No-Cook Lemon-Herb White Bean and Tuna Wraps
Mash some canned white beans with olive oil and lemon, then fold in tuna, tomatoes, olives, capers and marinated red onion. Let it sit 10 minutes, then pile it into tortillas with greens. No stove or fire needed, and it takes about 25 minutes from first cut to first bite.
This is the dinner for the night you roll in late, the fire ban is on, or nobody wants to light the stove. Everything comes from cans, a few vegetables and a lemon. You mash part of the beans so the salad turns creamy and holds together inside a wrap.
The one trick is the rest. Soaking the onion in lemon juice takes the harsh bite out of it. A short sit lets the beans soak up the dressing. It tastes like you cooked something, and you only used a fork.
No-Cook Lemon-Herb White Bean and Tuna Wraps
- Prep
- 15 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Heat
- No heat needed
- Pack weight
- 5 lb
- Campfire
- Camp stove
- Backpacking
- Cooler optional
- No stove
- Low water
- One-pan cleanup
- Prep ahead
Ingredients
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Gear you'll need
- large mixing bowl
- fork for mashing
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- can opener
- small cup for the onion
- water jug and soap for hand washing
Steps
-
Set up a clean station
Wash your hands and wipe down your cutting board and table. Set out a large bowl, a fork and a knife.
-
Marinate the onion
Put the sliced onion in a small cup with the juice of 1 lemon and a pinch of salt. Let it sit while you prep the rest.
-
Mash the beans
Add 1 can of beans to the large bowl with the olive oil and lemon zest. Mash with a fork until mostly creamy with a few whole beans left.
-
Fold in the rest
Add the second can of beans, tomatoes, olives, capers, oregano, red pepper flakes and parsley. Stir in the onion and its lemon juice.
-
Flake in the tuna
Break the tuna into chunks over the bowl and fold it in gently so it stays in pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
-
Let it rest
Cover the bowl and let it sit 10 minutes in the shade. Taste and add more lemon, salt or pepper flakes if it needs it.
-
Build the wraps
Lay a tortilla flat. Add a handful of arugula, a big scoop of the bean salad and some feta.
-
Fold and eat
Fold in the sides, roll it up tight and eat it right away. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side.
Trail Notes
Slice nothing at home except what you like. Pack the beans, tuna, olives and capers in the pantry box. Keep the tomatoes, arugula and feta together in one easy-to-reach bag or cooler. Tuck the lemons in with them.
Skip the feta and use extra olives for salt. Whole tomatoes and lemons keep fine in the shade, and bagged arugula can be swapped for shredded cabbage. Do not leave leftovers out. Eat or chill them within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if it is over 90°F.
Use chickpeas instead of tuna for a vegetarian version, and add a little extra olive oil. For gluten-free, scoop it onto corn tortillas or gluten-free crackers or eat it as a salad.
Drain the cans well and pack the liquid out in a sealed container or bag. Rinse the cans and carry them out. Scatter strained dishwater at least 200 feet from water, after picking out any food bits and packing them out.
Campers ask
Can I make no-cook camp wraps ahead of time?
You can mix the bean and tuna salad up to 1 day ahead if it stays cold in a cooler at 40°F or below. Wait to add the arugula and fill the tortillas until you eat so they don't go soggy.
Is canned tuna safe to eat without a cooler?
Unopened cans are shelf-stable and fine in your pantry box. Once opened and mixed into the salad, treat it like any perishable food and don't leave it out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour in heat over 90°F.
What can I use instead of cannellini beans?
Great Northern beans, navy beans or chickpeas all work. Drain and rinse them well so the salad does not turn watery.
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