Description
A vibrant and flavorful loaded summery tuna sandwich featuring thickly sliced tomatoes, pickled red onions, crunchy lettuce, and a homemade basil aioli mixed with tuna. Served on buttered seeded bread with salted crisps, this sandwich is perfect for a light, refreshing meal on warm days.
Ingredients
Scale
Sandwich Ingredients
- 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
- 1 small red onion, finely sliced
- 1 small Little Gem lettuce, roughly chopped
- 50g salted butter, softened
- 8 thick slices seeded bread
- Salted crisps, to serve
Pickling Mixture
- 1 tbsp chilli oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
- Pinch of salt (for onions)
Basil Aioli and Tuna Mix
- 1 small garlic clove, crushed
- 2 egg yolks (whites reserved for another recipe)
- 1 lemon, juiced (divided into 1 tbsp for aioli and additional as needed)
- 2 x 150g jars tuna, drained and oil reserved
- 200ml neutral oil (such as rapeseed or sunflower)
- 25g basil, roughly chopped
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare the Tomatoes: Sprinkle the thickly sliced tomatoes with flaky sea salt and set them aside to release their juices and enhance flavor while you prepare other components.
- Pickle the Red Onions: In a small bowl, combine chilli oil, apple cider vinegar, and caster sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the finely sliced red onion along with a big pinch of salt. Allow the onions to pickle for about 10 minutes to soften and infuse with tangy, spicy flavors.
- Make the Basil Aioli: In a food processor, combine crushed garlic, egg yolks, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Blitz until combined. Gradually add the oil reserved from the tuna jars in a slow, steady stream to begin emulsifying. Then slowly add the remaining neutral oil, continuing to blend until the mixture is thick and creamy.
- Add Basil and Season: Once the aioli is emulsified, add the roughly chopped basil leaves and blitz briefly until finely chopped and incorporated. Season the aioli with salt, black pepper, and additional lemon juice to taste.
- Mix Tuna into Aioli: Gently fold the drained tuna into the basil aioli mixture to create a creamy tuna spread. Chill this mixture in the refrigerator while you assemble the salad and sandwiches.
- Toss the Lettuce and Onions: Combine the roughly chopped Little Gem lettuce with the pickled red onions, mixing well to distribute the flavors evenly.
- Butter the Bread: Spread softened salted butter generously on each slice of thick seeded bread to add richness and prevent sogginess from the fillings.
- Assemble the Sandwiches: On four slices of the buttered bread, layer the tomato slices, the lettuce and pickled onion mix, and then top generously with the tuna and basil aioli spread. Cover with the remaining bread slices to complete each sandwich.
- Serve: Cut the sandwiches in half for easier eating and serve immediately alongside salted crisps for a perfect crunchy accompaniment.
Notes
- Use fresh basil for best flavor in the aioli. Dried basil will not provide the same freshness.
- Keep the tuna aioli refrigerated until ready to assemble to maintain freshness and texture.
- The egg yolks are used raw in this recipe; ensure you use fresh, high-quality eggs or pasteurized eggs if preferred.
- The sandwich is best eaten fresh to avoid the bread becoming soggy from the moist ingredients.
- You can save the leftover egg whites for meringues, omelets, or other recipes.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Sandwiches
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: tuna sandwich, basil aioli, summer sandwich, quick lunch, pickled onions, seeded bread, no cooking, fresh basil
