Crispy shoestring potatoes (fried potato sticks) impart a pleasing crunch to tuna salads - it adds the perfect crunch to this zippy tuna salad made with Avocado Lime Crema.
Shoestring potato sticks are one of those products I forget about for years but am always happy to rediscover, especially when looking for easy ways to punch up tuna salad. Plus they make a crunchy, salty snack.
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What are Shoestring Potatoes?
I grew up calling them potato sticks, but shoestring potatoes are essentially super thin and crunchy fried potatoes. They’re sort of like potato chips in crispness, but their thicker texture gives them a slightly cracker-like crunch. Think super crispy exterior like a potato chip with an interior that finishes like a cracker. The texture is what makes them; plus they have a fresh-fried potato taste seasoned simply with salt.
There are a few different brands that make these delicious potato crunch nuggets and Pik-Nik is one I enjoy.
Pik-Nik Shoestring Potatoes
A handful makes a great snack, but they excel at bringing crunch to dishes that desperately need a little something. Shoestring potatoes instantly jazz up tuna salad because it provides salt and crunch. This Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad keeps the ingredients simple so that you can use most whatever you like to bind everything together, but for this recipe I opted for a homemade Avocado Lime Crema. The flavor of the crema is light enough to let the flavor of the tuna shine, so opt for a good quality canned tuna.
Ingredients - How to Make Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad
- Tuna in olive oil - choose a good quality canned tuna
- celery
- Shoestring Potaotes - I used Pik-Nik
- onion
- green bell pepper
- jalapeno
- Avocado Lime Crema
- Salt (to taste)
- Hot sauce (optional)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions - How to Make Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad
Mix all of the ingredients except for the potato sticks together in a large bowl.
Chill at least 1 hour.
Stir in shoestring potato sticks right before serving.
Seasonings to Consider
You can and should feel free to add whatever seasonings you like besides salt. If you’re using the Avocado Lime Crema, you might consider adding a little:
- Cumin
- Garlic salt or powder
- Onion salt or powder
- Oregano
- Cayenne pepper
Substitutions
- Jalapeno - Serrano peppers can be used instead. Or if you’d prefer not to use a spicy pepper, add more bell pepper to the recipe to replace it.
- Green bell pepper - Swap in orange, red, or yellow.
- Avocado Lime Crema - Try this Chipotle Mayonnaise instead!
- Tuna - Mix it up and use shredded chicken instead! Or try it with smashed chickpeas.
Equipment
Storage & Leftovers
For best results, don’t plan on leftovers. Leftovers are best eaten within 24 hours - and you can expect the shoestring potato sticks to have gone soggy. To jazz up leftovers, add more shoestring potato sticks to reclaim the crunch.
FAQ
Definitely as a sandwich on your favorite bread, on top of a tostada, or tucked into a tortilla or lettuce wrap. You could also serve up Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad solo in a bowl as a snack with crackers or chips.
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad:
Shoestring Potato Tuna Salad
Ingredients
- 2 5-ounce cans tuna in olive oil, undrained
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup shoestring potatoes
- 2-3 tablespoons onion, finely diced
- ½ green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely diced
- ½ cup plus 1-2 tablespoon(s) avocado lime crema
- Salt (to taste)
- Hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients except for the potato sticks together in a large bowl.
- Chill at least 1 hour.
- Stir in shoestring potato sticks right before serving.
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