Name: Tuna Melt
Cook time: 25 minutes
Total time: 45 minutes
Yield: Makes 4
Ingredients: ½ medium onion, thinly sliced; 1 cup seasoned rice vinegar; 2 (5-oz.) cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained; ¼ cup mayonnaise, plus more for spreading; 2 Tbsp. chopped celery; 1 Tbsp. chopped dill pickles; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper; 8 slices sourdough bread; 8 slices sharp cheddar; Dill pickle spears (for serving; optional)

A stack of tuna melt sandwiches with oozing cheddar cheese and pickled onions on a plate for our best tuna melt recipe.

Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton

The best tuna melt is properly cheesy and made with a tuna salad that’s good enough to shine on its own. In this tuna melt recipe, I keep things simple with chopped celery, pickles, and mayonnaise. The dill pickles—along with the quick-pickled onion—add crunch and tang, which complement the rich flavor of the olive-oil-packed tuna.

Most tuna melt recipes call for softened butter to spread on the bread, but butter burns easily. Mayonnaise, however, is made with vegetable oil and has a higher smoke point, making it less likely to burn. The condiment is also spreadable when cold, which means there’s no need to wait for it to come to room temperature as you would for butter.

For a tuna melt with evenly melted cheese, treat it like an open-face sandwich. After slathering one side of the bread with mayonnaise, place the bread—mayonnaise-side down—in a skillet over medium heat and top the bread with two slices of cheese. (For an ultra-cheesy tuna melt, I recommend using four cheddar slices—two per side.) Then let the power of steam do the hard work for you: Cover the pan with a lid (even a baking sheet will do) and cook for several minutes until the bread is golden brown underneath and the cheese is melted. The cheese will melt over the side, creating a crunchy cheese skirt around the entire sandwich (if you’re not using square slices of bread). Top the cheese with tuna salad and the quick-pickled onion, and gently press the other slice of bread on top. The result is a warm, savory, cheesy sandwich that has just the right amount of crunch and acid.

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Recipe information

Total Time
45 minutes
Yield
Makes 4

Ingredients

½ medium onion, thinly sliced

1 cup seasoned rice vinegar

2 (5-oz.) cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained

¼ cup mayonnaise, plus more for spreading

2 Tbsp. chopped celery

1 Tbsp. chopped dill pickles

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

8 slices sourdough bread

8 slices sharp cheddar

Dill pickle spears (for serving; optional)

Preparation

Step 1
Combine ½ medium onion, thinly sliced, and 1 cup seasoned rice vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
Step 2
Gently mix two 5-oz. cans tuna packed in olive oil, drained, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. chopped celery, and 1 Tbsp. chopped pickles in a medium bowl until just combined. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
Step 3
Heat a dry large cast-iron skillet over medium-low. Spread mayonnaise over 1 side of 2 slices sourdough bread. Place bread, mayo side down, in skillet; top 1 bread slice with 2 slices sharp cheddar. Cover with a lid and cook until bread is golden brown underneath and cheese is melted, about 4 minutes. (The cheese should form a crispy skirt around the bread.)
Step 4
Uncover skillet and top bread with melted cheddar with one fourth of tuna salad, then some drained reserved pickled onion. Close up sandwich and gently press down on sandwich with a spatula. Transfer to a cutting board and slice in half on a diagonal. Repeat cooking process 3 more times with more mayonnaise and remaining tuna salad, pickled onion, 6 slices sourdough bread, and 6 slices sharp cheddar to make 3 more sandwiches.
Step 5
Serve sandwiches on plates with dill pickle spears if desired.