Tuna Diavolo (2)

This is an update of a post I shared more than seven years ago. While I was spending a lot of time in Baltimore (for work) I frequented a little Italian market that had really great sandwiches, including a tuna sandwich that I fell in love with. I'm not a mayo person so I don't typically enjoy tuna salad but this one was completely mayo-free and really satisfying.

While perusing Wegman's a little while ago, I found jarred tuna, which is more expensive because it's a little fancier and higher quality and decided to resurrect this sandwich that I hadn't had in years. It ended up being much yummier than the regular canned tuna version and even got the approval of my sister, who truly dislikes tuna sandwiches (but she's also mayo-averse).

This is such a simple recipe, I don't even know if it's worth the share, but I figured I might as well post it as inspiration for the other mayo-dislikers out there.

Ingredients [serves 2]:
1 mini baguette
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 oz. jarred tuna in olive oil
1 tablespoon capers, chopped
¼ cup pickled cherry peppers, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 cup mesclun greens

Start by chopping up some capers and pickled cherry peppers. The acidity and salt are essential in this tuna because it adds flavor and helps to cut through the heaviness of a protein that's packed in oil.

Use a fork to break up the fish into smaller pieces that makes sense for a tuna salad.

Add a couple tablespoons of the tuna oil from the jar along with the chopped capers and peppers and then sprinkle in a little salt and black pepper and stir to combine.

Prep the bread by slicing in half and drizzle one side with balsamic vinegar. Pack the other side of the bread with the tuna salad, top with mesclun greens, and close up the sandwich.

Cut the sandwich into manageable pieces and dig in.

I made a quick chicken noodle soup to eat with my sandwiches and it was a really nice accompaniment; it was quick because I used pre-made chicken broth, just tossed in some chopped up baby carrots, frozen peas, frozen corn, and some roughly chopped swiss chard. This lunch came together in about 15 minutes.

The sandwich is surprisingly light because it's cheese-less and mayo-less and has brightness and acidity from the pickled veggies and the balsamic vinegar. There's some crunch from the pickled cherry peppers and from the greens, the bread is nice and crusty, and I love the random salty bites of capers. The tuna flavor really comes through, which is why the jarred version is more appropriate and delicious than the canned version.

I suppose that's why typical tuna salad has so many assertive ingredients, like celery and mayo, because the goal is to mask that sort of metallic flavor that canned tuna has.

Here's the recipe page: