A Supreme Homemade Tuna Melt Recipe
Yellow mustard and a scoop of Hellman’s might have gotten you this far, but get ready to spice things up with our best tuna melt recipe. You’ve probably made our reader’s favorite Shrimp Melt and Tuna Salad recipes, and already know why we think capers (and Old Bay!) make everything better. Cook up a batch of Homemade French Fries and place an order for the best tuna melt recipe you’ve ever eaten!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Canned tuna–We call for drained water-packed tuna. Draining the water helps lessen the sodium content of the composed tuna salad. Oil-packed tuna can work, but sometimes results in a soggier (and higher calories) tuna mixture. You can read more about our love for canned tuna in our What To Do With Tinned Fish article.
Crusty sourdough bread–The crustier the better, in our opinion. Slice each piece about a half inch thick to create a nice crunchy platform for the tuna melt to rest upon. You can make your own using our Sourdough Bread recipe, or pick up a fresh loaf at your favorite bakery.
Extra-sharp white cheddar–While you might picture a square of orange Kraft singles when you imagine a classic tuna melt, the best cheese for tuna melt is extra-sharp white cheddar. It complements the creaminess of tuna salad, melts perfectly, and it’s also our preferred cheddar for making Pimento Cheese.
How To Make A Tuna Melt
This easy tuna melt recipe is simple to put together, and requires a bit of light chopping and mixing. Full instructions are listed in the method section.
Make the tuna salad. It’s easy to drain canned tuna using the loosened lid of the can, just make sure you rinse the can of any debris so it doesn’t contaminate the tuna.
Griddle it. Spread one side of each slice of bread with the mayonnaise mixture (this is also how we make our Perfect Grilled Cheese) and place it face down in the skillet. We love an offset spatula for an easy spread.
Top it. Add the tuna salad to the open face side of the bread and top with the sliced cheddar. You can use a cheese plane or sharp knife to get nice, even slices.
Melt it. Cook in a skillet until golden brown, and the cheese is melted, 5-6 minutes per side.
Tips For The Ultimate Tuna Melt
Tuna Salad is a long-lasting way to prepare canned tuna. If you have leftover tuna salad after making these quick tuna melts, you can store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Once you add mayonnaise to tuna, it becomes more difficult to freeze without risking an unpleasant texture change. Best to eat it from the fridge!
You can make a tasty melt with our Chicken Salad recipe for a fun variation of this open faced tuna melt recipe.
It’s easy to sub your favorite brand of gluten free bread for this tuna melt sandwich. There’s also great vegan cheese for melting, and dairy-free butter can easily be used to adapt this quick tuna melt for those looking to cut out dairy.
More Classic Diner Sandwich Recipes
Because we all have our favorite diner sandwich, make these at home and feel like a real short-order cook:
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