Sicilian Tuna Melt

Sicilian Tuna Melt, Little Dom’s, Los Feliz, CA

Courtesy of Chef Brandon Boudet from Little Dom’s in Los Feliz, Los Angeles this Italian take on an American classic is sure to please.
The menu at Little Dom’s features fresh and delicious updated Italian-American fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Acclaimed Chef Brandon Boudet utilizes the best seasonal and local ingredients (much from the Hollywood Farmer’s Market) as he prepares classic favorites such as Fried Artichokes with Shrimp, Mint, Garlic and Capers; Spaghetti and Meatballs and Whitefish Piccata, as well as pizzas from the on-site wood burning oven.
Warm, red leather booths create an old-school ambiance inside the restaurant and the sidewalk tables are reminiscent of a European café. Located next door, the deli of Little Dom’s calls to mind the Italian delis of New York with a small counter serving classic Italian panini and espresso.
About the chef: Brandon Boudet was born and raised in New Orleans, where his family celebrated life with generous portions of Louisiana and Italian cooking. Boudet began experimenting in the kitchen as early as eight years old, turning out French toast and perfecting a bread pudding recipe made with the kitchen's novel new acquisition, the microwave oven! Before graduating high school, Boudet landed a job at a local Italian restaurant in the French Quarter, where he quickly began to suspect that cooking could actually be a career option and enrolled at San Francisco’s prestigious California Culinary Academy.
After working at several prestigious venues in New Orleans, New York and Los Angeles Little Dom’s is the latest restaurant to benefit from his refreshing perspective: "I believe in keeping things simple," says Boudet. "There should rarely be more than three components to a dish and it should be absolutely true to what it's supposed to be. Spaghetti and meatballs doesn't need to be reinvented or reinterpreted, just prepared with skill and integrity." Although Boudet has worked for some culinary luminaries, he ranks his two grandmothers—one a talented Louisiana home chef, the other a master of Italian cuisine — as his greatest influences.

Little Dom’s
2128 Hillhurst
Los Feliz, CA 90027
323 661 0055
littledoms

Sicilian Tuna Melt is served at Little Dom’s for $11.
This recipe makes 2 restaurant servings.

Sicilian Tuna Melt Ingredients:
2 cups of imported Italian tuna in oil, drained well
Zest of one lemon
Juice of 2 lemons
1/2 Cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed well
2 Shallots, finely chopped
2 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
2 Tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 Clove of garlic chopped fine
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
4 Slices of vine ripened tomatoes
4 Slices of Fontina cheese
1 Cup arugula
4 slices Focaccia bread

Steal This Recipe® Step by Step Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450?
Combine tuna with lemon juice and zest, capers, shallots, basil, parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, black pepper and mix until combined.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Place the tuna mixture on focaccia bread then top with Fontina cheese.
Bake for 6 minutes or until cheese melts.
Top with tomatoes and arugula and more olive oil if desired.