Tuna melt sandwich
- 1 small red onion finely chopped
- 2x5.6 ounces italian tuna drained
- 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts in water drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup loosely packed soft sun-dried tomatoes thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup pitted italian or kalamata black olives sliced (i don't do this)
- 3 tbsp capers rinsed
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley a handfull, finely chopped
- 1 cup baby arugula
- 1 large lemon just the juice
- evoo extra virgin olive oil for liberal drizzling
- pepper (not the dog) to taste
- 1/2 lbs deli-sliced provolone cheese
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread split lengthwise horizontally (i use individual ciabattas)
- Carbohydrate 44.7918541666667 g
- Cholesterol 89.523 mg
- Fat 59.9736041666667 g
- Fiber 4.984799973465 g
- Protein 46.7443383333333 g
- Saturated Fat 10.3556245 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (547g)
- Sodium 3662.05346666667 mg
- Sugar 39.8070541932017 g
- Trans Fat 41.6308651666667 g
- Calories 914 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat panini press or cast iron skillet for pressing sammy. If using a skillet, you will need another heavy skillet to press with or a brick, wrapped in foil.
- Flake tuna in bowl. Add chopped artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, caper berries or capers, parsley, shallots and arugula. Dress with lemon juice and liberal drizzle of EVOO. Mix to combine salad thoroughly, season with pepper to taste.
- Arrange half of the cheese, overlapping the slices, on the bottom half of ciabatta. Top with salad in even layer then arrange remaining cheese and top with bread. Cut the loaf into 4 sections and press a few minutes to melt cheese and heat through.
- Serve sammies with Warm Penne Pasta Salad alongside. (I like chips LOL)
Flaking the canned tuna thoroughly before mixing prevents dense clumps that block heat transfer during pressing. Canned Italian tuna packs tightly, so separate the flesh entirely with a fork before adding the chopped artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, and arugula. Draining the artichoke hearts completely in a colander removes excess moisture that would otherwise steam the ciabatta bread instead of toasting it. Dress the mixture with lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil just before assembly to keep the arugula crisp and prevent the bread from becoming soggy during preparation.
Make-Ahead and Reheating Mechanics
Assembling these sandwiches in advance requires specific storage protocols to protect the bread structure. Wrap unpressed, assembled sandwiches tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Freezing is not recommended because the high water content in the artichokes and fresh greens ruins the cellular structure of the bread upon thawing. Reheat chilled sandwiches directly on a panini press or in a cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Cooking at a lower temperature allows the heat to penetrate the cold center and melt the provolone cheese fully before the exterior ciabatta burns.
- Using too high heat on the press chars the ciabatta exterior while leaving the provolone solid inside.
- Skipping the lemon juice reduction step leaves excess liquid in the tuna mixture, yielding a soggy sandwich base.
- Pressing with an unweighted skillet fails to create the thermal contact required for even melting.
