WHOO DAT FRESH TUNA SALAD

So my hubby got invited on the "fishing trip of a lifetime."  Giddy with joy, he and two buddies traveled to Grand Isle, Louisiana, where they were guests of a young man who repairs oil rigs and owns a 58-foot yacht that comfortably sleeps seven.  They each had their own bedroom, outfitted with New Orleans Saints everything, from sheets to blankets to towels.  Keith, captain and owner, is an avid Saints fan -- he even named his yacht the "Whoo Dat."  (The extra "o" was put in to avoid copyright infringement.)

(For those of you who don't know, the Saints are called Who Dats because of the chant that's repeated during their games.  According to wiki.answers.com, it began circa 1983, when Bum Phillips was head coach of the Saints and the team came close to making the playoffs. New Orleans fans used a popular football chant and adopted it as their own. It went: "Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?" Occasionally, opposing teams would defeat the Saints and respond, "We dat!")

Turns out, Keith, of Cajun origin, is a foodie who cooks.  The men came home with fresh yellowfin tuna, red snapper and a recipe for tuna salad they said they couldn't live without.  The only problem was it started off with 1/2 gallon of fresh tuna, 8 hardboiled eggs and a list of other ingredients with no measurements at all. This was particularly problematic when it came to the liquid crab boil.  I worked it out, though, and my final version has just enough spice to linger a bit on your tongue, but not enough to cause you to sweat. The only other problem is that, once you taste it, you may never want to open a can of tuna again. (You can find yellowfin tuna at Harris Teeter or B&J's on Route 70, when in season.  Sorry, but I'm not sharing what's in my freezer.)

Whoo Dat Fresh Tuna Salad
Adapted from Keith Richardson
Rating:  10 out of 10
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INGREDIENTS:

1-1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. Morton kosher salt
1 tsp. liquid crab boil (adds a nice hint of spice -- add 1/2 tsp. more if you like it hot.)
8 oz. fresh tuna
1 hardboiled egg, peeled, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery, preferably organic
3 Tbsp. finely chopped dill pickle
1/3 cup light mayo (Hellmann's or Duke's)
3 Tbsp. plain nonfat Greek yogurt (my addition)
1-1/2 tsp. Grey Poupon mustard
1/8 tsp. fine sea salt
1/8 tsp. white pepper (or black if preferred)

In a small saucepan, bring water, salt and crab boil to rolling boil.  Add tuna; cover; cook 1 minute; off heat.  Let tuna steep for about 20 minutes; drain; cool.  

In the meantime, in a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Flake tuna into the bowl and toss lightly to combine.  Taste to adjust seasonings, adding more salt if needed.  Chill.  Serves two to four.