In 2020, author Dorie Greenspan wrote in The New York Times Magazine about a tuna salad sandwich that Julia Child once made for her, which began with canned tuna in oil.

Child started by mashing the tuna with mayo. Per Greenspan, the dish included lemon juice, vinegary cornichons for "sharpness," and finely chopped onion and celery for "crunch."

Other additions to Child’s tuna salad included salt, freshly ground white pepper, and salty capers. Notably, Child preferred store-bought Hellman's mayonnaise for her tuna salad.

Child also used soft lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and onions for the dish. Per Greenspan, she preferred Vidalia onions, which are sweeter and milder than other varieties.

In a somewhat unusual bread choice, Child liked to serve her tuna salad sandwich open faced on a toasted English muffin. The brand she preferred over others was Bays.

However, according to Greenspan, Child sometimes preferred her tuna salad on a closed sandwich, too. For her closed sandwiches, Child used store-bought Pepperidge Farm white bread.