French Tuna Potato Salad, Paleo, Whole30
This tuna potato salad is a lighter French potato salad recipe made with tuna fish and a satisfying dijon dressing. It comes together in less than 30 minutes and makes for a wonderful lunch or dinner. Naturally Paleo, Whole30 compliant, Dairy-free, and Gluten-free.
This French tuna and potato salad is a recipe that our mother would make often when we were younger. She is from France and is known for her satisfying salads, like this French Beet Salad, and this Kale and mustard salad.
This salad potato tuna salad is a simple yet lighter recipe full of cooked potatoes, onions, canned tuna fish, and a satisfying french dressing made with tarragon vinegar, dijon mustard and herbes de provence. It’s refreshingly satisfying!
Why this recipe works
- It is a unique and satisfying way to eat potatoes and tuna.
- It is made with clean, real food ingredients.
- It comes together in less than 30 minutes!
- It is allergy friendly. This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and grain-free.
- It is good for the gut. Cooked and cooled potatoes are a great form of resistant starch, which is a prebiotic that helps feed the probiotics in the gut.
- It is great for those following a Paleo or Whole30 diet.
- It is an simple and satisfying meal prep idea.
Recipe ingredients
- potatoes– we like to use red potatoes in this recipe
- canned tuna fish– use a good quality tuna fish, ideally in olive oil.
- onion– any type of onion works, we like using white onion or shallots.
- scallions– these add a nice flavor to the potato salad. We
- olive oil– this is used to make the dressing.
- tarragon vinegar or apple cider vinegar– both work well in this recipe for making the dressing.
- dijon mustard
- herbes de Provence– these give a taste of France to the dressing.
- fresh parsley– adds a nice hint of flavor.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of raw onions, you can use 1 teaspoon of onion powder. Just put the onion powder into the dressing.
- Instead of fresh parsley, you can use dried parsley.
- Instead of herbes de Provence, you can use a sprinkle of basil, rosemary and thyme instead.
Step by step instructions
Step 1
Step 1: Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, until fork tender.
Step 2
Step 2: Break up the tuna into smaller pieces.
Step 3
Step 3: Make the dressing by mixing the olive oil, vinegar, dijon, salt, pepper, herbes de provence, and fresh parsley in a bowl.
Step 4
Step 4: Add the boiled potatoes to a bowl and then top with the tuna.
Step 5
Step 5: Add the onions and dressing to the bowl.
Step 6
Step 6: Mix everything together.
Expert tips
- You can serve this tuna and potato salad warm.
- You can also serve it cold. Just put it into the fridge first.
- One benefit of letting the potatoes cool is that it becomes resistant starch, which is a great natural prebiotic. If you want to read more about it, this article is great.
- You can serve this salad as part of a bigger salad.
- We love creating a large salad out of this tuna potato salad. All you have to do is add veggies to your plate. We like to add tomatoes, radishes, pickles, green beans, mixed greens, beets, and cucumbers.
- Try this salad with tuna for a Mediterranean inspired salad with lots of flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Are potatoes Paleo?This recipe is made with regular potatoes which have become accepted in the Paleo community.
They are 100% Whole30 compliant because, as the Whole30 program says, they are a “whole, real, nutrient-dense food.” How nutrient-dense are they? Well according to PaleoLeap, one white potato has 70% of your vitamin C needs and 25% of your potassium needs for one day.
We have found it interesting to read various opinions on this and enjoyed reading the Are White Potatoes Paleo? article by PaleoHacks.
In an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Do you have to use red potatoes?No, you can use any baby potato of choice.
Prep 15 minutesCook 20 minutesTotal 35 minutesMakes 8
Ingredients
- 3.5 lbs red potatoes
- 25 ounces canned tuna, ( Wild Planet is our favorite)
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions, including the green parts
French dressing:
- 8 Tbs olive oil
- 4 Tbs tarragon vinegar, (or apple cider vinegar)
- 2 Tbs dijon mustard
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp herbes de provence
- 3 Tbs diced fresh parsley
Method
- Slice your red potatoes into 1 inch thick slices. Put them into a large pot of boiling water, and cook for about 20 minutes. Make sure you can easily stab them with a knife before taking them out.
- While the potatoes are cooking, put all of the tuna into a bowl and mix with a fork, cutting up the larger chunks of tuna into smaller pieces.
- While the potatoes are cooking, you can also make the French dressing. Mix 8 Tbs olive oil, 4 Tbs tarragon vinegar, 2 Tbs dijon mustard, 1 tsp sea salt, 3/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp herbs de provence, and 3 Tbs diced fresh parsley together until a thick dressing forms.
- Once the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a large bowl and cut them into smaller pieces while mixing them up. Do this while they are still warm. You want there to be various sizes of potato in the salad.
- Add the tuna to the bowl of potatoes and mix. Then, add the diced white onions and sliced scallions to the bowl and mix.
- Lastly, add the French dressing to the bowl and mix.
- Serve warm with a side of tomatoes, radishes, pickles or any other veggie of your choice.
- You can also refridgerate it and eat it cold later.
Notes
- If you don’t have tarragon vinegar, apple cider vinegar works great. Dried parsley works well instead of fresh. If you don’t have herbes de provence, use a sprinkle of basil, rosemary and thyme instead. <h3 class="wprm-recipe-header
