The tastiest ever bagel filling: provencal style tuna – new recipe

Okay so just to be totally honest here, I don’t know whether ‘provencal style tuna’ is really the best description of this bagel filling. It has flavours of Provence: tapenade, tuna fish, peppers … but I think it’s entirely possible that a French person could take offence to my description. But who cares? I was inspired by a bagel I had for lunch from a shop in Paris, so there are vaguely French credentials there …

So, firstly the bagel: get the good ones. I have been spoilt by the bagels I buy from the Happening Bagel Bakery in Finsbury Park (12 for £6.50), and refuse to buy the mass produced ones you get from the supermarket (although I could manage to choke down a heavily buttered cinnamon and raisin one if you insisted). You could also make your own, although I don’t recommend it, as my KitchenAid freestanding mixer has never been the same since this attempt.

Secondly, well … in fact the rest is easy. Tinned tuna (I use one which is brined rather than in oil, but do make sure it is well drained), sliced red peppers, some chopped red onion, and black olive tapenade. Now I bought my tapenade from the supermarket, but I have checked with some food blogger pals, and added their recipes to the bottom of this post in case you’d like to make your own.

So, assemblage … or ‘the recipe’, if you can even call this one:

• Slice your bagel in half.
• Spread tapenade across the bottom half (taste first – if it’s very salty, use sparingly).
• Top with tuna.
• Sprinkle with sliced red peppers and chopped red onion.
• Pop the other half of your bagel on top.
• Sit down. Eat. Enjoy.

I asked my food blogger friends for a tapenade recipes, and could only find one, so I know what to make next! Here’s Becca’s from Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.