whatever) or those tiny dried fish used to make dashi). Instead of furikake, those little packs of dried nori snacks work great. I use scissors to cut them into ribbons to sprinkle on top. The little dried fish work also, but they're better toasted a bit in a dry pan till they get crunchy.

Very easy and was delicious even though I omitted the seaweed and the mirin. I added edamame and it went so well with the dish. I ate 3 out of the 4 servings, it was so good!

Good but could use a bit more soy sauce and vinegar.

Add edamame Use 1 tbsp hot sesame oil, one regular OR Use regular sesame oil and top with chili crunchConsider adding a pinch of tingly season salt (Momof*cku) for different flavor and avoid all heat.

Delicious. Made it with somen. Great light salad.

Don't drain the oil-packed tuna and leave out the Canola. Add broccoli slaw for crunch.