Description
This Tunacado recipe is a flavorful, copycat version of Joe & The Juice’s popular sandwich, combining a creamy tuna spread with spicy pesto aioli, fresh avocado, and tangy banana peppers on toasted flatbread. Perfect for a quick and delicious lunch, this sandwich balances savory, spicy, and fresh notes in every bite.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Spicy Pesto Aioli
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chili crunch
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Fine salt and ground black pepper, to taste
For the Sandwich
- 5 ounces canned tuna, drained
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 2 teaspoons anchovy paste, or 3 anchovy filets
- 1 tablespoon dried dill or 2 sprigs fresh dill
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 thin slices whole wheat flatbread, sourdough, or focaccia
- 4 slices tomato
- 1 large ripe avocado, sliced
- Pickled sliced banana peppers, for serving
Instructions
- Make the Spicy Pesto Aioli: Gather all ingredients for the aioli in a small bowl. Stir together the pesto, mayonnaise, chili crunch, honey, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with fine salt and ground black pepper to taste. Set aside until sandwich assembly.
- Prepare the Tuna Mixture: Combine tuna, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic cloves, capers, anchovy paste (or filets), and dill in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on high for about 1 minute until the mixture achieves a smooth, whipped consistency, scraping down the sides as needed. Stir in diced red onion, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasoning as desired.
- Toast the Bread: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two slices of flatbread at a time, cut side down. Use a small skillet or pot to weigh down the bread and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and toast the remaining two slices in the same manner.
- Assemble the Sandwiches: Spread the spicy pesto aioli evenly over the toasted side of each bread slice. Divide and spread the prepared tuna mixture across two slices of bread. Layer each with two slices of tomato and sliced avocado to your liking. Top with pickled banana peppers for a spicy, briny punch if desired.
- Serve: Close the sandwiches with the remaining bread slices, slice them in half, and serve immediately for the best texture and freshness.
Notes
- You can use dried dill if fresh dill is not available; the flavor is slightly more concentrated.
- Adjust the amount of chili crunch in the aioli to control the spice level.
- Use variety of bread such as whole wheat flatbread, sourdough, or focaccia for different textures and flavors.
- If you prefer a smoother tuna spread, pulse a bit longer in the food processor.
- Pickled banana peppers add a tangy, spicy element but can be omitted if you prefer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 35g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 25g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
