Like we did last year, Nick and I have again given up cooking meat at home for Lent. Since all Catholics know that fish isn’t meat, our omega-3 levels are rising as we incorporate more fish into our diet. But what is a meatless couple supposed to do with a jar of homemade olive salad, leftover from a Mardi Gras party? In a flash of brilliance it hit me.
Olive salad tuna melts! I ran to the shop downstairs for supplies, picking up cans of tuna, two kinds of cheese (emmenthal and mozzarella) and Poilâne bread. The beauty of using olive salad in your tuna is that you don’t even need to chop an onion, and you can use a lot less mayonnaise than usual. I made these twice last week, and I expect to see them on the regular weeknight rotation for a while. But truly, I would eat this no matter the dietary restriction, because a hot, crunchy, melty sandwich with tangy, savory bits of olive inside appeals year-round.
On this day in 2008: Fauchon, or, I May Have a Problem
Originally published on Croque-Camille.
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This sounds wonderful because, well, hello, olives, but what on earth is olive salad in a jar?
Delicious! And, yes – like Hannah, I want to know more about the olive salad – please?
Yum! Me, too, I need to know more about olive salad! Is it philistine to say that my favorite tuna melts are made with American cheese? Extra salty!
Wow, I had no idea olive salad was so esoteric! Having looked into it, I guess it’s pretty specific to New Orleans, specifically as part of a muffuletta sandwich. It’s probably based in Italian or Sicilian cuisine, though surely somewhat bastardized in coming to America.
Here’s a recipe that looks pretty good, and close to what I’ve currently got in the fridge, which was made by a friend.
Olive salad, I love this idea! I’ll try making it, I think. And one of my regrets from our last trip to Paris is not making it to Poilane (especially after reading the article about the family in the New Yorker a little while ago.) Your sandwich–bread and all–sounds divine.
Olives are truly one of life’s special joys! Thanks for passing along the recipe link!
hungry dog – I guess you’ll just have to come back.
Inger – You’re welcome!
Yumm!! I miss making/eating tartines on Poilane bread!!
Jessica – I am seriously going to miss the bread when we eventually leave France.