Chef notes
The sweetness of the fig and the nuttiness of the manchego pairs perfectly with the savory tuna highlighted by the brine of the olives and the tartness of the sun-dried tomatoes. Having grown up on classic boiled egg and pickle relish-based tuna has only sparked my love for the sandwich while exploring ways to vary its flavor profile.
Swap option: You can swap out tuna for fully cooked cubed or shredded chicken.
Ingredients
- 2 (6-ounce) cans white tuna meat packed in water, drained
- 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
- 1 celery stalk, small dice
- 2 tablespoons diced black olives
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 4 ounces thinly sliced manchego cheese
- 4 tablespoons fig jam
Preparation
1.Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.In a large bowl, combine tuna, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, celery, black olives, lemon juice, celery salt, white pepper, Old Bay seasoning and mayonnaise. Toss the ingredients together with a fork until well-combined. Add in parsley and lightly toss. Taste your tuna salad and add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste.
3.Butter one side of each bread slice and place four slices of bread on a baking sheet with the buttered side facing down. Spread about 1/2 cup of tuna salad on each of the 4 slices of bread on the baking sheet.
4.Place about 1 ounce of cheese on top of each tuna spread. Spread 1 tablespoon of fig jam on the non-buttered side of the remaining 4 slices of bread. Place each slice of bread on top of the cheese with the fig jam side facing downwards.
5.Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 4 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip each sandwich over so that the top slice faces downwards. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake for an additional 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven. Slice each sandwich in half and enjoy!
