Mediterranean Tuna-Stuffed Cucumber Boats with Olive Tapenade

Wash 4 medium English cucumbers, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 2 ribs celery, 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, and 1 bunch fresh dill. Pat them dry with paper towels.

Cut each of the 4 English cucumbers in half lengthwise. Use a small spoon to gently scrape out the watery seeds from the center of each half, creating a hollow channel or 'boat' while leaving a 1/4-inch border on all sides. Place the hollowed cucumbers cut-side down on paper towels to drain excess moisture.

Prepare the hand-chopped olive tapenade: On a large cutting board, finely mince 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, 1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, 2 tablespoons drained capers, and 1 peeled garlic clove together until they form a coarse, cohesive paste. Transfer this tapenade to a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.

Finely dice 1/2 medium red onion and 2 ribs celery. Chop 1 cup cherry tomatoes into quarters. Finely chop 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley and 3 tablespoons fresh dill.

Grate the fresh lemon to yield 1 teaspoon of lemon zest, then squeeze the lemon to yield 2 tablespoons of fresh juice.

Drain 15 ounces of canned albacore tuna thoroughly. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained tuna, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Use a fork to flake the tuna and thoroughly blend the ingredients.

Fold the diced red onion, diced celery, quartered cherry tomatoes, chopped parsley, chopped dill, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper into the tuna mixture. Stir gently to combine all elements.

Flip the cucumber halves cut-side up. Spoon the tuna salad generously into the hollowed channel of each cucumber boat, dividing it evenly among the 8 halves.

Spoon the prepared olive tapenade evenly over the top of the tuna-stuffed cucumber boats. Garnish with a few extra sprigs of fresh dill if desired, and serve immediately.