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If you love my famous Tuna Salad recipe (with over 2,400 glowing 5-star reviews), get ready to take things to the next level with the ultimate Tuna Melt. Just add melty cheese, juicy tomatoes, and golden brown, buttery grilled bread.
Megganโs notes
Some recipes are simply perfect as they are and there is simply no need for endless reinvention. Tuna Melts fall into that category, and I wanted to make one that tastes exactly the way I dreamed it should.
To craft the ultimate melt-in-your mouth Tuna Melt, I started with my wildly popular Tuna Salad recipe (now with over 2,400 5-star reviews). I love sweet pickle relish in mine, but you can swap in dill relish or minced dill pickles for a tangier twist. From there, add a layer of melty cheese (you canโt have a melt without melty cheese!), and layer of juicy tomato slices, if thatโs your thing.
Sandwich it all between two slices of buttery-grilled bread. Every bite is wholesome, satisfying, and hearty. When hunger strikes, this is a quick go-to sandwich to keep in your back pocket. Youโll be glad you did!
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Tuna:ย I prefer tuna packed in water with a dolphin-safe label. Or, substitute oil-packed tuna (feel free to decrease the amount of mayonnaise if you do).
- Mayonnaise:ย This recipe is heavy on the mayonnaise. Start with ยผ cup if you prefer and add more to taste. I love Hellmanโs, Dukeโs, and Best Foods, but any brand will work. (Just skip Miracle Whip or other mayo-style dressings.)
- Relish:ย I like sweet pickle relish, but you can substitute dill relish or minced dill pickles if you prefer that flavor.
- Butter:ย Youโll want at least one teaspoon of butter per slice of bread to get the buttery, golden brown flavor and texture, and you can use more if you want to.
- Cheese:ย Use any sliced melting cheese that you like, such as American cheese, Monterey Jack, Provolone, or Colby Jack.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, lemon juice, and garlic.ย Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ยฝ teaspoons salt and ยผ teaspoon pepper).
- Spread 1 teaspoon butter on one side of each of the slices of bread. Working with one sandwich at a time, or assembling all the sandwiches simultaneously, place a slice of bread butter-side down. Top with ยฝ cup tuna salad, 2 tomato slices, and 1 slice of cheese. Add the top bread slices, butter-side up.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add a sandwich. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the sandwich and continue cooking until browned on the second side. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield:ย This recipe makes 6 Tuna Melt sandwiches with 2 slices of bread and ยฝ cup tuna salad per sandwich.
- Storage:ย Leftover sandwiches do not refrigerate well, but leftover tuna salad can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Some separation may occur, so stir the tuna before using.
- Hungry for a panini? Use one of my favorite panini presses to create a restaurant-quality, gourmet tuna melt at home. My go-to is the Cuisinart Griddler Elite ($244.99 at Amazon) because the grill plates have two sides, so you can have either smooth plates or plates with ridges (or one of each) depending on what youโre trying to do.
- Tuna pasta salad:ย Make a tasty tuna pasta salad by adding cooked macaroni, rotini, or your other favorite small pasta.
- Stuffed tomatoes:ย Hollow out juicy tomatoes and fill them with tuna salad for an old-fashioned and super-delicious lunch entrรฉe.
- Ahi Tuna Salad:ย Is the Ahi tuna looking fabulous at the fish market, or have you got an extra bit ofย Ahi tunaย from last nightโs dinner? Splurge and make tuna salad with it. Cook it through, then flake it up in this recipe.
- Healthy swap: If you want to cut down on calories (or are not a fan of mayo), swap in an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt.
- More deli salads:ย If you love the tuna salad in this tuna melt, you might also love myย Chicken Salad,ย Egg Salad,ย Ham Salad,ย classic Potato Salad, and my favoriteย Macaroni Salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of mayonnaise, you can make tuna salad dressing with plain yogurt or whipped silken tofu. You can also addย lemon vinaigretteย (ยผ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp. lemon juice, ยผ teaspoon Dijon mustard, fresh herbs like dill, parsley, or chives, and salt and pepper to taste).
Yes, oil-packed tuna tastes great in tuna salad (feel free to decrease the amount of mayonnaise if you do).
The most common choice is cheddar cheese, and thatโs what I prefer as well. But you can use any sliced melting cheese that you have on hand, such as American, Monterey Jack, Provolone, or Colby Jack.
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Tuna Melt
Ingredientsย
- 4 (5-ounce) cans tuna packed in water drained, or 4 (2.6 oz) packets (see note 1)
- 1 cup mayonnaise or less to taste (see note 2)
- 1/3 cup celery finely chopped (about 1 rib)
- 2 tablespoons red onion minced, about 2 small slices
- 2 tablespoon sweet pickle relish (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter softened, or more to taste (see note 4)
- 12 slices high-quality sandwich bread or other sturdy bread
- 2 large tomatoes thinly sliced
- 6 slices cheddar cheese or other cheese (see note 5)
Instructionsย
- In a medium bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, celery, onion, relish, lemon juice, and garlic.ย Season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ยฝ teaspoons salt and ยผ teaspoon pepper).
- Spread 1 teaspoon butter on one side of each of the slices of bread. Working with one sandwich at a time, or assembling all the sandwiches simultaneously, place a slice of bread butter-side down.
- Top with ยฝ cup tuna salad, 2 tomato slices, and 1 slice of cheese. Add the top bread slices, butter-side up.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add a sandwich. Cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 3 to 5 minutes. Flip the sandwich and continue cooking until browned on the second side. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Tuna: I prefer tuna packed in water with a dolphin-safe label. Or, substitute oil-packed tuna (feel free to decrease the amount of mayonnaise if you do).
- Mayonnaise: This recipe is heavy on the mayonnaise. Start with ยผ cup if you prefer and add more to taste.
- Relish: I like sweet pickle relish, but you can substitute dill relish or minced dill pickles if you prefer that flavor.
- Butter: Youโll want at least one teaspoon of butter per each slice of bread to get the buttery, golden brown flavor and texture, and you can use more if you want to.
- Cheese: Use any sliced melting cheese that you like such as American cheese, Monterey Jack, Provolone, or Colby Jack.
- Yield: This recipe makes 6 Tuna Melt sandwiches with 2 slices of bread and ยฝ cup tuna salad per sandwich.
- Storage: Leftover sandwiches do not refrigerate well, but leftover tuna salad can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Some separation may occur, so stir the tuna before using.ย