tarragon tuna salad

I love playing what my family has dubbed "Food Games". It's when we're all together (usually eating) and I ask my captive audience questions like:

If you had to choose only 5 foods to eat for the rest of your life what would they be?

or:

If you could never eat a certain food EVER AGAIN what would that be? What food(s) would you be willing to give up FOREVER?

At first they're like, "Really, Jolie? Again? You want to play Food Games again?"

And I'm like, "Yes! Yay! C'mon!"

There's a lot of hemming and hawing. But then everyone bends to my will. And these great, passionate conversations and discussions ensue. I love hearing the answers. You can learn so much about people by the foods they adore and detest. Isn't it interesting?? Ok. Maybe I'm just weird.  

My all-time favorite question of Food Games is:

What's your Fear Factor food? (You know, the one that makes you want to puke in a bucket and forfeit your chance to win a million dollars like those poor saps on that bad TV show Fear Factor who had to eat pig's bladders and/or still-skittering cockroaches?)

People are very passionate about their Fear Factor food.

Mine is egg salad. The fact that many people find this food delectable and actually desire it makes me shudder and dry heave. I can't even take it when someone is eating it near me. The smell? The texture?Yeek! Some people even have the nerve to bring egg salad on an airplane. That is the most selfish thing I can think of. Once, before a long road-trip with my friend Nicole, we stopped at Starbucks to get some drinks and snacks for the car. While in line, she innocently picked up an egg-salad sandwich wrapped in cellophane and without thinking I blurted, "YOU CAN'T EAT THAT IN MY CAR NEXT TO ME OR I WILL HURL!" She was like, "Okay then, psycho." and gingerly replaced it with turkey.

So you're gonna think it odd odd odd that while egg salad makes me squeamish, I can't get enough of tuna salad. I know it's just as stinky but for some reason it's thoroughly delicious to me in thought, word and deed.

My version has lots of crunch from the celery and onions. And sweet tartness from the green apples...

Add the tang of dijon and the zip of lemon...

The licorice-y minty lemony herby tarragon brings it all together...

Finish with a generous drizzle of good olive oil and sea salt and pepper and there you have it!

Tarragon Tuna Salad
serves 3 generously or 4 miserly

2  5oz. cans chunk white or solid white tuna
heaping 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
heaping 1/4 cup finely diced granny smith apple
heaping 1/4 cup finely diced celery
1 1/2 T finely chopped fresh tarragon
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T dijon mustard
2 T olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Drain the tuna and use a fork to break it apart, if necessary. Combine with all ingredients and season to taste. Serve either in a sandwich or over lightly dressed greens. (I like to dress mine with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper) Yum.

I hope you love it and it becomes one of your 5 foods:)

Yay, Food Games! 

xoxo

Jolie