This José Andrés Snack Favorite Takes Egg Sandwiches To Another Level
World-renowned chef José Andrés may have 31 restaurants and two Michelin stars, but like any other chef, his skills began to develop in his home kitchen. Before attending a culinary and hospitality school and training in a Michelin-star restaurant, Andrés started learning cooking skills from his parents. He also learned how to snack like a pro at home, recently sharing some of his favorite childhood snacks in a First We Feast video. A highlight of these snacks was an extra-flavorful egg sandwich that his mother and father would make for him.
Jose Andrés' passion for cooking extends to even the most easily assembled bites. This snackable sandwich starts with white sandwich bread and an egg cooked in the style of a simple omelet. He then makes the sandwich his own with a variety of full-bodied ingredients: fried tomato sauce, canned tuna, furikake, and mayonnaise. It's an uncommon combination of ingredients that takes an egg sandwich to flavorful new heights. "This messy imperfection was the most beautiful and tasty thing I've ever eaten," Andrés recounts in the video.
The sandwich blends cultures and flavors
An irreplaceable element of the egg sandwich is canned tuna fish. Some may see canned foods as cheap and low-quality in America, but they take on a whole new meaning in Spain. José Andrés emphasizes the importance of canned foods in Spanish cuisine and culture: "The can way of life in Spain is huge." Canned and jarred foods known as Spanish conserva are regarded for their high-quality ingredients and delicious flavors. Along with many canned oysters, fish, and mussels seasoned with herbs and floating in olive oils and other sauces, you can find some amazing tuna conserva in Spain. Conserva is so good, it is one of the Spanish tapas you need to try before you die.
Andrés also includes two Japanese ingredients in the sandwich: Kewpie mayonnaise and furikake. Kewpie mayo is so flavorful because it uses egg yolks and a blend of rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, and distilled vinegar. The copious amount of mayo Andrés spreads on the sandwich bridges any gaps in flavor from the tuna and egg, plus, it makes the sandwich so creamy. Lastly, furikake — a blend of seaweed, sesame seeds, and dried fish flakes — is Andrés' seasoning of pick for this egg sandwich. Furikake is often eaten with rice as well as with proteins like egg and fish. It harmonizes with the tuna and takes the egg sandwich to another level of umami.