I’ve always loved the fleshiness of jarred artichoke hearts and the way their meat tears into petals and chunks. Just like their texture, their wonderful brininess reminds me a lot of canned tuna. Which is why it wasn’t a huge jump for me to shred them into chunks and prepare them like a tuna melt—spread on bread, smothered beneath a blanket of gooey cheese, for a lunch, dinner, or even midnight snack. To make up for the umami that tuna has, I blitzed a few sheets of toasted nori into fine powder using my coffee grinder (a tiny food processor also works), and then turned that powder into a dressing for the artichoke hearts. The powdered nori adds so much more flavor than shredded or torn bits would, because the seaweed has a chance to find its way into all the nooks and crevices of the flaked artichokes. When it comes to bread, you could pick a white sandwich loaf, sliced ciabatta, or English muffins. And while I love provolone here, you could also use any sliced or shredded cheese you have on hand. For even more creaminess, I love to add a few slices of avocado on top of the artichoke salad before I layer on my cheese.
Editor’s Note: For another tuna-inspired vegetarian sandwich—that also takes advantage of nori’s brininess—check out this chickpea version from Sarah Jampel. It would similarly welcome melty cheese on top (provolone, cheddar, Gruyère, you name it), to become gooey and blistered under the broiler. —Jerrelle Guy
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