Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe

Share:

Canned tuna fish tacos recipe is an easy recipe to go to when you want to cook real food, but your choices are limited, and you don’t have time to go to the store. Usually, if you scrounge around, a common pantry item in many households are cans of tuna fish. And who would think of putting tuna in a taco! But it’s quite delicious.

Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.
Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.

Secretly Easy Supper: Tuna Fish Tacos

I must admit, I’m not someone who is fond of the overpowering smells and taste that can come with canned tuna. However, I’ve created this recipe so that the flavor of the tuna is hardly noticeable. I think you’ll like it too. And it can’t get much easier.

Shopping List

canned tuna
garlic cloves
onion
oil
black pepper
salt
chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
mayonnaise
lime juice
corn tortillas
cilantro
iceberg lettuce
avocado
sour cream

Can I Use Another Type of Fish?

Yes. This recipe will work with any kind of canned fish, fresh fish or frozen fish. It is delicious with salmon, cod, tilapia, or whatever fish you have on hand.

Would a canned tuna taco recipe work with fresh vegetables?

Yes. Feel free to pile on your favorite fresh vegetables. Lettuce, tomato, onions, avocado, cucumbers, peppers, whatever floats your boat. Pile it high until your heart’s content. After all, vegetables are really good for you and they add to the delicious flavor of this easy to make dish.

How could I use cooked vegetables in a tuna taco recipe?

The best way to use cooked vegetables in a tuna taco is by roasting them.  Roasted tomatoes, peppers, onions and more are so delicious on a tuna taco. Roasted vegetables taste so good because when you cook them this way, the flavor becomes bolder and more delicious. Place them on an oven safe tray and drizzle them with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Crank up the heat to about 375 degrees and roast them for 10-15 minutes until they begin to brown. Then just remove them from the heat and add them to your taco.

Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.
Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.

Can I use something other than mayo for tuna fish tacos?

Yes. Our recipe includes just a touch of mayonnaise to meld the flavors together and to act as a cooling agent from the adobo sauce. The main flavor in this recipe comes from chipotle peppers adobo sauce, sour cream and lime juice. But if you prefer to use taco seasoning instead, that is a possibility. Or BBQ sauce is a good alternative solution for flavoring as well. To take a totally different perspective on the flavor, some might prefer to add Ranch dressing.

How can I make canned tuna tacos spicier?

Seriously. You want them spicier?! These canned tuna tacos can be made spicier by adding jalapeño peppers or by cranking up the amount of chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. Add some cayenne pepper to give more heat too. If you get it too hot though, you’ll want to know how to extinguish the pain. You might be interested in our post Help, I ate a hot pepper, what do I do now?

Tuna Taco Takeaways

Canned tuna fish tacos are so versatile. They can be made a variety of ways, by trading out the kind of fish, trading out the kind of taco shell, trading out the flavoring, trading out the kind of vegetables and toppings. The sky really is the limit with this one.  

Recipe Variations

The Taco Shell.

There are many variations that can be made to the canned tuna fish taco recipe. The kind of shell can be traded out for tortilla chips, hard taco shells, soft taco shells, or even eliminated completely and made into a taco salad by increasing the amount of shredded Iceberg lettuce.

Tuna Salad Tacos.

Canned Tuna Fish Tacos can be made in a cold version using tuna salad tacos. Just mix your canned tuna with mayonnaise, celery, relish and a pinch of sugar. Mix well and assemble with desired toppings on your preferred shell.  

Tuna Tacos With Onions.

Yes please. Onions are a staple in our household. The kids love them. We eat them raw, sautéed, fried in butter, deep fried as onion rings and any other way we can come up with them.  And onion is a wonderful compliment in the flavors of this dish. Use purple onion to add visual interest and color to your tacos.

Tuna and Egg Salad Tacos.

Tuna and Egg Salad is a classic favorite by many. Why not drop it into a taco shell and enjoy it that way? Tuna and Egg Salad consists of canned tuna, boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard and a bit of sugar, plus whatever else sounds good.

Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.
Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.

What To Serve With Tuna Tacos

Canned tuna fish tacos have a bit of a delicious Mexican flair. Think Mexican when you’re trying to determine what to serve with this dish. Consider side dishes such as:

black beans
pico de gallo
salsa
tortilla chips
cilantro lime rice
side salad
guacamole

Steps to Make Canned Tuna Fish Tacos

Depending whether you’re planning to deep fry the corn tortilla shells or not will determine the amount of time you’ll need to make these delicious, canned tuna fish tacos. If you’re just going to use soft shelled flour tortillas, or already prepared corn taco shells, you’re talking about shaving off about half of the preparation time. Even with deep frying the corn tortillas, you’re looking at about 20 minutes of preparation time. An easy-peasy meal or appetizer that is crowd pleasing.

Ingredients

3 cans tuna, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ onion, diced
2 tbsp oil, plus more for frying
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp lime juice
8 corn tortillas
iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 avocado, sliced

Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.
Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Recipe. Photo by CookThink.

Directions

1. Using a pan on the stove, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat. Fry corn tortillas until golden, flip and fry the other side until golden, about 3 minutes. Fold in half. Place on a paper towel to cool.

2. With a bit of oil in the pan, add the minced garlic, and diced onions. Sauté until tender. 

3. Add chipotle peppers and tuna. Warm through. Remove from heat and add mayonnaise and lime juice.

4. Assemble the tacos using meat mixture. Top with avocados, red onion slices, shredded iceberg lettuce, sour cream and any other desired toppings.  Serve warm and enjoy.


Have you tried this recipe? Leave us a star rating in the comments below and let us know what you think.

For more recipes like this one, follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

You might also like:
The Best Copycat Panera Bread Cinnamon Roll
Hershey’s Sundae Pie Recipe: Super Easy
Chicken Basket Fried Chicken Recipe
Marie Callender’s Copycat Banana Cream Pie Recipe

Copycat Carrabba’s Chicken Parmesan Recipe
Better Than Frozen Corn Dogs Recipe
Best Van Camp’s Pork and Beans Recipe
Ultimate Salted Cupcakes With Caramel Recipe
Amazing Chick-fil-A Chocolate Chip Cookie: Easy Recipe
Best Copycat Red Lobster Baked Potato

Share on Pinterest!

Canned Tuna Fish Tacos Pinterest Image
Photo of author
Author
Sarah
Sarah is known for her extra fancy yeast breads, melt in your mouth pies, and everything salads. She has won awards as a home cook, and is passionate about helping others feel smarter in the kitchen. Sarah is the cooking genius of the sister duo.

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating