Tuna Pan Bagna

From EatingWell: July/August 1992 — Subscribe Now!

This Provencal-style sandwich literally means "bathed bread." Though you can eat them immediately after preparation, refrigerating the sandwiches for several hours lets the bread soak up all of the juicy goodness of the ingredients.

4 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 16-inch-long loaf French bread
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 6-ounce can chunk light tuna, packed in olive oil, drained, rinsed and squeezed dry, or packed in water, squeezed dry (see Note)
1 large vine-ripened tomato, seeded and chopped (see Note)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 scallions, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped pitted black olives, preferably Kalamata
1 1/2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation

Cut bread in half lengthwise. Scoop out crumbs from both halves, leaving 1/2-inch-thick shells.
Process the crumbs in a food processor or blender until finely chopped; set aside.
Whisk together lemon juice, oil and garlic in a large bowl. Stir in the reserved breadcrumbs, tuna, tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions, olives, capers and thyme; mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the breadcrumb mixture into the bottom bread shell and replace the top. Cut crosswise to serve.

Tips & Notes

Notes: Canned white tuna comes from the large albacore and can be high in mercury content. Chunk light tuna, on the other hand, which comes from smaller fish—skipjack or yellowfin—is best for health-conscious eaters. According to a recent study, canned white tuna samples averaged about 315 percent more mercury than chunk light tuna samples. (The chunk light tunas averaged 0.132 parts per million mercury content, while the white [albacore] tunas averaged 0.412 ppm.)
To quickly seed a tomato: Cut the tomato in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds with your finger while gently squeezing each half.

Nutrition

Per serving: 307 calories; 6 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 49 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 9 g fiber; 675 mg sodium; 317 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (88% daily value), Selenium (49% dv), Vitamin A (29% dv).

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 starch, 1 medium-fat meat, 1 fat