Julia Child Made Tuna Fish Sandwiches On An Uncommon Bread Option

Julia Child may have been known for her love of French cooking, but if there's one comfort food she turned to on a regular basis, it was the humble tuna fish sandwich. Her version had cornichons, briny capers, and bright lemon juice, along with crisp onion and celery. As far as dressing went, Child couldn't hide her love for the iconic Hellman's mayonnaise brand, and she preferred her tuna fish served with lettuce, tomato, and occasionally, more onion. And if she was making them open-faced, she'd do so on English muffins. Child also didn't make her own English muffins, either; she preferred Bay's brand, specifically.

The choice of English muffin is an interesting one, because it's not a bread you see utilized often these days, aside from recipes like breakfast sandwiches or English muffin pizza, one of the many old-school dinners '80s kids survived on week after week. Though it may admittedly take some finessing to figure out the simple hack to split an English muffin, trust Julia Child: English muffins ultimately make a fine tuna fish sandwich. In fact, if there's anyone you can trust when it comes to a reliable tuna salad sandwich, it's probably Julia Child.

Child was clearly onto something, because as we've discovered, the chewiness and heartiness of English muffins hold up well to other fillings. Even burgers, if you can believe it. It took us a while to come around to this, but toasted English muffins make a decent burger bun: The muffin's nooks and crannies in the muffins actually trap the condiments well, preventing any dreaded leakage. The thickness of the muffins also holds the burger together without overwhelming the beef, and if given the option, you can easily swap in a sourdough version to give your bread some tanginess and lift up the entire experience.

So if you're getting bored of your usual sandwich game, it might be a good time to tinker around with your bread choice. As much as we've cemented the association in our minds, English muffins aren't only a breakfast item. You can use them for many of your favorite things; think like Julia Child and use them for your open-faced tuna salad sandwiches or be creative. You might just come up with the next best thing.