Tuna, Mushroom & Olive Salad
This is a simple salad recipe that I have been LOVING lately!
It’s so easy to make (takes less than 5 minutes) and it’s really delicious.
I love the combination of tuna, mushroom and olives – this has been one of my “go to” lunches to make for an easy meal.
But I’ve had to keep something in mind…
Tuna (and fish in general) has been making a lot of headlines lately – is it healthy?
While fish contains essential fats (fish has always been the best source for animal-based omega-3 fats) that are important for maintaining a healthy brain, a healthy heart and healthy organs in general, fish can also contain a high amount of mercury – and eating too much mercury can lead to mercury poisoning.
However, tuna remains an easily accessible, “budget friendly” fish and protein option all around the world – for that reason I’ve decided to include some tips to keep in mind while purchasing tuna.
Where does the mercury come from?
Mercury in the water comes from industrial pollution, which builds up in fish. However, in some area’s of the world there is more mercury found in the water than other area’s.
For example – While there has been a lot of controversy lately about Norwegian Salmon containing high amounts of mercury and farmed salmon being dangerous for ones health, it has been proven that wild caught Alaskan Salmon remains safe and healthy to eat. Salmon caught wild around Alaska is the cleanest, healthiest and safest salmon available on the market.
What is the best tuna to buy?
Light tuna contains less mercury than white tuna.
There are 3 kinds of tuna meat available on the market – skipjack, albacore and yellowfin. Skipjack tuna (labeled “light”) contains the least amount of mercury. Yellowfin (also labeled “light”) contains more mercury than skipjack, and albacore (labeled “white”) contains the highest amount of mercury.
It’s also important to make sure that you purchase your tuna from a good reputable source AND always double check that it’s wild caught fish and not farmed fish.
The best tuna option would be light skipjack tuna – caught wild and canned in spring water.
(Tuna canned in oil will be much higher in calories, and you never really know what kind of oil is being used.)
How often should we eat tuna?
I wouldn’t advise eating tuna every day, but it’s probably safe to include a serving of light skipjack tuna in a meal about once a week.
Now… go ahead and enjoy this delicious tuna, mushroom and olive salad – with light skipjack tuna if you can ;)…
Here is what I like to use…
Ingredients:
-1/2 can tuna (drained)
-10 black olives
-1 cup button mushroom slices
-1 handful baby spinach
-1 tablespoon cold-pressed olive oil
-a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
-sea salt
-cracked black pepper
(serves 1)
Here’s how I make it – so easy!
Instructions:
-rinse all of the fresh ingredients
-drain the tuna
-mix the tuna, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, sea salt & cracked black pepper together in a small bowl
-slice the button mushrooms
-halve and pit the olives
-in a bowl or on a plate add together the baby spinach, mushroom slices, olive halves as well as the tuna mix
-squeeze extra lemon juice over salad
-serve fresh, eat and enjoy!
Made with love by Liezl Jayne xo
