Learning to Love

I have never liked canned tuna, partially due to its texture and partially since it is so often served mixed with mayonnaise.  Before we go any further you should know that I HATE mayo, loathe it completely.  I don’t know if it comes from growing up in Chile where most food was served with about an inch of yellow mayo on the top of it, or because anything made primarily out of eggs should have a shelf life of years.

The hubs LOVED canned tuna, probably to an unhealthy level, so I have been trying to find ways to make it so we can eat it together so I have been thinking through all of the different elements that could be used to bind tuna into a salad.  Mustard on its own is far too strong, butter too rich, cream cheese a bit too thick.  Then I wondered if mascarpone might work.  Mascarpone is the lighter, citrusy cousin of cream cheese, with a not sweet but not quite sour flavor, so it leads itself to be used as a base for other flavors.

A quick look up of mascarpone tuna salad resulted in a rather appropriate recipe for Tuna Mascarpone Stuffed Tomatoes , which had all the basic ingredients I was looking for and looked like it could take some delicious additions.

The beauty of this recipe is that it takes no time, and can be doctored up and down a number of ways.  I served it on toasty mini French rolls with cucumber and tomato slices, however I think it would also be a delicious dip for a crudite platter or as an addition to a cheese platter.

This was my first try with this recipe so let me know what you think!