Bocadillo Vegetal de Barra Madrileña

Bocadillo vegetal de barra madrileña belongs to the everyday bar counter more than to a feast day: a split piece of barra, crisp lettuce, ripe tomato, hard-boiled egg, well-drained tuna, and mayonnaise. Vegetal sounds meatless, yes. Then the tuna arrives. Spain has a sense of humor when it names lunch.

What makes it work is not cleverness. It is dryness and order. Drain the tuna until it no longer leaks oil, salt the tomato lightly, and put the lettuce against the bread as a little shield. If you spread wet tomato straight onto soft crumb and then add oily tuna, you don't have a bocadillo, you have a napkin problem.

If you're far from a Madrid bakery, use a small crusty baguette or a Portuguese-style roll with a firm crust and open crumb. A soft sandwich roll goes sweet and limp under the mayonnaise. Use good tinned tuna in olive oil if you can, escurrido, drained well, and ripe tomato only if it tastes of something. Pésalo, no lo adivines. This is a quick meal, but it still deserves exact hands. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.