These tuna salad stuffed eggs are a near-zero-carb protein snack you can actually pick up, tuna salad spooned into hard-boiled egg whites at about 1 gram of net carbs. It is part deviled egg, part light lunch, and all protein.
I find that sometimes I just crave the ability to pick something up and eat it. I know it sounds like a weird thing to crave, but I do. Living a low carb lifestyle you don't really have to many options for food on the go that doesn't involve a fork and knife.
I like to say that I don't miss bread, I miss the ability to pick up my food. Using lettuce for wraps is great, but sometimes I just need a change. That is where I thought up this recipe. It is great for an appetizer, but I prefer to keep it on hand for a snack or a light lunch.
This is the ultimate protein packed snack with the tuna and egg whites. It is also a great twist on the traditional deviled egg.
A stuffed egg, the composed-salad way
Filling an egg white with another protein is an old idea dressed for low carb. The French have stuffed eggs forever, oeufs farcis, and a tuna-and-egg plate is the heart of a salade composee like the Nicoise, just without the potatoes. Here the egg white becomes the edible cup, so you get tuna salad and hard-boiled egg in one two-bite package, which is exactly the pick-it-up food a low-carb day so often lacks.
Net carbs and a tuna that is not watery
At about 1 gram of net carbs, with the only carbs coming from the pickle, this is as low as a real lunch gets. The one thing to get right is texture: drain the can well and mash the tuna with the mayo before the pickle goes in, since water from the can or a juicy pickle is what turns tuna salad runny. Boil the eggs until firm and keep everything chilled. Round out a plate with a few easy-to-peel hard boiled eggs and some whole walnuts. It is one of the no-fork protein bites in my low carb salads guide.
Sources
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient references for tuna, eggs, and mayonnaise.
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, low-carb lunch notes.
