I won’t keep you waiting. The ingredient that will take your tomato sandwiches to the next level is sunflowers seeds. I know some of you (excuse me, y’all) are clutching your pearls at that statement, but I’m not the only who thinks this. I didn’t even come up with it. This is the genius work of Turkey and the Wolf, the much beloved sandwich shop in New Orleans, and they’re truly onto something.
The Missing Ingredient
I love a plain Jane tomato sandwich, which is why I wasn’t expecting how much I would end up liking a gussied up version, too. Don’t worry the tomato is still the star, and the mayo is still spread thick, but just before closing up the sandwich, try adding a few sunflower seeds. They glue themselves to the mayo and create tiny, nutty pops of crunch throughout the sandwich.
For this pseudo-recipe, you’ll want to buy sunflower kernels (i.e. hulled sunflower seeds), unless you feel like shelling them yourself, which to me feels like far too much work for a sandwich. Planters is among several widely available brands that sell sunflower kernels at major grocery stores. Ideally, you want to buy a variety that is both roasted (for depth of flavor) and salted (because tomatoes and salt are best friends).
Credit:
William Hereford
Why It Works
Tomatoes, especially when perfectly ripe, are soft. White bread is also soft. And mayo, well that might just be the softest food of all time. The result, while delicious, is texturally a bit boring. Sunflowers seeds help break up the monotony, without adding so much flavor that it takes away from the heart of the sandwich: the tomato.
You can go full copy cat and add lemon juice, as well as fresh dill and basil to your tomato sandwich, just like Mason Hereford of Turkey and the Wolf does. But when I’m too lazy to do all that (or don’t have fresh herbs on hand), the sunflower seeds alone are enough of an upgrade to satisfy me, and probably enough to anger all of the tomato sandwich purists reading this.
