Italian-Style Tuna Sandwich

By David Tanis

Published April 14, 2015

  • Evan Sung for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(1,279)
Comments
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Though an American cook (or even a French one) usually adds mayonnaise to the bowl when dressing canned tuna for a sandwich, Italian cooks invariably anoint theirs with olive oil instead. Capers, olives and anchovy often join the festivities; here they are combined with garlic and parsley to make a zesty salsa verde. Choose the best quality Italian or Spanish canned tuna—the extra cost is well worth it. The other essential ingredient is freshly baked bread, like a good crisp baguette or crusty ciabatta roll.

Featured in: A Tuna Sandwich With a Touch of Italy

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

FOR THE SALSA VERDE

  • 1 cup Italian parsley leaves, washed and dried

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • ¼ cup roughly chopped green olives, such as Castelvetrano

  • 3 or 4 anchovy fillets, chopped

  • 1 tablespoon chopped capers

  • Zest of 1 lemon

  • Pinch of crushed red pepper

  • Salt and pepper

FOR THE SANDWICH

  • 1 baguette or 4 ciabatta rolls

  • Handful of lettuce leaves, arugula or watercress

  • 8 ounces best quality oil packed tuna, drained, in large chunks

  • 4 hard-boiled eggs

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced, optional

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

19 grams carbs; 162 milligrams cholesterol; 531 calories; 24 grams monosaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 38 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 725 milligrams sodium; 26 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the salsa verde: Whiz parsley leaves and ½ cup oil in a food processor or blender to a pesto-like consistency, then transfer to a small bowl. (Alternatively, chop parsley by hand and combine with oil.) Add garlic, chopped olives, anchovies, capers, lemon zest and red pepper to parsley mixture and stir well. Season with salt if necessary and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Thin with more oil as desired.

  2. Step 2

    Cut baguette crosswise into 4 equal pieces, then split each lengthwise with a serrated knife. (If using rolls, split each lengthwise.) For each sandwich, lay bread flat, crust side down. Spread cut sides with 2 tablespoons salsa verde. Put a few lettuce leaves on 1 piece of bread and arrange 2 ounces of tuna over lettuce. Top tuna with 1 egg, quartered. Season egg lightly with salt and pepper. Add sliced serrano chile, if using. Drizzle with a little more salsa verde, then press sandwich closed.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,279 user ratings
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Comments

LRB

To bring it to the next level buy a piece if fresh tuna, slice it thin in an oven-proof dish, cover it in olive oil, sprinkle with see salt and fennel seeds. Cook for 25 minutes at 250 and let it cool. Better than canned tuna.

Matt

This was tasty but came out far too oily for me. Many of the ingredients are already packed in, and impregnated with, oil--the tuna, anchovies, olives. That on top of the half-cup of oil the recipe calls for was too much for me. And I love olive oil, make no mistake, this was just too much of a good thing.

G

Healthy supercharge dinner. Maybe addition of avocado for extra creaminess and/or tomato in the summer.

JaneO

OMG so good! Next time I make this I might double the salsa verde recipe so I’ll have leftovers for other dishes.

gretchen

This is a staple in our house, have made it numerous times. Sometimes as sandwich, but usually over salad greens. Fabulous all around!

sbp

Quick question- do you guys use one glass jar of tuna or two?

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