Union Square Cafe's Tuna Club Sandwich

Name: Union Square Cafe's Tuna Club Sandwich
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 2 egg yolks; 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard; 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 1/2 cups olive oil; 3/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper; 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion; 1/3 cup coarsely chopped carrot; 1/3 cup sliced celery; 1 bay leaf; 3 whole black peppercorns; 1 pound yellowfin tuna, skinless, cut into 2-inch pieces; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 2 tablespoons diced red bell pepper; 2 tablespoons diced yellow bell pepper; 1/4 cup minced red onion; 1 tablespoon julienned fresh basil leaves; 1 teaspoon finely chopped mint; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; Freshly ground black pepper to taste; Fresh lemon juice to taste; 12 slices sourdough, white or whole wheat bread, lightly toasted; 2 1/2 cups arugula, trimmed, washed and dried; 8 ( 1/4-inch-thick) slices slab bacon, cooked until crisp

By Julia Reed

Total Time: 45 minutes
Rating: 4(246)
Notes: Read community notes

This update on a workaday sandwich takes time and work, it’s true. But the result, Julia Reed says, is the best old-fashioned tuna salad sandwich you’ve ever had in your life. You’ll need one pound of yellowfin tuna, which you’ll poach with aromatics, cool and then mix with a few chopped peppers, fennel seed, onion and herbs. If you plan ahead, you can make the tuna salad without the herbs, refrigerate it overnight, and add them in before assembling your sandwiches. Layer it on toasted bread with a lemon-pepper aioli, slab bacon and arugula. This is picnic food for the gods.

Featured in: FOOD; Classic From a Can

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Lemon Pepper Aioli

2egg yolks
1½tablespoons lemon juice
2teaspoons red wine vinegar
1tablespoon Dijon mustard
2teaspoons finely minced garlic
½teaspoon kosher salt
1½cups olive oil
¾teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

For the Poached Tuna

½cup coarsely chopped onion
⅓cup coarsely chopped carrot
⅓cup sliced celery
1bay leaf
3whole black peppercorns
1pound yellowfin tuna, skinless, cut into 2-inch pieces

For the Tuna Salad

1teaspoon fennel seeds
2tablespoons diced red bell pepper
2tablespoons diced yellow bell pepper
¼cup minced red onion
1tablespoon julienned fresh basil leaves
1teaspoon finely chopped mint
¾teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fresh lemon juice to taste

For the Sandwich

12slices sourdough, white or whole wheat bread, lightly toasted
2½cups arugula, trimmed, washed and dried
8( ¼-inch-thick) slices slab bacon, cooked until crisp

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Make aioli: Combine egg yolks, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, garlic and salt in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream through the feed tube until all the oil is absorbed and the mixture has the consistency of mayonnaise. Add pepper and mix 10 seconds. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Step 2
Combine 4 cups water, onion, carrot, celery, bay leaf and peppercorns in a 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the tuna pieces and simmer until they are barely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Step 3
Remove the cooked tuna from the cooking liquid to a bowl using a slotted spoon. While the fish is still warm, flake it into small pieces with a fork or your fingers. (The fish firms up as it cools and will not flake as nicely.) Cover loosely and let cool.
Step 4
Crush the fennel seeds between two sheets of waxed paper; dry fry in a small skillet until fragrant. Place in large bowl; add ½ cup aioli, the red and yellow peppers, onion, herbs and salt and set aside.
Step 5
Mix the flaked tuna into the fennel mixture. Combine well and taste for seasonings, adding salt, pepper and lemon juice as needed. (The tuna salad can be made ahead to this point without the herbs and refrigerated until the next day; stir in the herbs just before using.)
Step 6
Spread a slice of sourdough bread with the aioli, then with a spoonful of the tuna salad. Top with a few leaves of the arugula and one slice of bacon. Repeat with a second slice of sourdough. Stack one layer on top of another and finish by topping with a third slice of sourdough. Repeat to make three more club sandwiches. Slice each sandwich into halves or thirds and secure each piece with a toothpick.

Ratings

4 out of 5

246 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Dr B Milwaukee6 years ago

Ok, I cheated. I used good canned tuna and fresh chopped celery and all the rest was the same. Still delicious

Maui Maggie6 years ago

Fresh tuna is a mainstay on HI. where most of us enjoy it as poke. This recipe is close to my variant for a sandwich. However, I poach it briefly in a light olive oil at a very, very low temperature (about 120F). That leaves the tuna delicately flaky and, more importantly, moist. The oil also adds a richness to the resulting dish that is often missing from a water. or broth poach. Try it, you'll never go back.

stuart itter5 years ago

The simple sandwich contained in this recipe is worth noting: Canned tuna, mayo, with the bacon, herbs, and veg and two not three slices of bread shoud work for time pressured situations.

Debra Pagano Cohen6 years ago

Thank God for canned Tuna.

Whitney6 years ago

OK.Meh.I used the highest quality tuna, oil, every ingredient organic, fresh baked sourdough...It was ok. C+

steve f4 years ago

“You know who invented the middle slice? Enemies of freedom. Their mission? Sap our will to live by ruining our sandwich experiences through ‘tectonic slide.'” Anyone that's ever had a club sandwich will understand what he meant by this but people still seem to put up with it all the same.” -Anthony Bourdain

R Preston6 years ago

Wonderful! Will make this again. So good I ordered the Union Square Cafe's cookbook.

Julie5 years ago

@Alex, if you use canned, do not poach.

Renee4 years ago

This is the most helpful comment I've ever read on the NY Times page.

glenn1 year ago

I have, like the perfect martini, done away with the bread, the mayo, and all sundry accessories. A can opener and a fork for my Starkist.

Marian Modrak2 years ago

I poach the fresh tuna in olive oil as my friend Tony's Italian mother did. To die for.

rv2 years ago

•poach tuna briefly in a light olive oil at a very, very low temperature (about 120F). That leaves the tuna delicately flaky and, more importantly, moist •skip 3rd slice of bread

PS Lynx2 years ago

The lemon pepper aioli is worth the recipe!!

Myra3 years ago

I can't imagine this with canned tuna. We made it with Aldi's frozen ahi tuna and it was delicious. Only changes were eliminating the fennel and herbs and using baby romaine instead of arugula. Next time I would cut back the aioli by half (or so). Bacon is a key component as it really good bread.

Carajo3 years ago

I trust Julia Reed with my taste buds. She's never let me down. This is a really good sandwich-two slices of toasted, home made bread. Heavenly.

SharonH4 years ago

Delicious tuna! Aioli was easy in the food processor. I didn't have fresh garlic so I substituted 1/2 cup olive oil with garlic olive oil. I poached the tuna as recipe states. I didn't add the fennel or herbs in the tuna salad as I was looking for a little more traditional tuna salad. Served with homemade toasted sourdough bread, slathered with the aioli. My husband loves tuna sandwiches and he said this was the best!

steve f4 years ago

Renee4 years ago

This is the most helpful comment I've ever read on the NY Times page.

Gabriel Brunelle4 years ago

I'm excited to give this a vegan shot! (While I realize it may never attain to that true "tuna" taste...I'm still ready to give it a go!

Rakesh4 years ago

Way too much work! Sad! It takes 45 minutes to make a sandwich that will probably be devoured in less than 10 minutes!

Kathryn Watson4 years ago

For a sandwich or salad on lettuce, mix: 1 large can white albacore tuna 1 crisp apple chopped, 2-3 ribs chop celery choppedleaves 2 Tbsp French's mustard 1/4 - 1/2 C. Hellman's mayonnaise, (or more if needed), 1 chopped dill pickle with a little juice poured into the tuna mix Juice of 1 lemon Salt and pepper to taste. Know this is simple, but I have been serving this for a quick sandwich or salad lunch on a bed of lettuce since my mother made it in the 1950's. Add Fritos or saltines.

Fran Eckert4 years ago

This is SOOOOO much more work than Rachael Ray's Tuna Pan Bagnat and way more caloric. I will probably try it at some point, but if you don't know about this mediterranean take on a poached fresh tuna sandwich you are missing out.

Rochelle4 years ago

add some sweet relish and diced red onion to tuna salad

Ellie4 years ago

Those of us from the south know Duke's mayo is the best available short of homemade. If short of time using oil-packed tuna is second to poached fresh, but still can't compare to fresh. I like sweet pickle relish and onion in tuna salad, but to each her own.

Carrie4 years ago

While I LOVE the different recipes from the NYT, personally, I'm a purist when it comes to tuna salad - tuna, mayo, squeeze of lemon, S/P. Sometimes I'll make a grilled cheese & tuna sandwich (like the one served at Jackson Hole, NYC). Anything else added & it just ain't a tuna sandwich, but for those of you willing to do the work - bon appetite!

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