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A good, warm, toasty, cheesy tuna melt ranks high on our list of favorite sandwiches. There’s just something so idyllic and comforting about a creamy tuna mixture stuffed between two slices of crisp fried bread.
A good tuna melt must meet a few criteria. First, the cheese must be fully melted and oozy. Starting the tuna melt on the cheese side ensures melty goodness. Use your favorite well-melting yellow cheese; we like American, but feel free to use cheddar if that’s more your speed (we can save that debate for another day). Second, there must be an abundance of red onion and celery for crunch in every bite. I like to use equal amounts of both; a small red onion and one rib of celery usually evens out to about a heaping ⅓ cup or a scant ½ cup of each. Third, a pickle-y, briny element is necessary for both acidity and salt; try capers or pickled jalapeño. There’s no added salt called for in this recipe; instead, we rely on the seasoned pickle brine and savory mayo. Last but not least, there must be kettle chips alongside—ideally a dill pickle spear, too, but chips at the bare minimum. Dousing them with hot sauce is the way to go.
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
½ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup finely chopped dill
1 Tbsp. drained capers or chopped pickled jalapeños, plus 1 Tbsp. brine
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 7-oz. jar oil-packed tuna fillets or one and a half 5-oz. cans oil-packed tuna, drained
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
8 slices Pullman or sourdough bread
4 slices American cheese or sharp cheddar
Dill pickles, kettle-style potato chips and hot sauce; for serving
Step 1
Mix 1 small red onion, finely chopped, 1 celery stalk, finely chopped, ½ cup mayonnaise, ⅓ cup finely chopped dill, 1 Tbsp. drained capers or chopped pickled jalapeños, and 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice in a medium bowl until combined. Mix in one 7-oz. jar oil-packed tuna fillets or one and a half 5-oz. cans oil-packed tuna, drained, breaking up with a fork. Season generously with freshly ground pepper. Taste for salt and add up to 1 Tbsp. brine as needed.
Step 2
Spread 2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature, over one side of 8 slices Pullman or sourdough bread, dividing evenly. Turn slices buttered side down. Divide 4 slices American cheese or sharp cheddar among 4 slices of bread. Divide tuna mixture evenly over cheese. Close up sandwiches with remaining 4 bread slices, buttered side up.
Step 3
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium. Working in batches if needed, place sandwiches, cheese side down, in skillet and cook, turning once and pressing down with a fish spatula to ensure good contact with skillet, until bread is golden brown and crisp and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes per side (if using cheddar, cover pan after turning sandwiches to ensure cheese melts).
Step 4
Transfer sandwiches to a cutting board and slice in half. Serve with dill pickles and kettle-style potato chips doused with hot sauce.
