SANDWICH ESSENTIALS: LOADED TUNA & EGG SALAD

Sandwich Essentials: Loaded Tuna & Egg Salad image

I love a good egg salad, and I love a good tuna salad; however, for some mysterious reason, I have never combined the two together... until now. I played about with a couple of batches of this recipe, until I liked what I tasted. I worked on it through the late evening, and wee hours of the morning. I do all my best work in the...

Provided by Andy Anderson !

Time 1h

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

PLAN/PURCHASE
2 slice bacon, cooked crispy and chopped
1 stalk(s) celery, finely diced
2 Tbsp walnuts, rough chopped
3 Tbsp mayonnaise, plain variety
2 Tbsp relish, sweet variety
2 Tbsp parmesan cheese, freshly ground
2 tsp fresh dill, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dry
1 tsp dijon mustard, i prefer grey poupon
1 tsp prepared horseradish
salt, kosher variety, to taste
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
5 oz tuna, more on the tuna later
lettuce leaves, as needed
ADDITIONAL ITEMS
4 slice bread, i like rustic varieties
1 medium thinly-sliced garden tomatoes, for topping
micro-greens, for topping

Steps:

1. PREP/PREPARE
2. The best egg salad begins with the best hard-boiled eggs. I will not recommend any specific way to hard-boil eggs, simply because I am convinced that there is no single way that will work for everyone. With that said, the finished product should have firm whites with a bright-yellow yolk, and no green ring.
3. I make this recipe two ways: with eggs that are firmly cooked, and with eggs where the yolks are a bit runny. For this recipe, we will use firm "hard" boiled eggs.
4. Another important ingredient is the tuna, and for me the choice would be albacore. Albacore is a larger fish with a lighter colored flesh, a firmer texture, and a milder flavor than other brands. My absolute favorite brand is: Wild Planet. They are 100% sustainably pole and line caught, and they are not packed in oil or water... just nothing but pure tuna, and a bit of sea salt. http://www.wildplanetfoods.com/our-products/tuna/ I can pick up a can of Albacore tuna from another brand for $2.30 a can. Wild Planet costs around $3.80. If you cannot get Wild Planet tuna, no worries, just get tuna packed in water, not oil.
5. Lastly, let us talk about ratio. I tried using more eggs than tuna, and vise/versa. I finally settled on a 50/50 ratio. So, since I am using 5 ounces of tuna, I will use 5 ounces of eggs. Two large eggs come out to almost exactly 5 ounces.
6. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
7. In a large bowl, combine the bacon, walnuts, celery, relish, dill, Dijon, horseradish, Parmesan cheese and mayonnaise.
8. Mix together, then add some salt and pepper, to taste.
9. Add the chopped eggs and tuna, then gently fold into the sauce.
10. Cover and place in the fridge for 1 hour. This will give the ingredients a chance to know one another.
11. Toast the bread, and add a light layer of lettuce to two of the bread slices (toasting is optional).
12. Add half of the egg/tuna salad to each half.
13. Add a few thinly-sliced tomatoes.
14. Add some micro-greens.
15. Cover with the other bread slices.
16. PLATE/PRESENT
17. Serve with some chips, fries, or whatever you choose. Enjoy.
18. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.