Piquillo Peppers stuffed w/Artichokes, Tuna & Egg Salad

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Everyone loves tuna salad right? My sister-in-law can’t get enough. If there’s a tuna salad sandwich on the menu, therapist you know she’s probably going to order it. Even my notoriously picky college roommate likes tuna, and she hates everything, including all kinds of fish. (I know…I simply cannot explain it.)

While traditional tuna salad is delicious, I know everyone’s got their favorite recipe. Some people like onions, celery and mayo. Others prefer yellow mustard and relish. I even know someone who uses cream cheese, but I think that’s plain weird. My favorite is mayo-less and usually involves red onions and roasted peppers, but sometimes I add eggs. This is how the Spaniards do it, and they do their tuna right.

This time, I made a simple salad of imported Spanish tuna, packed in tomato sauce, mixed with artichoke hearts, thinly sliced red onion and hard-boiled eggs. Stuff everything into a grilled piquillo pepper and you’ve got a pretty fancy-looking lunch or snack in under 15 minutes. These would also make a pretty little appetizer on a small handful of greens. Even better, skip the stuffing part and squash everything inside a crusty baguette for a truly delicious sandwich.

So, what’s your favorite tuna salad recipe? Do you eat it in a sandwich? On crackers? Straight from the mixing bowl?

Piquillo Peppers stuffed w/Artichokes, Tuna & Egg Salad
Serve these as an appetizer on a handful of greens, drizzled with a little olive oil, on a salad for lunch, or in a crusty baguette for a sandwich very much like a french pan bagnat.

4 oz. can imported Spanish tuna in tomato sauce (or same amount of tuna packed in olive oil)
3 - 4 artichoke hearts, sliced
2 thin slices of red onion
2 hard-boiled eggs
6 piquillo peppers (I like these, or use other small roasted red peppers)
pinch coarse salt

Place the tuna, artichoke hearts, red onion and eggs in a bowl. Using a fork, mash everything together until well-combined, but still chunky.

Carefully stuff the peppers with the tuna salad, slowly filling them until they’re almost overflowing. Really small spoons work well hear (coffee spoon, sundae spoon, etc.).

Place each pepper on a plate as you go, then sprinkle with salt when you’re done.