Humble tuna salad gets a glamorous upgrade and a trip to Italy in my special date night Italian Tuna and Mozzarella Focaccia. Sundried tomatoes, capers, basil, and lots of lemon make this an elegant spin on the classic. Served with mozzarella on focaccia and you have a special no cook date night at home!
Italian Tuna and Mozzarella Focaccia
It’s my lucky day here on the blog because I get to make and share one of my all-time favorite things: tuna salad. I am a huge fan of the tuna melt. It’s my all-time favorite comfort food, a go-to when I need a meal that feels like a hug.
But I also love a tuna sandwich made at home because I know the secrets to great tuna salad. My college roommate, Kate, used to make the most amazing tuna salad, and she taught me her secret: lemon, not mayo. She always went hard on the lemon juice and used just a tiny bit of mayo to act as a binder. Her other secrets were garlic salt and carrots, which give her tuna salad its own unique flavor and texture.
When I was thinking about creating a no-cook date night, I breathed a sigh of relief—it was finally time to share Kate’s tuna salad secrets with you! The version I make keeps all of her signature touches but takes the tuna in a decidedly Italian direction. Sun-dried tomatoes, capers, basil, and Italian seasoning make this tuna salad feel fresh and flavorful. I like to serve it on focaccia with slices of mozzarella and peppery arugula. The result is a delicious sandwich that eats like a meal.
I think it’s those twists on classic tuna that make this one feel special enough for date night. They almost make humble tuna feel glamorous, but the comfort-food element is still there to keep things cozy. I also love that you can make the tuna salad in advance and never have to turn on the stove.
I can’t wait for you to try my ode to Kate and her tuna salad philosophy. I’m giving humble tuna salad the ultimate glow-up here, and your date night is the perfect occasion to let it shine.
Italian Tuna and Mozzarella Focaccia
Ingredients
Method
- Drain the tuna. Then break it up into small chunks in a small bowl. Add the sundried tomatoes, capers, carrots, and basil. Then add in the lemon juice, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and whole grain mustard. Give it a mix to combine everything. Then add in the mayonnaise, starting with 1 Tbsp at a time. Mix is and then add more if necessary. You're looking for a consistency here where the mayo acts as a binder but doesn't make the tuna salad too creamy. It should still look relatively dry, but hold together.
- Slice the focaccia and open it. Spread the tuna salad on the bottom of the focaccia. Then add slices of mozzarella on top to cover the tuna. Then add a handful of arugula. Close the sandwich and slice. Enjoy!
Hosting Tips
- The tuna salad in this case does look a bit dry. That’s intentional. The mayo here is only being used to bind the tuna together, but it’s not enough to make it creamy. It’s delicious this way because of the extra lemon in the salad.
- I like pre-sliced mozzarella here rather than fresh. The fresh tends to be a bit watery, which creates an overall texture that’s extra soft.
- When serving this on date night, feel free to make the tuna in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Then when it’s dinner time, just assemble the sandwiches and serve.
- A fresh store-bought focaccia works really well here, but you could substitute ciabatta or sourdough. I love tuna on rye, but don’t tend to use it with this sandwich as the caraway seed tends to overpower the Italian flavors.
Keeping the Heat in Your Relationship, Not in the Kitchen
When it’s hot outside, the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove and make it hot in the kitchen. That’s why my No Cook Date Night Menu is perfect for the beginning of September, when you’re ready for Fall flavors but it’s still hot outside. This tuna sandwich is perfect for that because it’s hearty enough to serve for dinner with no heat required. It’s especially perfect with the Fall flavors of my September Freeze cocktail, which is a frozen apple cider white wine cocktail.
I like to serve this Italian tuna sandwich with my whipped ricotta, arugula, and grape salad. But it would go really well with my Crispy Chickpea and Couscous Salad with Feta Dressing. Or try a heartier grain salad with my Roasted Broccoli, Chicken, and Cheddar Farro Salad. If you’re looking to keep Date Night especially carefree, definitely try my Simple Arugula Salad with Lemon Parmesan Vinaigrette. That would be a perfect pairing with the Italian tuna.
When Kate started showing me the way she made her delicious tuna salad, I felt like the doors had been blown wide open on tuna as I knew it. It was a reinvention in all the smartest ways, and I love this version that brings Italian flavors to the party as well. You’ll never look at tuna the same way again!
