Spicy Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps
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Spicy, delicious, and oh so easy to make, this tuna lettuce wraps recipe is perfect for healthy meal prep or a low carb lunch. Finally, a lettuce wraps recipe you’ll actually enjoy!
Tuna salad is a meal prep 101 dish, and this one is anything but boring! Made with habanero peppers, it has a spicy kick of heat that will tickle your taste buds without setting them on fire.
Serving it in lettuce wraps topped with sugar-free pickled red onions, this is a far cry from the bland dish you may have grown up with.
While it may not be the most kid-friendly of recipes, it’s definitely one for the grown ups in your house. You could always make something else like Air Fryer Pigs in a Blanket for your little ones!
Why Spicy Tuna Salad is a Favorite
Tuna fish is full of protein, so it’s a fantastic high protein meal idea, and the recipe is easy to adapt, too. For example, for even more protein, you can mix in some chopped up hard boiled eggs.
Or, if you prefer something a little less spicy, you can swap the habaneros for some homemade Old Bay seasoning.
If you like a bit of crunch in your tuna lettuce wraps, try my Mexican Tuna Salad recipe. It’s full of veggies and flavored with taco seasoning.
You might be skeptical, thinking this is some boring, simple canned tuna recipe with lettuce. But canned tuna melds with other flavors really easily.
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are some important mom-tested tips for making this recipe! I’ve made this countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Finely dice the celery and habanero. You want to get a little crunch and a little heat in every bite.
- Wear kitchen gloves when you handle the hot peppers. This is advice I always give to others, yet hardly ever follow myself. Every time I cut chiles, I somehow think I can get away with it, but that always ends up biting me in the behind. I’ve accidentally touched my eyes and burned them far too many times, so please, learn from my mistakes!
Ingredients for the Spicy Tuna Salad
- tuna fish: I typically use canned albacore tuna (white tuna fish) from Costco or Kroger. For a different flavor, you can substitute canned salmon for the tuna.
- spicy chiles: I love the distinct flavor of habanero peppers, and a little goes a long way! But if you find jalapeños are easier to find, or you just want a little less spice, that’s an easy 1:1 substitution. Another option is to skip the chili peppers entirely and use sriracha or hot sauce instead.
- mayo: Use full-fat, mayonnaise or some homemade avocado mayo. If you don’t care for mayo, substitute it with full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- celery: For a little extra crunch, add some shredded carrots, red onion, and/or minced bell peppers if you want.
- cilantro: If you aren’t a fan of the flavor of cilantro, you can use flat leaf parsley or even some green onion (scallions) instead.
For the Lettuce Wraps
- onions: Use my sugar-free pickled red onions recipe. You can skip this, of course, but I think the acid works nicely with the heat, plus it adds a little more crunchy texture.
- lettuce leaves: I like romaine lettuce leaves, but feel free to whatever you like or have on hand. Butter lettuce, Bibb lettuce, and red leaf lettuce all work great! You can even swap the lettuce for other healthy greens, like collard, kale, or cabbage.
How to Make It
Aside from finely dicing your veggies, there really isn’t much to this simple meal prep recipe! Just add all of your ingredients to a bowl, and stir everything together to combine.
Recipe Variations
Asian tuna lettuce wraps: Use your favorite Asian seasonings, like furikake, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), Kewpie mayo (Japanese mayonnaise), and/or some grated ginger. Instead of making tuna lettuce wraps, you can make spicy tuna rolls, by wrapping the mixture in nori or rice paper wrappers, along with some black or white sesame seeds.
For a milder heat in your tuna salad, sauté the diced peppers for a few minutes, until softened, before adding them to the tuna. Cooking the pepper mellows out some of the spicy heat, and the lettuce helps dilute the heat, too. Me? I’m a fan of the spicier the better, but I realize not everybody loves that level of heat! You do you, friends.
Tuna sushi: For a fantastic and healthy Asian meal, swap the tuna fish for some sushi-grade tuna!
Serving and Storing
To prepare the lettuce wraps, spoon the spicy tuna salad into the lettuce leaves just before eating.
I like to add sliced cucumbers or bell peppers, some avocado slices, and pickled onions to my tuna lettuce wraps.
Be sure keep the mixture sealed in an airtight container, and store it in the fridge. Try to use it up within 5 days.
Tuna Lettuce Wraps FAQ
If you’re looking to jazz up the flavor of tuna, you can’t go wrong with adding some spicy heat. Red chili flakes, sriracha sauce, hot chili sauce, or even chili crisp would taste amazing. You could also add a splash of citrus, like lemon juice or lime juice.
Depending on what filling is in your lettuce wraps, they can be quite healthy! This tuna lettuce wraps recipe is high in protein and healthy fats and low in carbs.
For this recipe, one 3-ounce serving of spicy tuna salad and 2 lettuce leaves has 315 calories.
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Spicy Tuna Salad Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
- 6 ounces tuna fish packed in oil or water
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 habanero pepper or 2 teaspoons diced jalapeno
- ¼ cup mayo use more or less, as desired
- 1½ tablespoons cilantro
- ½ teaspoon salt use more or less, as desired
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper use more or less, as desired
Serve with
- 4-6 lettuce leaves
- pickled red onions optional
Video
Instructions
- While wearing kitchen gloves, use a sharp knife to finely mince the habanero pepper, removing the seeds. Finely chop the celery and cilantro. Drain the oil/water from the tuna.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir well to combine. Taste, then season with additional salt and black pepper if desired.
- Spoon the tuna salad into lettuce wraps and top with a little extra cilantro and pickled onions.
Notes
Nutrition
2025 Update: This recipe is still a family favorite and has been updated to simplify the recipe instructions and add helpful tips for our readers. We hope you love it as much as we do!
