Spicy Tuna Salad

Spicy Tuna Salad has tomatoes, Peperoncini, and parsley with a flavorful dressing, and it’s made with my favorite tuna in olive oil! And I think this tuna salad recipe that’s just spicy enough to be good is perfect for a quick and easy lunch!

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This flavorful Spicy Tuna Salad with tomatoes, Peperoncini, and parsley can be a perfect easy lunch on a day when you just want something quick. And this salad uses some of my favorite summer lunch ingredients like tuna packed in olive oil, grape tomatoes, Greek Peperoncini, and parsley, plus a spicy dressing that uses some of the Peperoncini juice and Green Tabasco Sauce to give it a kick.

And this new salad recipe is a lower carb version of a similar Pinto Bean Salad back in the archives. The new version will be perfect for anyone who wants a spicy tuna salad but doesn’t want the carbs from beans. I loved the salad without beans (plus a few minor tweaks to the recipe) and I’m sure my low-carb readers who like tuna and spicy peperoncini will enjoy this salad.

So take your choice of beans or no beans for this tasty salad! You can make the Spicy Tuna Salad even lower in carbs by using fewer tomatoes if you prefer. I hope you enjoy trying it!

What ingredients do you need for this salad?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• canned tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link)
• green onion
• cherry or grape tomatoes
• chopped fresh parsley
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
• extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Peperoncini brine (from the jar)
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), optional but good
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or use another all-purpose seasoning

What Tuna Do I Use for the Spicy Tuna Salad?

I discovered Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) more than 10 years ago, and when my store stopped carrying it, I started buying it on Amazon! I do want to emphasize how good the tuna packed in olive oil is in a salad like this. I’ve been raving about this delicious canned tuna for years, and (in case you’re wondering) this company has never paid me or given me free products!

How low in carbs is the Spicy Tuna Salad?

This flavor-loaded salad with tuna, Peperoncini peppers, cherry tomatoes, and parsley has about 10 net carbs per serving and 15 grams of protein!

What are Peperoncini?

Peperoncini (also spelled Pepperoncini) are spicy Italian or Greek chili peppers, usually sold in a jar packed in a brine. And if you want to save some work, you can buy the spicy peppers already sliced. Check out Favorite Peperoncini Salad Recipes for more salad ideas with these tasty peppers.

What gives the spicy flavor in this Spicy Tuna Salad?

Adding plenty of Sliced Peperoncini Peppers (affiliate link) and using some of the Peperoncini brine in the dressing is what makes the spicy flavor in this tuna salad.

How to make Spicy Tuna Salad :

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Drain tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) into a colander placed inside a bowl. Discard the oil and break tuna apart with a fork.
2. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Peperoncini juice, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) to make the flavorful dressing.
3. Slice green onions, chop parsley, and measure out the sliced Peperoncini (or cut off stems, drain, remove seeds, and slice if you’re starting with whole Peperoncini.)
4. Cut enough cherry or grape tomatoes in half to make 2 cups tomatoes.
5. Add the tomatoes, sliced Peperoncini, chopped parsley, and sliced green onions to a bowl and combine with dressing, stirring to thoroughly coat the ingredients with dressing.
6. Add the chunks of tuna and gently combine. (Don’t over-mix, you want chunks of tuna in the finished salad.)
7. Season the Spicy Tuna Salad to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve right away and enjoy!

More Tasty Recipes with Tuna:

Check out Amazing Healthy Tuna Recipes for more recipe ideas with canned tuna!

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Yield: 6 servings

Spicy Tuna Salad

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

This Spicy Tuna Salad has tomatoes, Peperoncini, and parsley which are some of my favorite summer ingredients! And this is a flavorful salad that's perfect for lunch when it's too hot to cook.

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients:

• two 5 oz. cans tuna packed in olive oil
• 1 cup sliced peperoncini peppers
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (more or less to taste)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

• 4 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lemon juice (see notes)
• 1 T Peperoncini brine (from the jar)
• 1/2 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (optional but good)
• 1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or use another all-purpose seasoning that you like)

Instructions

1. Drain 2 cans tuna packed in olive oil into a colander placed in the sink. Break tuna apart with a fork.
2. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, Peperoncini brine, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) to make the dressing.
3. Slice enough green onion to make 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions.
4. Wash parsley if needed and spin dry in salad spinner (affiliate link). Then chop parsley enough to make about 3/4 cup parsley (or less if you're not much of a parsley fan.
5. Measure out one cup of sliced Peperoncini. (Or cut off stems, drain, remove seeds, and slice if you're starting with whole Peperoncini.)
6. Cut enough cherry or grape tomatoes in half to make 2 cups tomatoes.
7. Add the tomatoes, sliced Peperoncini, chopped parsley, and sliced green onions to a bowl and combine with dressing, stirring to thoroughly coat the ingredients with dressing.
8. Add the chunks of tuna to ingredients in the bowl and gently combine. (Don't over-mix, you want chunks of tuna in the finished salad.)
9. Season the Spicy Tuna Salad to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper and serve.

Notes

I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice for this recipe.

I like to use Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil (affiliate link) for this recipe.

Recipe Created by Kalyn and inspired by Pinto Bean Salad with Tuna, Tomatoes, and Peperoncini.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 210Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 10gCholesterol 22mgSodium 675mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 2gSugar 8gProtein 15g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Spicy Tuna Salad is a great summer lunch for low-carb diet plans, or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. For Keto you may want to reduce the amount of tomatoes.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more tasty salads like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This spicy salad with tuna, peperoncini peppers, and parsley was first posted in 2019 as a version of an older favorite salad without beans. It was last updated with more information in 2025.

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