Two California tuna sandwiches are cut in half and served on small plates with two red-checked pieces of parchment paper and a few chips.

What is a California tuna sandwich? Well, it may not be officially a thing, but when we lived in Dana Point, California, there was a little sandwich shop on PCH that had the best sandwiches. My favorite was their California tuna on a roll. I don’t even know if the shop still exists, but since I’m on the East Coast, I’ll just make it at home.

What makes this tuna sandwich different?

From memory, this tuna salad sandwich was made with really good tuna from a jar. It had chopped egg, shredded carrot, and some really delicious mayonnaise. It had to be homemade. It was spread onto a soft roll, then slices of buttery avocado were placed on top with a squeeze of lemon. Wrapped in red and white paper and sliced in half before placing it in a bag. Perfect for sharing! Don’t forget the bag of chips!

Start with the best ingredients:

Two bread rolls, two jars of tuna, two avocados, carrots, lemon, eggs, and mayonnaise are ready for assembling California tuna sandwiches.

Shredded carrots, tuna, and chopped eggs are in a bowl, ready for mixing and making tuna sandwiches.

Italian tuna in a jar
Eggs
Mayonnaise
Carrots
A perfectly ripe avocado
Lemon
Soft roll or bread

Butter the bread? Or in this case, mayonnaise.

Bread rolls are open-faced and have a few small dollops of mayonnaise on them. Sliced avocado and a bowl of mixed tuna are sitting on the countertop.

This can be a little controversial because one might question whether you need extra mayo. The answer is yes. It softens the roll, and it helps keep the sandwich together. The mayo is like the glue.

We only recently started using Duke’s Mayonnaise after we saw this article on Allrecipes. Ina Garten was among the chefs who preferred Duke’s, so now we use Duke’s Mayonnaise.

California tuna sandwiches are cut in half and served on small white plates with a sheet of red-checked parchment paper.

California tuna sandwiches are resting on a wooden cutting board. A bowl of tuna sits next to them on the kitchen counter.

Make a tuna melt with the leftovers

Two tuna melts are sliced in half, stacked on top of each other, and served on small plates covered with red-checked parchment paper.

Two tuna melts are toasted in a non-stick skillet on a gas-powered stove.

If there is one comfort meal to have after traveling abroad for weeks, I would say it’s a tuna melt. We keep a jar of tuna in the pantry, and some sourdough bread in the freezer, so we can make a tuna melt on that first night home.

When making a tuna melt, here’s how I get that perfectly even, golden crisp on each side. Melt enough butter to lightly coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet. Personally, I love using my Caraway Home frying pan. Once the butter has melted and begins to sizzle, place the sandwiches in the pan. Keep a close eye on them, adjusting the heat as needed, and cook until the first side is beautifully golden brown. Remove the sandwiches from the pan, add a bit more butter to coat the bottom again, then return them to the skillet, placing the untoasted side down. Continue cooking until both sides are crisp, the sandwich is warmed through, and the cheese has melted.