What to Make With Canned Tuna

Drain two 5-ounce cans of tuna well and flake into a bowl. Add 1/3 cup mayonnaise, 1 chopped celery stalk, 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Stir gently so it stays chunky rather than turning into paste.

Pile it onto toasted bread with lettuce and tomato. The one trick that changes the result: press the tuna in a fine sieve after draining. Most watery tuna salad is tuna that was only half drained, and dry tuna holds the mayonnaise instead of weeping it back out.

Make tuna salad as above, but spread it thinner than you think — about 1/2 cup per sandwich — on sturdy bread like sourdough. Top with a slice of cheddar or Swiss and broil or griddle in a buttered skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the cheese is fully melted and the bread is golden.

The thinner layer matters because a thick mound of cold tuna keeps the cheese from melting before the bread burns. If your tuna salad is fridge-cold, let it sit 10 minutes at room temperature first so everything finishes together.

Drain two 5-ounce cans of tuna and combine with one 15-ounce can of drained white beans, the juice of half a lemon, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 sliced red onion, and a handful of chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper and let it sit 10 minutes before serving.

This is the no-mayo option, and it eats like a proper meal over greens or with crusty bread. Resting matters more than it looks: the beans absorb the lemon and oil in those 10 minutes, and the difference between a just-mixed and a rested bowl is real.

Cook 8 ounces of spaghetti in salted water. Meanwhile, warm 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook 3 sliced garlic cloves for 1 to 2 minutes until golden at the edges, not brown. Add one drained 5-ounce can of tuna, the zest of half a lemon, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and toss for 1 minute. Toss with the drained pasta and a handful of chopped parsley.

The trick is the pasta water. The starch in it turns the oil and tuna juices into a light sauce that coats every strand; without it, the dish is just dry pasta with tuna on top. Finish with extra lemon if it tastes flat.

Drain two 5-ounce cans of tuna and squeeze out every drop of water in a sieve. Mix with 1 beaten egg, 1/3 cup breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons minced onion, and a pinch of salt. Form into 6 patties. Pan-fry in 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deep golden and crisp at the edges.

Squeezing the tuna dry is what keeps the patties from falling apart — wet tuna steams instead of browning and the cakes never set. Cook them undisturbed the first 3 minutes so the crust forms; that's what holds them together when you flip.

Unopened canned tuna keeps 2 to 5 years in a cool, dark pantry — check the best-by date on the can, but the fish stays safe far past it as long as the can is undamaged, with no bulging, rust, or dents. Once opened, transfer the tuna to an airtight glass or plastic container and refrigerate at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use it within 3 to 4 days.

Never store tuna in the opened can. Opened cans don't reseal, the metal reacts with the fish, and the tuna picks up a metallic taste within hours.

Leftover tuna salad keeps 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, and it's best cold the next day once the flavors have melded. If you made extra tuna patties, they reheat well in a skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side.

For small amounts of leftover plain tuna, the easiest upgrade is warm: stir it into fried rice in the last minute, fold it into a quesadilla with cheese, or add it to a green salad with a squeeze of lemon. Tuna keeps its texture better in cold or quickly warmed dishes than in long-simmered ones, so use it at the end of cooking, not the start.