Tuna Toast

Tha-thon tha-thon thon thon.....

Ok, I couldn't resist spoofing The Thong Song- many apologizes. As you can probably tell by the title of my blog, I love my thon. That's tuna in French. Canned, raw, broiled, grilled, sandwiched, pasta'd, pizza'd, cracker'd, salad'd or spread on toast (Tuna Toast!), it's one of my all-time favorite foods.

I think my love affair with tuna started with the gorgeously bubbling and panko-topped tuna casserole that my dad would make for me as a kid. It continued with mom's tuna sandwiches and tuna macaroni salads during the summer. In Japan, I was thrilled to find tuna tomato spaghetti at Caprichosa and ordered it every single time I'd go to any of their multiple locations. For a chain restaurant, they had amazing pasta dishes and pizzas. Bakeries in Tokyo carried beautiful "tsuna pan"- golden, buttery rolls with flaked tuna and Kewpie mayonnised baked right on top. Last summer in Nice, every single pizza I ate was topped with tuna and I couldn't have been happier. Yes, I love the little fishy.

When I spotted a recipe and photo for Bouchons Au Thon on Oswego Tea (by way of Orangette) I knew I HAD to try them. These cute litte wrinkly bouchons were a simple combination of tuna, crème fraîche, tomato paste, gruyère cheese, eggs, onion and parsley. What on earth could sound any better to my tuna-loving ears?!?!

Mixing in the onions and parsley

Ready for the oven

Warm and browned...


What did my tuna loving taste buds think of this creation? Oh, it was love at first creamy, flavorful and tuna-filled bite. Not quite a quiche and not as eggy as frittata, the slightly dense yet surprisingly light bouchon paired perfectly with slices of crusty baguette, a spring salad and a glass of crisp sauvignon blanc.


The salad was made with yet another purchase from last week's Farmer's Market- beautiful golden beets. After wrapping them individually in foil and baking for 40 minutes, they came out tender, earthy and sweet. My husband is as crazy about beets as I am about tuna so we sat and ate giddily as our cat looked on, probably wishing she could have a little bouchon of her own.

A very balanced photo....er...dinner

Cooking,Tuna dishes