Rachael Ray prefers lemon juice and olive oil over mayonnaise for dressing canned tuna because mayonnaise can mask tuna's umami-rich flavor. She recommends using copious extra olive oil and dressing the salad or tomato beneath the tuna to enhance overall flavor. Olive oil and lemon juice act as complementary flavors that allow the tuna's distinct taste to come through. Mediterranean-style preparations pair tuna with olives, red onions, parsley, capers, cucumbers, and pickled peppers, while simpler versions use basil, chopped celery, scallions, lemon juice, and olive oil for a bright, fresh salad.
Ray states that she "never make[s] a classic recipe" because mayonnaise obscures the umami-rich flavor of canned tuna. Instead, she opts to "only dress tuna with lemon juice and olive oil so you can taste the product." Whereas a creamy mayonnaise will mask the fishiness of tuna, Ray believes that olive oil and lemon juice are complementary flavors that showcase tuna's distinct flavor.
Since Ray coined the now dictionary-certified term "EVOO," it's no wonder that she demands copious amounts of olive oil be added to canned tuna. Whether it's the water-packed tuna used in traditional tuna salad or richer oil-packed tuna, Ray says that not only do you need to add more olive oil to tuna, but you also "need to dress the salad [or tomato] underneath it ... and add more olive oil to enhance that flavor."
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