Croissants Are The Simple Secret To Tastier Tuna Sandwiches

If you're stuck on what to make for lunch, using tuna is always a good go-to. But although tuna melts and tuna salads are quick, easy options that pack in the protein, they're not necessarily the most exciting meals around. If you're looking for a fresh take on these fishy lunches, you don't need to get complicated or spend tons of time making something new. All you need to do is switch out the bread for a croissant.

Buttery, flakey, and full of melt-in-your-mouth goodness, eating a croissant is never a bad idea. But when combined with tuna-based recipes in particular, you get a special treat for your weekday desk lunch. Tuna melts typically pack in at least one rich ingredient (cheese and usually mayo), while tuna salad includes a creamy element like mayo, sour cream, or Greek yogurt. When you add in the buttery layers of a croissant, you get a divine combination that feels fancier than it really is. Plus, while traditional toast carries its signature crunch, croissants deliver a beautiful combination of soft and crispy textures — while still being sturdy enough to hold in your filling.

As any croissant consumer knows, fresh is best here, so try to pick up your pastries the day you want to use them. But if yours are a day or two old, don't stress — while they may not have the same texture that a just-baked one will, they'll be extra-sturdy companions to your filling without being as stale as regular toast. If you're making a tuna salad sandwich, cut your pastries in half so you have two separate slices. But if you want a tuna melt, cut them in half almost the whole way through, so you can fill them with gooey cheese that won't leak out.

Tuna salads with apples work beautifully in croissants, where the fruit can complement the pastries' slight sweetness, and with spruced-up recipes with fresh ingredients like red pepper, where the crunchy veggies can offset the richness of your lunch. If you're making a tuna melt, you can either mix tuna salad with shredded cheese, add it to your croissants, and warm everything up together in the oven — or you can melt cheese slices on your pastries in the oven, then add in your fishy mixture afterward. Either way, you'll end up with a deliciously elevated lunch that will make you feel like you just went to your favorite cafe.