Tarragon Tuna Salad

I drove to Grinnell Saturday. Roger was in the garden — the garden that is his whole world now, the 85-year-old man who tends six tomato plants and twelve sunflowers with the same care he once gave four hundred acres. He's slower but he's still Roger. He still watches the crop reports. He still calls Jack on Wednesdays.

I made Irish soda bread this week — the spring version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

The garden is waking up. The garlic that overwintered is pushing green shoots through the soil, the annual proof that buried things come back. Jack's seedlings are hardening off in the greenhouse. The Marlene cherry tomato — generation 8 now — ready for transplanting. Every spring the planting is the memorial. Every spring the name goes back in the ground.

Coming home from Grinnell, with the smell of Roger’s garden soil still in my memory and the soda bread already cooling on the counter, I wanted something that didn’t demand much of me — something bright and ready and gentle. There’s a version of care that shows up in the big, slow things, like tending tomatoes or overwintering garlic, and then there’s the other kind: the quick, unhurried lunch you make just for yourself, because the day has already given you everything it needed to. This tarragon tuna salad is that second kind — herby and a little sharp, the way spring feels when you’re paying attention.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cans (5 oz each) solid white albacore tuna in water, drained well
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
2 stalks celery, finely diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste
Butter lettuce leaves, toasted bread, or crackers, for serving

Instructions

Drain and flake. Open and thoroughly drain both cans of tuna. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl and flake with a fork until the chunks are broken up but still have some texture — don’t overwork it into a paste.
Mix the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and lemon zest until smooth and combined.
Combine. Pour the dressing over the tuna. Add the celery, green onions, and tarragon. Stir gently until everything is evenly coated. Season with black pepper and salt to taste.
Rest briefly. For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the tarragon bloom into the dressing. It keeps well for up to 2 days.
Serve. Spoon onto butter lettuce leaves for a light plate, pile onto toasted sourdough or a crusty roll, or serve alongside crackers for a simple lunch.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tarragon Tuna Salad — Something Bright for a Day Spent Among the Living