Welcome to another installment of What I Eat When I Have Only Myself to Please. When I lived in Austin a half a century ago, there was a little sandwich shop, the name of which I have completely forgotten. But they served a tuna sandwich on focaccia bread with an oil and vinegar dressing instead of mayonnaise, and it was terrific. I think it was great because they used tuna packed in oil with more oil on top, which I have not done here. I’m bad, but I’m not feeling that bad at the moment. They also topped it with capers, which at the time I would pick off one by one while cursing whenever I forgot to 86 them.
Today, I bought capers on purpose. You should be proud of me. I am mowing down my food issues one by one. Before you know it I’ll be eating olives and cilantro…thought I would caution you to keep breathing normally.
Preparation:
Focaccia or Ciabatta bread
4 to 6 ounces solid water packed tuna, crumbled
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ Tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
red onions, sliced
colorful salad peppers (or any bell pepper), sliced
2 Tablespoons feta cheese
1 to 2 teaspoons capers
Measure the olive oil and vinegar into a small jar. Add the oregano and a little salt and pepper. Seal the lid and shake the contents until they are well blended.
Cut the ciabatta or focaccia into pieces about 3 to 4 inches wide. Slice each piece into halves.
To assemble, on the bottom piece of bread begin piling in the following order…give or take…tuna, onions and peppers, feta and capers. Then drizzle on as much of the dressing as you like. I like a lot. Water packed tuna is a bit dry and this is a very bread-y sandwich. So, it needs the oil. If you are making this for two people double the dressing also.
Dig in. This would be good on any type of bread. I think the tougher rolls just help keep the sandwich together.
I don’t even like Tuna, but that looks like something I could eat.
Lovely way to dress up a tuna sandwich, thanks for the inspiration. I think I will slice the peppers and onions and mix with the capers and the oregano oil in advance to speed up the serving process for my family.
mmmmmm, I want that for lunch! It looks just delish!
Susan, that is a great idea. I’ll do that next time, too.
This is such a wonderful recipe. I’ve made it several times and have even substituted the bread for lettuce (a salad) which was also delicious. It’s much easier to mix all the ingredients together than put atop the bread. Thanks for this recipe that I’ve shared with so many.