The Bread Substitute For A Crunchy Tuna Salad Sandwich

Most suggestions for ways to upgrade tuna salad revolve around doctoring the tuna itself, like adding relish, parmesan, capers, and other fillers of that nature. What you may not have considered, however, is taking your tuna salad sandwich for a spin in a whole different direction by substituting crisp cabbage leaves for that plain old bread. Whether you opt for vibrant red cabbage or the green variety (beyond looks, they taste very similar), you can breathe new life into your lunchbox with a swap that is fresher, lighter, and perhaps more satisfying texturally than bread.

There are a few advantages that cabbage has over bread. Those watching their carb intake will be very familiar with a lettuce or cabbage leaf sub, of course, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. While bread tends to get soggy and wilt under the weight of fully-loaded tuna salad with a creamy base, cabbage is more than capable of standing up to the job. 

What's more, texture is often a make-or-break element in tuna salad, and the crunchiness of cabbage works a treat with some silky, flavorful soft tuna. While bread can feel stodgy and sit heavily in your stomach when you're fighting the mid-afternoon doldrums, cabbage not only won't hold you down, but will boost you up with a generous punch of fiber, vitamins C and K, and anti-inflammatory agents. Still not fully on board? Maybe you need to explore the flavor possibilities!

Wrapping up tuna salad in cabbage gives you a unique opportunity to customize not only your tuna salad, but the cabbage component as well. Taking a page from the idea of using a Korean staple, kimchi, as a filler to upgrade your tuna salad, why not give your cabbage a Japanese come-up with a yamitsuki preparation involving sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, and salt? You might need a knife and fork to eat this umami-forward dish, but doesn't it sound absolutely yummy? "Yamitsuki" means "addictive" in Japanese, and once you have a taste of this dish, we bet you'll agree with the assessment! 

But Asian inspiration isn't the only way you can approach your cabbage roll stuffed with tuna salad. Cabbage sings when paired with sweet ingredients like honey, so why not lean in that direction and make a Dijon-honey dressing for your cabbage and spike your tuna salad with ingredients that will complement it, like tart apple and diced walnuts? We can also envision a Mediterranean influence working here: dill, creamy tzatziki as a binder, a hummus schmear, and diced red onion. You'll find that, while bread-based tuna salad sandwiches can be dry and bland, the natural mildness of cabbage is a crunchy blank slate on which harmonious combinations of flavor can be built.