For A Bolder Tuna Sub At Subway, Order It French-Style

Subway lets you build any sandwich you can dream up, but sometimes you just get stumped on inspiration. When you're in the mood for something new, it can be fun (and delicious) to try to copy international menu items that aren't offered in the United States. If the chain's tuna sub is your go-to, you should definitely change it up by ordering it French-style.

In the U.S., Subway's default tuna sub comes with tuna salad, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on Artisan Italian bread. But at Subway France, this classic sandwich gets a hefty upgrade. Alongside the tuna salad, there's American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and chipotle Southwest sauce, all stuffed into Parmesan Oregano Bread. 

The crunchy cucumber and cheesy, savory bread surely adds a flavor and texture boost, as does the Chipotle Southwest sauce. This creamy, tangy, and spicy condiment was actually offered at American Subways in the past, but was replaced by the very similar Baja Chipotle sauce. Tasting Table's taste tester thinks the latter is the best Subway sauce, so it definitely won't disappoint on your tuna sub.

To customize your sandwich, start by swapping the standard Italian loaf for Italian Herbs & Cheese bread, the closest thing Subway U.S. has to Parmesan Oregano Bread. While the French tuna sub doesn't list onions in the ingredients, photos of the sandwich show red onions inside, so you can keep them in if you like. Swap the provolone for American cheese, add the cucumbers and Baja Chipotle sauce, and your zesty, flavorful, French-style sub is complete.

Subway France's version of a tuna sub is tasty, but you may be disappointed that it doesn't exactly embody French flavors. With the help of some more Subway ordering tricks, you can net yourself a meal that more closely resembles a French-inspired tuna salad sandwich. Michelle McGlinn's recipe adds Dijon mustard, chopped cornichons (or pickles), shallots, garlic, and a mix of herbs to the tuna salad, puts micro-greens on top, and stuffs it inside a baguette.

To recreate this at Subway, you can keep the Artisan Italian bread on your tuna sub, but ask for it toasted to give it some crunchiness à la a baguette. Leave the cheese, tomatoes, and onions off your sub, swap the lettuce for spinach, and add pickles. Lastly, add ground oregano as a seasoning and a small squeeze each of yellow mustard and garlic aioli. Your sandwich will be simple, yet refreshing with delicious herbal, garlicky notes.

To get even fancier, why not make a Subway sandwich inspired by a colorful Niçoise salad? This French classic varies from recipe to recipe, but often includes tuna, olives, tomatoes, onions, and greens like arugula dressed in vinaigrette with Dijon mustard, olive oil, and garlic. At Subway, order your tuna sub with black olives in addition to the default veggies, and ask for oil, red wine vinegar, and a tiny bit of both mustard and aioli. It won't exactly be salad Niçoise between bread, but the flavors will be similar.