Sicilian Tuna with Fennel, Black Olives, and Lemon
What self-respecting sandwich shop doesn’t carry a tuna sandwich? We admit that we almost didn’t. But when a magazine wanted to do an impromptu photo shoot before we opened, we had to improvise with ingredients already on hand at Craftbar. We seized a can of Sicilian tuna and added a few other items—and when we tasted the sandwich after the shoot, we realized we had a winner. Let go of the traditional tuna with lots of mayo—the mayonnaise masks the taste, a pity when using good tuna. Instead, use just a bit of lemon-flavored mayo on the bread, and season the tuna with lighter ingredients, such as the fronds of the fennel, similar in texture to dill but lending a fresher flavor to the fish.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 3 to 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the tuna salad
For the marinated fennel
Preparation
Step 1
To make the tuna salad, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, and mix well. Adjust the seasoning as necessary and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 2
To make the marinated fennel, remove the stalks from the fennel and reserve the fronds. Using a mandoline slicer or sharp knife, thinly slice the fennel crosswise starting from the top. In a bowl, toss the fennel slices in the oil, lemon juice, and reserved fennel fronds, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature to marinate for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Split the baguette lengthwise. Spread the mayonnaise evenly across the bottom slice and layer with the tuna salad, fennel, olives, confit, and fennel fronds. Drizzle some of the oil from the confit on the inside of the top slice of the baguette. Close the sandwiches, cut into three or four equal pieces, and serve.
