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Nicoise Tuna Sandwich

A sandwich with tuna, onions, tomatoes, eggs, anchovies, olives, lettuce, and vinaigrette.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 17 ingredients
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Why it works: Olive and tomato are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,539 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓

Nicoise Tuna Sandwich

Time5 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the tuna

  1. Combine the red and white onion with 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper in a bowl.

  2. Using your hands, mix and squeeze everything together for 5 minutes.

  3. Add the can of tuna in olive oil, including the oil; season with fresh lemon juice, red-wine vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Assemble the sandwiches

  1. Cut the kaiser rolls in half crosswise and spread each bottom half with lettuce leaves.

  2. On top of each lettuce layer, arrange 4 tomato slices, then add about half the tuna mixture and 3 to 4 slices of hard-boiled egg.

  3. Crisscross each sandwich with 2 drained anchovy fillets, then scatter Niçoise olives, chopped scallion greens, and sliced radishes; drizzle generously with more olive oil and top with the remaining kaiser halves, pressing gently but firmly.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

711Calories
59 gProtein
43 gFat
22 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 12 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Anchovy100g210
Salmon100g cooked208
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Lemonjuice of 1 lemon (48ml)12
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Lettuce1 cup shredded (36g)5
Olive1 large (4g)4
Vinegar1 tbsp (15ml) distilled3
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  2. Pepper + lemontop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together27,047 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).

  3. Olive + lettucetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,580 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).

  4. Lettuce + tomatotop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,655 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

  5. Pepper + tomatotop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,923 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Tuna
Provides rich, flaky protein and oil that moistens the whole filling.
Hard-boiled eggs
Add creamy richness and soft body that balances the sharp vinegar and olives.
Extra-virgin olive oil
Carries flavor and adds fat, keeping the onion and tuna moist and smooth.
Red-wine vinegar
Adds acidity that brightens the tuna and cuts through the oil.
Red and white onion
Provide sharp bite and aroma, mellowed by salt and squeezing.
Kaiser rolls
Give a sturdy base that holds the moist filling without falling apart.

The step that matters

Mixing the onions with oil, vinegar and salt. Squeezing the sliced onions with salt and acid for five minutes softens their sharp raw bite and draws out some liquid, so the onions blend evenly into the tuna instead of tasting harsh.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, wine, vinegar, pepper, lemon, lettuce, tomato):

  1. Capsicumfits better
  2. Cucumberfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, wine, vinegar, pepper, lemon, lettuce, tomato. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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