If there’s such a thing as spring comfort food, a short list would have to include tuna salad of one type or another. I’m not talking about that mushy limp stuff that you might have experienced made from cheap canned tuna. What I dream of when my fancy turns to tuna salad is the good stuff … 100 percent solid white albacore tuna.

Solid White Albacore tuna is sometimes called the filet mignon of tuna and once you’ve experienced it you’ll always know the difference from other varieties. It has a very high Omega-3 (good cholesterol!) content making it heart healthy along with a very low fat content. The big factors, however, are taste and texture.

When you look down at that sumptuous mound of “chunky” tune salad with the remarkable clean color chances are you have scored some solid white albacore. The price is higher; usually twice what you pay for regular canned tuna, but you simply can’t compare the results.

Back in the old Winedog Cups & Corks days our menu included a version of the recipe below and customers commented that they had never really enjoyed tuna salad until they tried this style. I’m sure you will discover similar results with your family and friends.

Lowfat Albacore Tuna Salad

(Makes 6 servings.)

2 (6-ounce) cans Solid White Albacore Tuna, packed in water

1/3 cup lowfat or nonfat Kraft mayonnaise

3 tablespoons fresh celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained

1 teaspoon minced flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

In a medium bowl add tuna after draining it. Break up with a fork and add celery, onion and parsley. Toss all together to mix well.

Add the mayonnaise, mustard, relish and ground pepper. Check taste and adjust. Finally add in the lemon juice to taste … only enough to brighten the flavor.

You can use your imagination as to how you would like to serve your tuna salad, but my favorite versions are on lightly toasted whole grain bread with romaine lettuce or place a scoop of your salad along with a couple of cherry tomatoes into a half section of cantaloupe that you have scooped the seeds and pulp out of. I’ve also had tuna salad as a topper to a slice of fresh pineapple that has been lightly cooked on a charcoal grill.

When working through the wines you will keep on hand for the warmer months on the way you’ll see a reoccurring theme from me as to how important it is to find one or two great German Rieslings to serve. I began working for a German winery back in 1978 and I’ve had a soft spot for great German wines ever since.

German wines are naturally light and refreshing, great with lighter foods and perfect by themselves for warm weather entertaining. Overall, those wines that are bottled in green glass are from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region while brown bottles are used for wines bottled in the Rhine regions.

Styling is fairly distinct based on areas and I’ve found that wines from the Mosel, particularly those made from the Riesling grape, have a tendency to show more of the steely, green apple styling. Rhine wines offer more of a range of flavors but tend to display fruit with a touch less citrus focus. I’ve experienced characteristics of peach, melon, honeyed fruit and a range of tropical flavors in wines grown along the Rhine River.

When shopping keep two things in mind: producer and harvest. My short list of producers includes Gernot Gysler, Kurt Darting, Jakoby-Mathy, Schloss Zell, Scharzhofberger by any winekellerei, Schloss Vollrads, Josef Leitz and Eugen Muller. Any wine you acquire from these organizations will be great, many will be outstanding, and a few will leave you breathless.

For casual enjoyment look on the labels for either kabinett or spaetlese. The kabinett wines are produced from the select grapes taken from the main harvest while the spaetlese is the general selection of grapes drawn from the late harvest. Kabinett will be just a bit less fruity than the spaetlese and probably better suited to enjoy with foods. A great spaetlese with some fruit and cheese is a dynamite sipping wine to enjoy with good conversation and friends.

I hope you are enjoying this magnificent spring weather and want to thank you for some great recipe suggestions recently. I’m trying all of them gradually and will share the best of them in the near future. Be well. Cheers.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Jerry Allison, a native of Warren County, has been in the fine wine and fine dining field for 30 years in the south Florida, Chicago and southwestern Ohio markets. He writes a weekly syndicated column, manages a fine wine business and is the executive chef for Winedog Fine Wines and Catering Services. You can visit his column archive at www.winedog.com and take your comments and questions directly to him at 888-288-0668 or e-mail him at winedog@winedog.com. He has resided with his wife and two sons since 1999 in the country outside of Morrow.