I Made Matthew McConaughey's Go-To "Fridge Clean Out" Salad, And As Wild As It Looks, It Was Truly Delicious
Matthew McConaughey. Tuna Salad. Two words I thought I'd never put together. But here I am.
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One evening, as I scrolled mindlessly on TikTok, my brain came to a screeching halt when I came across a clip of Matthew McConaughey from the 2 Bears, 1 Cave podcast, reposted by The Salad Lab, in which he describes the ingredients in his version of tuna salad. According to McConaughey, he makes every Sunday to clean out his fridge.
I couldn’t get the recipe out of my head.
It was unlike any other tuna salad recipe I’ve ever encountered. Normally, tuna salads, for me, equate to a creamy mush that’s, yeah, sure, delicious. I like tuna salads, but I don’t really want to eat it more than once.
Matthew McConaughey's recipe starts out like any other tuna salad recipe — tuna, a dash of lemon and vinegar, mayo, then this little kicker: wasabi, followed by a “little bit” of Italian dressing, which Matthew mutters under his breath like a secret.
Then he adds red onion, finely chopped dill pickle gherkins, “crispy jalapeno chips," corn, and frozen PEAS. Then, at the end, to balance out the flavors, he adds in some chopped apple and a touch of agave.
It's definitely not your average bland mush.
Curiosity brimming, I had to test out the recipe. Following the listed ingredients from the original interview and cross-referencing other tuna salad recipes, plus just going with my cooking instincts, I gave it a go.
The results? I might be convinced Matthew really is a "tuna salad master."
If you're a fan of tuna salad and also curious about the dimpled, Academy Award-winning Texan's take on it, here’s what you’ll need:
• 1 12-ounce can of tuna
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon wasabi
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Italian dressing
• 1/3 red onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickle
• 1/4 cup corn
• 1/4 cup peas
• 1/3 cup crispy jalapeno chips
• 1/3 cup chopped apples
• 1 tablespoon agave nectar
Plus, one medium-sized mixing bowl to combine everything.
1. First, open and drain the can of tuna, and add to the medium sized mixing bowl.
2. Then, add in ¼ cup of mayo and ½ teaspoon of wasabi.
I used closer to a full teaspoon of wasabi, but it packs a powerful punch, so just in case, start with less and see how you like it.
Matthew also suggested you mix the wasabi and mayo in a separate bowl before adding. I think it's a good suggestion as it makes it easier to evenly distribute the wasabi. I did not listen. But it turned out fine. 🙂
3. Next, the acids: 1 tablespoon each of lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and Italian dressing to the tuna bowl.
Haein Jung
(You can adjust all this at the end. I went with the cautionary approach.)
4. Mix it all together and give it a taste test.
After this taste test, I started to really get intrigued. You definitely get a hint of wasabi, but it isn’t overpowering at all. I found the wasabi to be very subtle in the aftertaste. Sort of earthy and not spicy at all; it possibly gets subdued by the mayo.
5. Then, the chopped goods: 1/3 cup of red onion, 1/4 cup of chopped dill pickles, 1/4 cup of corn, 1/4 cup of frozen peas, and 1/3 cup of chopped apples, and ideally, your red onion.
Haein Jung
(*Sooo, if you're wondering about the onion, I thought I had a red onion in the pantry. I didn't. We'll check back in on this later.)
6. Add in one tablespoon of agave nectar.
I gave it another taste test at this point, and my eyes were like: 😳.
7. Then, I added 1/3 cup of the jalapeño chips. I saved the crispy jalapeño chips for last because I was worried they would lose out on their texture quickly — and they did — but it turns out, it really doesn't matter. You can add it in with your chopped ingredients because the wild thing about this tuna salad is that it's actually the peas that give this mix that nice textural bite.
(These were harder to find than I thought, but I found these in the produce section in front of the salad mixes. These surprised me — they definitely have a kick to them!)
The finale:
A close up:
My honest thoughts:
10/10, I loved it. (I was honestly surprised that I loved it.) Adding the agave really made the difference for me. I personally love a bit of sweet and savory, or sweet and spicy flavor combinations, so this was right up my alley. There were textures that I was worried I wouldn't like — for example, the chopped apples, but I never noticed them, and the questionable peas turned out to be the textural element that saved this tuna salad from being an average, bland mush. The wasabi and Italian dressing were very subtle and added to the overall umami-ness of the dish. I thought to myself, "I actually would make this again."
For those making this dish, feel free to adjust the seasonings as you like it. At the end, I added in a tiny touch more of agave.
Now... there was one thing left. While the tuna salad was delicious, I had to test how Matthew McConaughey likes to eat his tuna salad. Hint:
And:
The man likes to eat his tuna salads with pickles dipped in ketchup.
Aghast.
I even tried plating it nicely, as I found his way of eating tuna salads quite unsettling.
Yeah... It wasn't for me. Both the pickle and ketchup have such strong flavor profiles that overpowered the tuna salad. That bite became too vinegar-y and sweet, and I did not enjoy it.
Now, lastly, Matthew poses a question for tuna salad aficionados: Are tuna salads better the next day?
For me — it was about the same? I do think the refrigeration congeals everything together and solidifies it. I liked how it was colder and how it was more structured afterward. But the taste? I'm not sure.
Final thoughts: I really would make this again (but never again eat it with pickles and ketchup.) I looked forward to eating it the next day. It's so accessible and snack-friendly. I'd just take it out when I'm feeling peckish, have a few bites, then go about my day. I had it on top of a tostada for a quick lunch, then ate it with salt and vinegar chips when I was bored and slightly hungry between meals.
And, flash-forward: I did make this again and with red onions this time, which gave this tuna salad a bit more of a bite, though I learned I preferred the white onion. I liked the mellow flavor more since there were already a lot of other elements at play. I also used canned peas this time and one tip from me to you: Get the frozen peas! The canned ones don't add any texture and a strong pea flavor will permeate the salad, which the frozen ones don't do. And don't forget the Italian dressing — it really lifts the flavors of the tuna salad!
Good day! And thanks Matthew McConaughey for introducing me to this recipe! Who would have thought!
Any secret ingredient tuna salad recipes to share? Please feel free to share inspiration in the comments.
