Tuna Cucumber Boats
Cucumber halves scooped out and filled with a lemony tuna salad of no-salt-added tuna, celery, dill and a little light mayonnaise. Four servings in 10 minutes, with no cooking.
Before You Start
Press the tuna in a sieve to squeeze out the last of the water before you mash it.
Cut a thin slice from the underside of each boat so that it sits flat.
Keep the filling and the shells apart until you serve; cucumber weeps if it stands.
How to Make Tuna Cucumber Boats
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Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, leaving a shell about 5 mm thick. Pat dry.
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Drain the tuna very well. Mash it with a fork in a bowl, then mix in the mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, dill and pepper.
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Pile the tuna into the cucumber shells and cut each boat into 2 or 4 pieces. Serve straight away.
Why It Works
These should feel cold and crisp in the hand, and taste of lemon and dill before anything else. A cucumber boat straight from the fridge, filled at the last minute, is the whole idea. No cooking is needed. Cucumbers are mostly water, which makes them cooling and very low in sodium.
Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon, leaving a shell about 5 mm thick. Drain the tuna well, because wet tuna makes a watery filling. Mash it with a fork, then mix in the light mayonnaise, celery, lemon juice, dill and pepper. Keep it chunky. A small spoon does the scooping neatly.
Choose no-salt-added tuna in water. Ordinary canned tuna is salted, and it adds several hundred milligrams of sodium to a plate before anything else goes in. Light mayonnaise is used sparingly, and the lemon and dill supply the flavour. Cut each boat into 4 pieces for a party.
Storage and Reheating
Best eaten within 1 hour of filling. The tuna mixture keeps in the fridge for 2 days; fill the cucumber fresh.
What to Serve Alongside
- Fresh pineapple
- A bowl of berries
- Sparkling water with lemon
Questions and Answers
How long does Tuna Cucumber Boats take to make?
About 10 minutes in total — 10 minutes of preparation and of cooking. The recipe serves 4.
What are the key tips for making Tuna Cucumber Boats?
Press the tuna in a sieve to squeeze out the last of the water before you mash it. Cut a thin slice from the underside of each boat so that it sits flat. Keep the filling and the shells apart until you serve; cucumber weeps if it stands.
What should I serve with Tuna Cucumber Boats?
Fresh pineapple; A bowl of berries; Sparkling water with lemon.
How should Tuna Cucumber Boats be stored?
Best eaten within 1 hour of filling. The tuna mixture keeps in the fridge for 2 days; fill the cucumber fresh.
Is Tuna Cucumber Boats suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, kidney-friendly, low-carb, keto and no added sugar. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Tuna Cucumber Boats?
About 123 kcal per serving, with 19 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate and 3 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Tuna Cucumber Boats Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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