Fried Tuna Melt Pocket Sandwiches

Hey there!  You wanna see something cool?  Are you on a desktop?  Laptop?  Hoover your mouse over any of the menu items at the top of the page and read all the things that pop up.  Laugh at me all you want but I was really excited about that even though it’s not something that anybody will ever notice.  I have been trying to figure that out for months now.  Yeah…even with Google at my fingertips, I’m not super tech savvy.  You should see how much damage I can do with a TV remote.  I’m not even allowed to sit within arms reach of a remote at my parents house because I mess things up so badly – but they have like 60 remotes.  We have 3.  Ready for this?  One works the Blu-ray player and TV but not the cable.  One works the TV and the cable but not the Blu-ray.  One works the cable and TV but not the Blu-ray.  Did I say that twice?  Are you confused yet? I can just feel Lenny laughing at me while reading this and correcting everything I just wrote.  At least I know how to work Netflix.  Gotta master those life skills, ya know?

I feel like I just got super distracted.  Let’s move on to more food related topics.

Do you remember that pocket sandwich bread?  That was my inspiration for this recipe. I don’t know why that bread made sandwiches a thousand times better, but it did.  The only way I could make my recipe better than the gluten-filled pocket sandwiches I used to eat was to cook the bread in duck fat.  So that’s what I did.

I feel like I have too many fried foods on my blog.  Frying is my favorite way to cook but I understand a lot of people probably don’t like getting splattered with hot oil on a regular basis. This recipe is totally worth the oil splatters though.  The bread turns out super chewy and soft on the inside and has a crispy golden crust with a super rich flavor.  Try it.  Invest in a splatter guard and fry away.

Fried Tuna Melt Pocket Sandwiches

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 4 mins
• Total Time: 24 mins
• Yield: 3 Sandwiches

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Ingredients

• one 5 oz can of tuna (packed in water)
• 2 Tbsp mayo*
• 1 Tbsp relish or chopped pickles
• 2 C tapioca starch, plus extra for dusting
• 1 C almond flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-2 Tbsp water
• 4-5 strips cooked bacon
• 3 Tbsp sauerkraut
• 3 Tbsp dairy or non-dairy cheese (optional)
• 3/4 C cooking fat of choice, I used duck fat

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Instructions

1. Drain excess water from tuna and use a fork to mash with mayo and relish. Set aside.
2. Stir together the tapioca starch, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Dent the center of the mixture and add the eggs. Mix with a fork or biscuit cutter until the dough begins to stick together in small pieces. At this point, knead the dough with your hands, adding water as necessary. Only add a very small amount of water at a time. You need less than you think. The dough should form into a smooth ball.
3. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with tapioca starch. Roll the dough out into a 1/4 inch thick square. It should be about 12×12 inches.
4. Using a plastic spatula, make two cuts across the square resulting in three even rectangles.
5. Spoon 1/3 of the tuna mixture onto half of each rectangle without covering up the edges.
6. Evenly divide the bacon, sauerkraut, and cheese to place on top of the tuna.
7. Dust the plastic spatula with more tapioca starch. Gently lift the other side of the dough up and fold over the tuna side. Seal the edges of the dough by pressing down with your fingers. You can trim down the edges with the spatula if it looks like you have too much or uneven crust.
8. Melt the fat in a medium skillet over medium heat.
9. Once the fat is hot, place the sandwiches into the skillet and cook for 1-2 minutes per side. They should turn golden brown in color.
10. Place the sandwiches on a paper towel lined plate to soak up extra fat and cool a little.
11. Serve once the sandwiches are cool enough to handle.

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Notes

*You can use my mayo recipe but now I personally prefer using Primal Kitchen Mayo.