Tuna Melt
A crisp, buttery tuna melt with tangy tuna salad, crunchy pickles and celery, and melted sharp cheddar, cooked in one skillet in 20 minutes.
50% of it needs you at the counter
- Hands-on
- 10 min
- Cooking
- 10 min
- Serves
- 2
- Calories
- 800
- Protein
- 47 g
- Per serving
- $3.11
Why this recipe works
The tuna melt is a diner classic that's easy to get wrong: watery filling, pale bread, cold cheese. Squeezing the tuna dry and cooking the sandwich low and covered fixes all three.
- Pressing the tuna until it's truly dry is the difference between a melt and a soggy sandwich, because wet tuna steams the bread from inside.
- Chopped dill pickles and celery add crunch and acidity that cut through the cheese and mayonnaise.
- Cheese on both sides of the filling melts into layers that glue the sandwich together and hold the tuna in place.
Ingredients
For the tuna salad
For the sandwiches
You will need
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Large nonstick or cast-iron skillet with a lid
- Wide spatula
Method
Tap a step number to mark it done.
Dry the tuna
Drain the tuna, then press it firmly in a fine sieve, or squeeze it in a clean kitchen towel, until no more liquid comes out.
Mix the tuna salad
In a bowl, flake the tuna and stir in the mayonnaise, pickles, celery, onion, mustard, lemon juice and a few grinds of pepper. Taste: it should be tangy and well seasoned.
Assemble
Butter one side of each bread slice. Turn two slices butter side down, scatter on half the cheese, spread on the tuna salad, add the rest of the cheese and top with the remaining slices, butter side up.
Cook low and covered
Cook in a large skillet over medium-low, covered, until the bottoms are deep golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip, press gently and cook uncovered until the second side is crisp and the cheese has melted, 3 to 4 minutes more. Cut in half.
Cook's notes
- The tuna salad keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Build and cook the sandwiches just before eating.
- For an open-faced melt, toast the bread, top it with tuna salad and cheese, and broil on a sheet pan until bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Tomato is a classic addition: salt the slices, pat them dry and layer them over the tuna before the second layer of cheese.
Nutrition per serving
800 calories
$3.11 estimated cost per serving
Where the calories come from
| Protein | 23% of calories | 47 g |
|---|---|---|
| Carbs | 15% of calories | 31 g |
| Fat | 61% of calories | 55 g |
| Fiber | 2 g | |
| Sodium | 1370 mg |
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients and amounts; not lab-tested. Cost estimated from average US retail prices.
Questions people ask
What makes a good tuna melt?
Dry, well-seasoned tuna salad with some crunch, cheese melted all the way through, and bread that is golden and crisp rather than greasy.
What are common mistakes when making a tuna melt?
Not draining the tuna well, which makes the sandwich soggy, and cooking over high heat, which burns the bread before the cheese melts.
What kind of cheese is best for a tuna melt?
Sharp cheddar is the classic. Swiss, Monterey Jack and American also melt well, alone or mixed.
