Southwestern Rice Salad combines fresh and simple salad ingredients with protein-rich flakey tuna and tossed in a zesty homemade lime vinaigrette – perfect as a tasty side dish to pair with Tex-Mex main meals or as a satisfying and light standalone meal!
This tuna rice salad takes advantage of pre-cooked rice, allowing you to assemble this entire salad in just 20 minutes! Serve it immediately or allow it to chill for maximum flavor infusion.
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❤️ Why I love this recipe
- Vibrant fresh salad: This salad is loaded with fresh and colorful salad ingredients that look incredibly appealing, have a delicious mixture of textures, and are loaded with zesty flavors.
- Side or main dish: Easily enjoy this Southwestern rice salad as a side dish or serve larger portions as a main meal.
- Simple variations: Easily adapt this Southwestern rice salad to suit your taste and food preferences.
This zesty and hearty Southwestern rice salad offers a balanced protein-rich side dish or main meal that’ll only take you 20 minutes to prepare – perfect for busy midweek family meals or to take to social gatherings.
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe’s ingredients, along with their amounts and options, is in the recipe card below.
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Place the dressing ingredients in a jar. Seal the jar and shake well. Taste to test and adjust as needed to suit your preferences.
- Place the salad ingredients and the rice in a large salad bowl.
- Drizzle the salad dressing over the salad ingredients.
- Toss the ingredients with a wooden spoon to fully incorporate the dressing and salad ingredients.
- Serve this Southwestern rice salad immediately or store it to serve the following day.
🤔 FAQs
These are the questions we are most frequently asked about making Fiesta Rice Salad
Yes, feel free to add or substitute ingredients based on your preferences. Consider adding cherry tomatoes, jalapeños, or crumbled feta cheese for a unique twist.
Absolutely! This salad can be made a few hours in advance and stored in the refrigerator. The flavors will blend together beautifully, enhancing the taste.
Serve it on a bed of fresh greens or with a side of tortilla chips for a delightful crunch. The versatility of this salad allows for various serving options.
The lime vinaigrette adds a tangy and refreshing note to the salad, tying all the ingredients together. The touch of sweetness from honey balances the acidity of the lime, creating a harmonious blend of flavors.
Using fresh ingredients enhances the flavor profile of the salad and boosts its nutritional value. Fresh ingredients contribute to a flavorful and wholesome dining experience.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- I enjoy brown rice for this salad as it adds an interesting nutty flavor. That said, you can absolutely make this salad with other varieties of rice. Check out my variations section below for some great options!
- Long-grain rice is best for this salad. Medium-grain is the next best option. Avoid short-grain rice or sushi rice as these can be overly sticky in texture for what you want to achieve with this rice salad.
- Remember that you need to adjust the amount of rice used when changing it from brown rice. You will need about 1 ½ cups of uncooked white rice instead of 4 ½ cups of brown rice. Once cooked, white rice yields a greater volume than brown rice.
- This recipe doesn’t include the time needed to cook the rice. I like to cook my rice a few hours ahead or even a day or two ahead of assembling this salad. It saves time and gives the hot rice enough time to fully cool before combining with the rest of the salad ingredients.
- If you can only cook the rice shortly before you assemble this salad, I recommend you spread the warm cooked rice evenly over a baking sheet and place it in the freezer to cool quickly.
- You don’t need to chill this salad before you serve it. That said, it can be chilled in the fridge for some time before serving, which will only infuse the flavors of the dressing and the salad ingredients even more! It’s a win-win!
- Make sure to drain the tuna well before adding it to the salad. Tuna in brine is perfect since there is already enough oil in the lime vinaigrette.
📚 Variations
- You may use regular long-grain white rice instead of brown rice. I don’t recommend using jasmine, basmati or other fragrant white rice in this salad.
- While coriander (also known as cilantro) is a staple herb used in Southwestern salad, you can use 1 ½ cups of finely sliced shallots/scallions or ¾ cup of finely chopped chunks. This will change the flavor slightly, but it will provide the freshness that you’d otherwise get from the coriander.
- Some recipe variations of this salad include crunchy salted peanuts which sounds super delicious!
- Omit the tuna for a vegetarian Southwestern rice salad.
- Use farro or quinoa as alternative grains if you don’t enjoy rice.
🥫 Storage
Store this Southwestern rice salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Give it a light toss to serve again.
Store excess lime vinaigrette in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Give the vinaigrette a good shake or mix before you use it.
Don’t freeze this rice salad as the fresh salad ingredients will turn soggy and mushy.
🍽 Serve with
Serve this Southwestern rice salad a side dish with Grilled Lime Adobo Rubbed Pork Chops, Mahi-Mahi Tacos, or Spicy Beef Enchiladas.
You can also enjoy this wholesome rice salad as a satisfying main meal with freshly baked dinner rolls or tortilla chips.
Top this rice salad with sliced creamy avocado and a sprinkle of fresh coriander, if you like.
🔪 All Our Way recommends the following
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Salad Bowl
- Small mixing bowls
- Sharp knife
- Cutting Board
- Whisk
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
This Southwestern Tuna Rice Salad is not just a dish; it’s a taste of summer in every bite. Its vibrant flavors and fresh ingredients make it a standout choice for any gathering, from casual barbecues to elegant potlucks. The medley of textures and zesty lime vinaigrette add a refreshing twist to traditional salads, making it a delightful alternative to pasta salad.
With its versatility and crowd-pleasing appeal, this salad has become a cherished favorite at our gatherings, creating memorable moments shared over good food and great company. Embrace the joy of simple, flavorful dishes with this Southwestern Tuna Rice Salad, and let it become a staple at your gatherings too. Buon appetito!
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
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📝 Recipe Card
Creating a delightful summer salad that’s both nutritious and bursting with flavor is easier than you might think. This Southwestern Tuna Rice Salad, made with wholesome brown rice and tossed with a zesty lime vinaigrette, is perfect for an easy lunch or a light dinner. Check out the simple, yet sophisticated dish recipe.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Fiesta Rice Salad With Tuna: A Southwestern Flavor Explosion
This Southwestern Tuna Rice Salad is a testament to how simple ingredients, when combined thoughtfully, can create an extraordinary dish. It’s perfect for those hot summer days when you crave something light yet satisfying.
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Servings: 8 side or 4-6 main
Calories: 391kcal
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Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups cooked brown rice
- 4 oz. tuna drained and flaked may be omitted if you don’t want a protein in the salad
Dressing
- ⅓ cup lime juice plus more to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder or sub with smoked paprika + cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- Black Pepper
Salad
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 14 oz corn kernels canned, drained
- 14 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 3 tomatoes watery seeds removed, then diced
- 1 cup coriander/cilantro leaves roughly chopped (Note 2)
Instructions
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Place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake. Taste test, adjust to your taste.
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Place the Salad ingredients and rice in a bowl. Drizzle with dressing. Toss, then serve. This salad is fantastic served straight away or even the next day!
Notes
-
I prefer making this dish with brown rice; it adds more interest to the salad and a nutty flavor. However, this dish is also delicious made with white rice. If using white rice, it’s best to use long-grain white rice for its texture and flavor. Medium grain is also a good option. Avoid short grain or sushi rice, as they are too sticky for this rice salad.
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If using WHITE RICE, you will need 1 ½ cups of uncooked rice.
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Coriander/cilantro is a staple Southwestern salad herb! However, if you do not like the herb, a good substitute is 1 ½ cups of finely sliced shallots/scallions. Parsley will also be a suitable substitute (¾ cup chopped) for the cilantro; however, it doesn’t add as much flavor as the cilantro, shallots, and scallions.
Nutrition
Calories: 391kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 571mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1117IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg
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