Tuna Melt Sandwich (Tuna Melt)
Tuna Melt Say it: TOO-nuh melt
A melt sandwich is the American diner classic in which a hot filling is layered with cheese between slices of buttered bread and griddled until the cheese slumps and the crust turns crisp. The tuna melt — canned tuna bound with mayonnaise, mustard, celery and pickle, then stacked with sharp cheddar on rye — is the best-loved version. It is lunch-counter food at its most satisfying: creamy inside, shatteringly crisp outside. Serve it hot from the pan, halved on the diagonal.
Tuna Melt Sandwich (Tuna Melt)
Tuna Melt
Pronounced TOO-nuh melt
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
Also nut-free.
Allergens: contains gluten, milk, egg, fish, mustard. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Tuna filling
Sandwich
Method
Drain the tuna thoroughly, pressing it against the mesh of a sieve with the back of a spoon until it is almost dry — wet tuna makes soggy bread. Flake it into a mixing bowl with a fork, breaking up any large chunks.
Add the mayonnaise, Dijon, celery, red onion, relish, lemon juice and black pepper and fold gently until evenly combined but still chunky. Taste and add salt only if it needs it, since the relish and cheese are both salty.
Butter one side of every bread slice. Lay four slices buttered-side down on a board and scatter half the cheddar over them, spreading it right to the edges. Mound about 1/2 cup (120 g) tuna filling on each, then top with the remaining cheese — cheese on both sides seals the sandwich. Close with the remaining bread, buttered side out.
Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat. Add two sandwiches, or as many as fit without crowding, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, pressing gently with a spatula, until the underside is deep golden and crisp.
Flip carefully and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, pressing again, until the second side is golden brown and the cheese has melted and begun to ooze at the edges. Lower the heat if the bread is darkening before the cheese softens.
Slide the sandwiches onto a board, rest for 1 minute so the cheese sets slightly, then cut on the diagonal and serve immediately.
Regional variant: Patty Melt
Replace the tuna filling with four thin 1/4 lb (115 g) beef patties seasoned with salt and pepper and seared about 2 minutes per side. Caramelize one sliced onion in 1 tbsp butter over low heat for 20 minutes. Build each sandwich on rye with Swiss cheese, a patty and a spoonful of onions, then griddle exactly as above.
Cook's notes
- Squeeze the tuna very dry and grate the cheese rather than slicing it; both help the sandwich crisp properly and melt evenly.
- Medium-low heat is the whole trick: the bread should brown in roughly the same time it takes the cheese to melt.
- For a diner-style flat crust, press each sandwich with a spatula or a foil-wrapped weight while it cooks.
Serve with
Potato chips, a dill pickle spear and a cold glass of iced tea or a chocolate malt, diner-style.
Make ahead and storage
The tuna filling keeps covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days; assemble and griddle the sandwiches just before serving.
