A quick weekday meal, an easy to rustle up weekend brunch for the holidays or a late-night snack, a simple tuna sandwich has it all. With a few tweaks you can really let the tuna shine – think about fat, acid, heat and sweet. Cut the oily fish with the heat of chili, balance the creamy butter with the zing of pickled onions, let the crunch of the bread contrast the softness of everything else.
For the Sandwich
Tuna: The Main Subject
Tonnino Light Tuna Fillets In Olive Oil, 190 g; tonnino.com
Mediocre canned stuff won’t do. Whole chunks of wild caught Yellowfin and Albacore Tuna packed in olive oil amp up the flavour. You can mix with sliced celery, mayo and freshly ground black pepper. It’s also lovely straight from the jar.
The Bread and Acid
Ciabatta and pickled onions
For added zing and to bring balance to the rich fish in olive oil, quick pickle red onions in vinegar, sugar and spices. Lightly toast the bread for a textural crunch. While still warm, slather with butter, chili sauce and arrange chunks of tuna. Top with pickled onions. Ciabatta’s liberal holes sop up all the delicious chili sauce and slowly melting butter.
The Spread
Dairy Isle Salted Butter, 1lb, $6.50; adlfoods.ca
A layer of butter delivers another level of moisture and decadence. Plus, this one’s Canadian made. For added flavour coarsely chop parsley, zest a lemon and add a teaspoon of garlic powder to softened butter, mix thoroughly and refrigerate. It makes an elevated spread.
The Heat
PC Black Label Peperoncini Chopped Hot Chili Peppers In Oil, 270 g, $10.00; loblaws.ca
Sometimes the missing element in a sandwich isn’t acid, it’s heat. Nothing tingles the tastebuds like chili. Roughly chopped and steeped in oil, a thin layer is all you need. If you can only take a little heat, drizzle the oil alone.
This original article first appeared in the WINTER 2025 2026 issue of City Style and Living Magazine.
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