José Andrés Favorite Childhood Sandwich Reinvents The Omelet

When you think about your favorite sandwich, perhaps you think of a BEC, a turkey club, a BLT, or a tasty Reuben. For chef José Andrés, the ultimate sandwich is a nostalgic creation that his father used to make for him when he was a child: an omelet sandwich.

There are variations of the omelet sandwich across the world. The Indian omelet 'railway' sandwich sees a thin layer of cooked egg spiced with chili and ground spices served between white bread or pav. South Korean 'street toast' consists of a vegetable omelet served in white bread sprinkled with sugar along with ham, cheese, ketchup, and mayo. Spanish omelet (tortilla Española) is laden with tender potatoes and often served in a sweet baguette as a breakfast bocadillo.

But Andrés goes for a different style of serving, combining his omelet filling with other punchy ingredients such as tuna, tomato, and furikake to create an intensely flavorful meal. He nostalgically describes the delicious-looking but somewhat messy-to-eat result as the "most beautiful and tasty thing" he's ever eaten (via YouTube).

While you might expect a Michelin-starred chef to pick fancy bread for the perfect sandwich, José Andrés opts for regular white sliced, which he smothers in creamy mayonnaise. He then tops it with a simple egg omelet, tomato sauce, and pieces of good-quality canned tuna belly. But the finishing touch, which really elevates the sandwich, is a sprinkling of the Japanese seasoning furikake.

The savory condiment furikake is usually used on rice, fish, or vegetable dishes in Japanese cuisine. With highly flavorsome ingredients – such as dried nori seaweed, dried fish, herbs, and toasted sesame seeds — it adds extra crunch as well as boosts the taste. While it's possible to make your own, Andrés uses a ready-made store-bought blend for his dish, making it an easy way to ramp up the flavor.

Andrés doesn't even slice his sandwich to serve it; he just dives straight into the joyous, dripping snack. But while his creation is incredibly simple, it could easily be taken to the next level by trying a different style of omelet in the filling. And luckily, the Spanish chef is full of tasty tips to do just that.

Chef and humanitarian José Andrés loves an omelet, and he has lots of tricks and shortcuts to make the egg dish as simple yet tasty as possible. Perhaps easiest of all is his microwaved omelet, which is ready in mere minutes with minimal effort. It just requires an egg to be whisked in a microwavable container with a hefty dollop of mayonnaise to produce a creamy mixture before it's cooked in the microwave for around a minute. The silky smooth, still-gooey omelet produced by this method would be perfect for a quick morning sandwich in no time at all. 

While a classic tortilla Española is made with fresh potatoes and takes time to prepare and cook, Andrés has a tip for making a quicker, easier version of this Spanish omelet dish, too. He uses olive oil-fried potato chips in place of the potatoes, crushing them into beaten eggs, so they absorb much of the liquid. Then he adds more egg before cooking it in a saute pan on both sides.

If you wanted to make a sandwich with this style of homemade potato chip omelet, which would be great served with fresh crusty bread, you could even include some Manchego cheese or salty jamón for a final Spanish flourish and extra-savory flavors. Try adding some garlicky allioli (the Spanish version of aioli) for even more of a tasty boost.