There’s a great sandwich shop in my town (Dom’s for those of you in the know) that makes a variety of awesome Italian sandwiches. And they are all fantastic. But, every time I go into that sandwich shop, I can’t help but order the Tonno. It’s the sandwich that inspired this Italian tuna salad sandwich. And, it’s super delicious!
I figure, if I can reliably create this copycat version at home, then I’ll be open to ordering their other amazing sandwiches moving forward. And this is a really easy sandwich to recreate at home. It comes down to one ingredient: Italian-style tuna packed in olive oil.
♥ Related: Buffalo Eggplant Sandwich
This is an ingredient I didn’t discover until well into my 30’s. I was brought up on solid white albacore in a blue can. But, now I love this style of canned tuna fish. Because it’s packed–and probably cooked–in olive oil, it has a really luscious mouthfeel. It’s so tasty and worth the extra cost.
- Shop: Italian-style Tuna
The ingredients for this sandwich are pretty easy to keep on hand in the pantry, so now, whenever I want a Tonno, it’s just as far as my kitchen!
Italian Style Tuna Salad Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 5 oz cans tuna packed in oil
- ½ cup chopped artichoke hearts about 4 whole canned artichoke hearts drained and cut into eighths
- 10 pitted green olives halved
- 1 tbsp capers rinsed of excess brine
- 1 tbsp shallot finely minced
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- 1-2 tbsp mayonnaise
- salt & pepper to taste
- 4 ciabatta sandwich rolls sliced in half; see note
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add the tuna, undrained. You want the olive oil as part of the sandwich dressing.
- Add artichoke hearts, olives, capers, shallots, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix to combine well. Add one tbsp of mayonnaise, stir, and give it a taste. Add another if the tuna salad is too dry for you.Also add salt and pepper to taste. There are a lot of salty ingredients in this tuna so you might not need much salt. But, it's your tuna salad, so season it how you want!
- Portion the tuna between the four ciabatta rolls. Enjoy!
Notes
- Dom’s has the best ciabatta rolls. I think ciabatta is the best vehicle for this sandwich, but you can use what you have available. If you can find any bread or a roll that has a slightly crispy crust and a fairly soft crumb, you’ll be close. Slices of a nice Italian sandwich bread would also be pretty great.
- Explore: More Sandwich Recipes
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I love the original sandwich, but I love making it at home with this recipe exactly how I like it even better!