Old Time Favorites...Tuna Melts!

Recently I ordered a tuna melt when I saw it on a menu. I hadn't had tuna melts in years. It was pretty good but I thought I could improve it, and so I did. These were a huge hit when I served them.

I made a simple basic tuna salad using a diced onion and some diced celery.


I added both tuna in oil and tuna in water. I made 6 large melts and used 4 cans of tuna. You can adjust this depending on how many you want to make.


I like to mix the tuna together with the celery and onions with my fingers to get it to a uniform consistency.


Add just enough mayonnaise to hold it together. I used about 1/3 cup. Add 1 tsp. of salt and 1 tsp. of pepper.


Add 1 tsp. of red wine vinegar. Mix the salad to combine.


I used Russian corn rye as my base. Mound several scoops of tuna salad on each piece of bread.

It was pointed out in the comments and I think I should add this info:
I always add the tuna salad when it is very cold so that even after the cheese is melted, the tuna is still cold. Hot tuna is not something I like very much!


Top with some pickle slices. These are my new favorites and I am a pickle connoisseur! They are organic sandwich slices from Trader Joe's.


Before I made the salad, I sliced some tomatoes and sprinkled them with sea salt. I sat them on paper towels to let some of their juices drain. Then I placed them on top of the pickles.


I topped each melt with a couple slices of Lorraine Swiss and sprinkled them with celery salt. (Note to no knead bread bakers: Put some cheese on a slice of no knead bread, sprinkle it with celery salt and broil...major yum!)


An updated version of an old classic!


Comments

Freckles said…
I know what's for lunch now! I love tuna melts and now I have a new recipe to try.
Diane said…
Mmmmmm they sound yummy. Diane
I like this so much better than the traditional tuna melt. Perfect for this awful hot weather. You know I'll be making mine with No Knead Bread, there is no other.
Anonymous said…
I have tried the no knead bread recipe, its great,, I've never had a tuna melt,, just not sure if tuna salad warm would be to my liking,,
looks great...and those pickles...i am going to get those...john and i love pickles too


all looks YUM-000000

kary and l'il teddy
Anonymous said…
I do something similar every now and again but I have never even thought of making the tuna salad cold before melting the cheese.

I do like warm tuna but this I must try because I like cold tuna even better :-)

Have a great day!
Christer.
Wizardess said…
These look great! Don't you love Trader Joe's? Between it & Wegman's I am set for lovely ingredients.
brokenteepee said…
Awwww, you made me think of my mother. She made these all the time
SharleneT said…
Doggone it, I just had lunch and, you guessed it, tuna! Was craving it, all morning. Well, will just have to do this, later in the week. I also make a bake tuna melt that is fantastic. Will do it in the solar oven for a demo, probably.
Guillaume said…
Tuna melts are niiiiice! Good idea about the pickle.
Suzie said…
These look SO good! And the temps dropped into the 50's today (from 98 yesterday), so it is the perfect comfort food!

I had a chuckle though, when you said that you thought that you could improve on the restaurant version. .THAT is a given! You always make any dish better than anyone could find anywhere, even the most exclusive gourmet restaurant!
Sharon Day said…
This is one time I regret being vegetarian! Mock Tuna Salad with garbanzo beans--just not the same! I think I need to take a day off from the meat-less world.
Rosemary said…
You have elevated tuna melts( a fav) to a whole new level.....