Recipe Ancestor
← Go back
Tuna Melt
Tuna Melt

Cooking now

Tuna Melt

Online recipe · as published / commonly shared

Servings: 2 servings · Yield: Makes 2 open-faced or closed sandwiches · Prep 5 min · Cook 10 min · Total 15 min

We wrote this recipe in the Joy of Cooking style. Every amount, time and step comes from the source's recipe card.

Tuna salad and melted cheese on toasted bread. The card gives open-faced and closed versions.

In a small mixing bowl, combine:

1 (5-ounce; 142 g) canned oil- or water-packed tuna, drained well

1/2 cup (120 g) Hellmann's mayonnaise (see note)

2 tablespoons (10 g) panko bread crumbs (optional; see note)

With a fork or stiff rubber spatula, stir and mash vigorously until well-combined and almost no tuna flakes remain. Season with:

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For Open-Faced Sandwiches

Position the oven rack about 6 inches from the broiler element, and preheat the broiler. You need:

2 (1-inch-thick) slices (for open-faced) or 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices (for closed sandwiches) white sandwich bread

With a pastry brush, lightly but evenly brush both sides of each bread slice with:

Vegetable oil, clarified butter, and/or melted butter, for brushing the bread

In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet or on a griddle, toast the bread over medium heat. Toast the first side until nicely browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Press gently with a cooking weight or spatula while toasting for even browning.

Flip the bread and lay one slice of cheese on top of each bread slice:

4 slices Cheddar or American cheese

Mound the tuna salad on the cheese in an even layer. Top each with the remaining 2 cheese slices. Cook until the bottom of the bread is well toasted. Transfer to a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is well melted, about 1 minute. Serve.

For Closed Sandwiches

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). With a pastry brush, lightly but evenly brush both sides of each slice of bread. Brush with oil, clarified butter, or melted butter. In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet or on a griddle, toast the bread over medium heat. Toast the first side until nicely browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Press gently with a cooking weight or spatula while toasting for even browning.

Flip the bread and lay one slice of cheese on top of each bread slice. Mound the tuna salad on 2 of the bread slices in an even layer. Close the sandwiches, cheese side down. Cook until the bottom is well toasted. Press gently with cooking weights or a spatula for even browning.

Flip and cook until the second side is well toasted. If the cheese is not melted enough, transfer to a baking sheet. Heat in the oven until well melted, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Citations

Cookbook ancestor

Affiliate: buy the book

Reference: Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer (1931). Publisher: Scribner, 2019 edition, hardcover, ISBN 978-1501169717.

We put this together for personal use. See the citations. This is not a cookbook reprint.