Tuna salad with cucumbers, pickled onions, and herbs

I'm always on the look-out for quick and easy dinner recipes, and this one caught my eye. Published as "Scarlett's Tuna Salad" in the New York Times, it came with high praise. I can confirm that judgment. Don't be put off by having to pickle a red onion--it's very simple, and you end up with a jar with beautiful pink contents, and the onions can certainly be used in/on things other than this tuna salad. The fresh herbs are important here. I happen to have basil and mint in my garden during the summer. If I were to make this in another season, I'd probably try a combination of parsley and cilantro, rather than spending the money on little containers of fresh herbs.

tuna salad with cucumbers, pickled onions and herbs

adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019422-scarletts-tuna-salad

 serves 4-5

pickled onions

1/2 cup rice-wine vinegar

1 T. sugar

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 cup hot water

1 red onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

salad

2 cucumbers, peeled if skin is thick/waxy, quartered length-wise and sliced about 1/4" thick

4 scallions, thinly sliced

4 limes, juiced, about 1/3 cup

10-14 oz. tuna, water packed, drained (original recipe used oil-packed tuna)

2 avocados, peeled and diced

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

handful of basil leaves, washed and chopped roughly

handful cilantro, washed and chopped roughly

handful fresh mint leaves, washed and chopped roughly

4 T. olive oil (the original recipe used 6 T.)

Make the pickled onions: In a clean glass jar with a tightfitting lid (I used a 1 pint canning jar), mix vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. Shake until sugar is dissolved. Bring a pot of water to the boil, and add the onions, letting them sit for just a few seconds in the hot water, then drain well and transfer to the jar with the vinegar. Let sit for about an hour, or make ahead and keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

The salad:

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cucumbers and scallions with the lime juice.  Add the tuna, breaking it into bite-size pieces. Add avocados, 3 T. of pickled red onions, and 1 T. of pickling liquid from the jar, and the herbs. Drizzle with olive oil and mix gently.