A Very Good Tuna Melt
If you aren’t a fan of a tuna melt – I promise you this is not the recipe that will turn you into a believer and that’s okay! A tuna melt isn’t for everyone! But, if like me you are a slut for a crispy melty creamy tuna melt I think you should give this one a try!
What makes a good Tuna Melt?
AKA The Non-Negotiables
I believe there are three components to making the very best tuna melt:
- Toasting the bread first! This is a non-negotiable! I’m not blowing anyone’s mind by saying that tuna salad is slop. Mayonaise is playing the role of grandma holding the family together – and in this scenario, the family is a variety of other wet ingredients. If you don’t toast that bread it’s going to be a mess.
- Good quality tuna. Maybe this goes without saying, but you should get the best tuna you can in your budget – it’s the star of the show after all! I’m a fan of tuna packed in olive oil, I find the flavour and texture more enjoyable. But if water-packed is your jam or all you can find that’s absolutely fine!
- A cheese tag. What’s a cheese tag? Well when you are covering something in cheese and throwing it under the broiler for a little tanning session and some of that cheese falls off and makes a beautiful little crispy addition that’s a cheese tag! Crispy cheese is quite possibly the best food out there so I make sure the cheese tag will be present by purposely sprinkling cheese over the edge.
The Negotiables
So we’ve discussed the bare minimum for what is required of a good tuna melt, not for the still important but less crucial components.
Something Crunchy! Variety is the spice of life, and I think that is especially true when it comes to textures. I love a mash-up especially when tuna salad is typically quite soft. Some suggestions here would be apple, onion or shallot, and celery,
Something Sharp! We’re making a sandwich based on tuna and mayonnaise that is covered in cheese, you are going to want something with a little zing or bite to cut that richness! You could use pickles, capers, hot peppers, or chili flakes!
Something Fresh! For the same reason you want something sharp, you will also want something fresh! Something to brighten and lighten the decadence! Fresh dill, parsley, or lemon juice would be a great addition!
A bunch of those listed above can work double duty – the apple can be crunch and fresh, the pickles can be sharp and crunchy so you can work with what you’ve got!
Grocery List
A Very Good Tuna Melt
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Cutting Board
- Chefs Knife
- Measuring Spoons
- Fork
- Box Grater
- Toaster
- Oven
Ingredients
Tuna Melt
- 1 Can or Jar Tuna, in Oil Approximately 130g drained
- 1 Small Apple
- 1 Small Shallot
- 1 Tbsp Capers
- 6 Anchovies
- Fresh Dill
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 2-3 Tbsp Mayonaise Hellmans is preferred.
- 2 Slices Crusty Sourdough
- 1 Cup Cheese A mix is good here, Gruyere, Asiago, Cheddar and Mozzarella are all good here.
- Black Pepper From a pepper mill
Side Green Salad
- 2 Big Handfuls Spring Mix
- 1.5 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
Instructions
- Place a rack in the top third of the oven and heat the broiler to high.Divide the apple into quarters and cut away the core. Finely dice one quarter of the apple and cut the remainder into matchsticks. In a medium sized mixing bowl toss the matchsticks with the apple cider vinegar for the salad and set aside.Cut the shallot into a fine dice then roughly chop the capers and anchovies. Finely chop the dill so that you have 1/4 cup. Grate your cheeses of choice.
- Drain the tuna and add it to a medium sized bowl with the apple, shallot, capers, dill, mustard and a few twists of black pepper.Add two tablespoons of the mayonnaise and stir, it should be just holding together but not overly wet. If you find it too dry add another tablespoon of mayo. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
- Toast the bread and place on a baking sheet. Divide the tuna salad between the two slices of bread and top with the cheese making sure that some falls over the side directly onto the baking sheet.
- Transfer the tuna melts to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden. For me this was two minutes but you will want to watch it constantly. Remove from the oven and allow the cheese to firm up slightly.
- While the tuna melts cool add the spring mix to the bowl with the apple matchsticks and vinegar and toss to combine. Drizzle the oil over top, add a teeny pinch of salt and give it another toss.Divide the salad between two large plates and serve with a tuna melt each. Enjoy!
