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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Wednesday, September 1, 2004

Tuna-salad sandwich excellent but indulgent

Los Angeles Times

This recipe is a signature dish at Luna Park restaurant in Los Angeles and so much more than the usual tuna sandwich.

Though the exceptional sandwich calls for no mayo, it's an indulgence since the fat and calories are high. On the plus side, the fat is mostly unsaturated. To prepare the salad, imported tuna is combined with sunny Mediterranean ingredients, then layered on grilled ciabatta with an arugula-fennel salad.

Find tuna from Italy in jars or cans at specialty food stores or online.

LUNA PARK TUNA-SALAD SANDWICH

For the lemon vinaigrette:

  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 5 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons chopped shallots
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the sandwich:

  • 1/4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 8 (6-ounce) cans or jars Italian light tuna in oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 2 tablespoons Kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
  • 3 cornichon pickles, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, grilled, peeled and cut into eighths
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 3 (19-ounce) loaves ciabatta bread
  • 12 ounces arugula
  • 1 cup shaved fennel, about half a fennel bulb
  • 1 cup lemon vinaigrette

Make lemon vinaigrette: Pour 1 cup canola oil into a medium bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice, vinegar, shallots, salt, pepper and sugar. Set aside. (Makes 1 1/4 cups.)

Heat the olive oil in a small saute pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes until softened.

Drain the tuna, reserving a few tablespoons of oil with which to moisten the salad. Flake the tuna and combine it with the parsley, capers, olives, cornichons, lemon juice, tomatoes, onions and reserved oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cut an inch off the end of each loaf of bread. Cut the bread into 4-inch pieces and slice in half. Remove some of the soft center so the sandwich isn't doughy. Grill the bread lightly.

In a large bowl, toss the arugula and fennel with the lemon vinaigrette.

For each sandwich, place some of the arugula salad on the bottom piece of grilled bread. Top with about 1 1/4 cups tuna mixture. Place more arugula on the tuna and finish with the top piece of bread. Slice in half diagonally and serve.

Serves 8.

• Per serving: 836 calories; 61 g protein; 73 g carbohydrates; 5 g fiber; 43 g fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 55 mg cholesterol; 1,986 mg sodium.