Tuna melts are a favorite during meatless Fridays of lent and have been a longtime staple at American diners. This beloved sandwich is rumored to have been first made at a Woolworth lunch counter in Charleston, South Carolina when tuna salad inadvertently fell on a grilled cheese sandwich. The sandwich can be served between two pieces of bread or open face with cheese melted on top.
The affordable protein from tinned fish makes this an easy option to make at home. This recipe came from an Ann Arbor country club where I worked in my early 20s. Instead of bread slices they used buttered English muffin halves for an open faced sandwich, sweetened by using rings of pineapple between the tuna and the muffin. It is topped with shredded cheddar jack cheese for its superior melting and flavor profile.
Prepare tuna salad by mixing mayonnaise with tuna fish and any of the additional items you want to prepare your tuna salad. Toast two halves of an English muffin, butter them and then place one pineapple slice on each half of English muffin, Scoop half of the tuna salad on top of each pineapple slice. Freshly grate about 3 ounces of cheddar jack cheese and cover tuna with grated cheese. Bake for seven minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees. Remove from oven and sprinkle ground paprika on top of cheese
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Equipment:
Tuna Melt
Great for meatless Fridays or for a luncheon or shower.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare tuna salad, by mixing mayonnaise with tuna fish and any of the additional items you want to prepare your tuna salad. Toast two halves of an English muffin, butter them and then place one pineapple slice on each half of English muffin, Scoop half of the tuna salad on top of each pineapple slice. Freshly grate about 3 ounces of cheddar jack cheese and cover tuna with grated cheese. Bake for seven minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees. Remove from oven and sprinkle ground paprika on top of cheese.