There’s no such thing as too much tuna. (Actually, there is, on account of mercury poisoning and overfishing, but we’re ignoring those for right now.) A good tuna salad, in one form or another, is something I crave at least once a week, and all home cooks should know their way around an excellent tuna sandwich.
There are plenty of restaurant-quality examples to go by: the Rockwell-esque tuna melt at S&P or the dill-inflected version at Agi’s Counter; the perfect, iceberg-heavy tuna salad sandwich at Palace Diner in Maine; or even just your average diner specimen on rye. I’m saving melts for further investigation at a later date, so the following sandwiches simply feature tuna salad, good bread, and some crisper drawer accessories. However, you can easily make a sandwich as good as any of the above at home.
I typically take one of two approaches: an Italian-style tuna panino on focaccia (the world’s best sandwich bread?), or a very straightforward diner sandwich with some low-key flourishes. The Italiano sports high-quality, olive oil-packed tuna, mixed with chopped olives, celery, red onions, red wine vinegar, and lots of herbs; it’s usually adorned with arugula dressed in lemon and a swatch of aioli. The Classic makes use of both olive oil- and water-packed tuna — a trick I picked up from S&P, where the tuna salad straddles the realms of gourmet food and delicatessen austerity. Add in a heavy dose of mayo, along with a gargantuan slab of iceberg lettuce and maybe some sliced red onions and pickles, and that’s pretty much it; it’s a study in sandwich minimalism.
One word to the wise: do not fear mayonnaise. If you’ve ever had a dry, lackluster tuna salad, it’s likely in need of mayo (and moisture in general, as well as some acid). The best tuna salad is light, airy, and nearly whipped in texture, without any dry spots or clumps of tuna; the red wine vin and lemon juice will counteract the fattiness.
Tonno Italiano
Ingredients
1 6 oz jar of olive oil-packed tuna; I like Tonnino or Ortiz
1 tablespoon mayonnaise or aioli
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup of diced red onions
1/2 cup of diced celery
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped
Handful of parsley, roughly chopped
Garlic powder
Cumin
Red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Focaccia
Arugula
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Instructions
In a bowl, combine the tuna, mayo, mustard, onions, celery, olives, and herbs. Add a liberal amount of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. Mash and mix with a fork until the tuna is very finely processed, approaching a mousse-like consistency; add more mayo if needed. Add a dash of garlic powder and cumin, and salt to taste.
Trim your focaccia and add a small amount of mayo or aioli to the bread. Dress the arugula lightly in olive oil, salt, and lemon. Add the tuna salad to the bread first, then top with the arugula.
Tuna Classic
Makes 3-4 servings
Ingredients
1 6 oz jar of olive oil-packed tuna
1 can of water-packed tuna
4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise, with extra for dressing bread
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
Rye bread, untoasted
Large chunk of iceberg lettuce, with some height to it
Handful of red onions, sliced thin
Handful of half-sour pickles, sliced thin
Instructions
Drain each tuna and combine them in a bowl. Add the mayo, mustard, and lemon juice; mash and stir to combine, fully breaking down the tuna. Add more mayonnaise and mustard as needed until it is has a mousse-like consistency. Salt and pepper to taste.
Apply a small amount of mayo to the interior of the bread. Add your pickles first, then tuna, then red onions, then iceberg lettuce. It’s probably best to hold this sandwich together with a toothpick, and include a pickle on the side.