If you're already a fan of my Classic Tuna Salad recipe, you're going to love this next-level comfort food: the Tuna Melt. It's everything you love about tuna salad-creamy, tangy, and satisfying-but sandwiched between golden, crispy bread and melty cheese (or served open faced!).

This is a totally easy and inexpensive lunch or dinner. The nice thing is you can make the tuna salad ahead to it is ready when you are.
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Ingredients Details
- Tuna - buy cans of high quality canned chunk white albacore tuna for the best results.
- Mayonnaise - The base for a creamy tuna salad.
- Celery and Red Onion- Adds crunch and freshness. Dice it small so nobody is getting huge chunks of celery or onion. Also if your onion seems to be really strong, rinse a cut piece in cool water before dicing.
- Relish - This gives that punchy briny bite.
- Seasonings – a combo of garlic powder, onions powder, kosher salt and black pepper is all you need.
- Dijon Mustard – Just like the relish, it gives your tuna salad a tangy punch of flavor.
- Cheese - Go for a melty cheese like cheddar, American or provolone.
- Bread - Sourdough, white or wheat sandwich bread, or even a sturdy whole grain will work. For an open faced tuna melt opt for an English Muffin!
Step by Step How To Make The Recipe

Step 1
Mix your drained tuna with the tuna salad ingredients. Taste and tweak!
Step 2
Butter two pieces of bread and spoon on the tuna salad, top with a slice or two of cheese.
Step 3
Heat a skillet over medium low heat, add the sandwich, buttered side down, and grill the tuna melt, flip and continue until the sandwich is golden and the cheese is melty.

Step 4
Serve it up!
Serving Ideas
- Pair it with tomato soup for that classic diner feel.
- Serve with kettle chips for crunch.
- Add a simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette to balance the richness.
- Slice it into strips for kids or serve open-faced on an English muffin for brunch

Recipe Tips To Remember
- Use a high quality canned tuna packed in water, either a chunk white or whole white albacore tuna.
- Make sure to press all the water out of the tuna before mixing the tuna salad, this will prevent your tuna melt from getting soggy.
- Low and slow is key. You want the cheese to melt before the bread burns.
- Don't overfill the sandwich or it'll spill out everywhere. Keep it to about โ cup tuna salad per sandwich.
- If your cheese isn't melting fast enough, cover the pan with a lid for 30 seconds to trap some heat.
More Easy Sandwich Recipes

Tuna Melt Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 - 5oz cans chunk white albacore tuna - packed in water - drained really well
- โ cup mayonnaise
- ยพ cup celery - finely diced
- ยผ cup (heaping) red onion - finely diced
- ยผ cup sweet pickle relish - drained of liquid
- 1 ยฝ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ยฝ teaspoon onion powder
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- ยผ teaspoon black pepper
Assembly
- Bread or English Muffin
- Butter
- Cheddar or American Cheese Slices
Instructions
- Place the tuna in a fine mesh sieve and drain as much liquid from the tuna as possible.4 - 5oz cans chunk white albacore tuna
- In a medium size bowl combine the remaining tuna salad ingredients and stir to thoroughly combine.โ cup mayonnaise, ยพ cup celery, ยผ cup (heaping) red onion, ยผ cup sweet pickle relish, 1 ยฝ tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ยฝ teaspoon onion powder, ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt, ยผ teaspoon black pepper
- Add in the drained tuna and fold it into the mayo mixture until combined.
- Heat a skillet over medium low heat. Butter two slices of bread on one side. Scoop the tuna salad on one piece of bread (on the unbuttered side), then top with a slice or two of cheese. Top with other buttered slice of bread.
- Place in hot skillet, buttered side down. Grill until golden, flip and grill until other side is golden and the cheese is melty.
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