In the cage match of bread versus crackers, crackers win every time. Crackers have crunch. Crackers last for weeks in the pantry. Crackers come in every flavor and seed combination you can think of. They’re sort of juvenile, I guess sometimes when I pack them in my lunch, an alternate reality flashes before my eyes: I’m a parent! I have a kid! I’m making her lunch and rushing her off to school! What’s happening? But no, the kid is me. I’m the one eating crackers for lunch.
So fine, cracker lunches are simple. But they’re also kind of sophisticated. When you pack some crackers along with a jar of some sort of salad, lunch has a little ceremony to it. Crackers on a plate, spoon in the jar, making little bites. It’s like eating hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party.
Ingredients
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 (7-ounce) jar tuna packed in olive oil, drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained, or 1¾ cups drained White Beans with Garlic, Thyme, and Red Pepper Flakes
- 3 tablespoons Roasted Garlic–Herb Sauce
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Crackers, for serving
- Combine the shallot and lemon juice in a large bowl and let them hang out together for 5 minutes or so (this tames the bite of the shallot a bit).
- Add the tuna, beans, and herb sauce and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper (I like a good amount of black pepper here). Eat with crackers.