Tuna Melt

Mix together the perfect tuna salad, add some yummy mozzarella, and grill this sandwich to make a tuna melt recipe you’ll come back to time and time again.

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Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Servings sandwiches

This classic tuna melt takes plain tuna salad to the next level, resulting in a crispy, golden brown sandwich oozing with melted cheese. Our easy recipe will have any tuna-lover drooling and features all the deliciously cheesy, flavorful ingredients you love and turns them into the perfect lunch idea.

Best Tuna Melt Recipe Ingredients

Tuna Melt raw ingredients that are labeled

When it comes to tasty comfort food, few things hit the spot quite like a classic tuna melt.

You can practically taste the savory blend of tuna, melted cheese, and toasty bread before you even take a bite.

The warm, gooey goodness of a nicely melted cheese-covered sandwich is irresistible, and the addition of tuna gives it that extra boost of protein and seafood flavor.

You’ll need:

4 (5-ounce) cans of tuna (water or oil), drained
1 medium onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ celery stalk, chopped (about ¼ cup)
1 clove of garlic, minced (or ½ teaspoon ready-minced garlic)
1 tablespoon of chopped parsley
5 tablespoons of mayonnaise
3 tablespoons of olive oil, divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
½ cup of shredded mozzarella
Salt and black pepper to taste
12 slices of bread
Softened butter

Substitutions And Additions

ONION: The type of onion is up to you. Red onion or a sweet yellow onion would be good options. You can also use a 1:1 ratio of chives as a good onion substitute.

MOZZARELLA: Use Swiss cheese or white cheddar cheese if you don’t have any mozzarella.

LEMON JUICE: Squeeze a little bit of lemon into your tuna to add some extra freshness to your sandwich.

BREAD: Any bread will do, but we suggest a more sturdy bread such as sourdough, rye bread, or heavy artisan bread.

HOT SAUCE: If you like things spicy, add a dash of hot sauce to the tuna salad mixture.

How To Make This Best Tuna Melt Recipe

To make this tasty sandwich, you will mix the tuna salad in a bowl before adding it to the bread and toasting the sandwich until it is golden brown and melty.

STEP ONE: Drain the water or oil from your tuna can.

OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS

You can place the tuna in a paper towel or a clean dish towel and wring out even more liquid, this makes for a less soggy sandwich.

STEP TWO: Place the tuna in a medium bowl and use a fork to loosen it.

STEP THREE: Add the onion, celery, garlic, parsley, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and mozzarella cheese to the tuna bowl. Stir the ingredients to combine.

onion, Celery, garlic, parsley, mayonnaise, oil, and cheese combined in a bowl

STEP FOUR: Add the salt and pepper to taste and mix it again.

STEP FIVE: Place a non-stick skillet on the stove and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Heat your skillet over medium heat.

STEP SIX: Spread butter on one side of a piece of bread and carefully place that side down into the hot skillet. You can replace the butter with mayonnaise.

PRO TIP:

If your butter is too hard to spread, place it in the center of the frying pan. When it has fully melted, spread it around a little and set your bread directly on top.

STEP SEVEN: Spoon about 3 heaping tablespoons of the tuna mixture on the bread, filling the slice of bread in the skillet. Add to or decrease tuna to your liking.

tuna mixture scooped over bread on the skillet

STEP EIGHT: Take another slice of bread and butter on one side. Place that side of the bread on top of the sandwich in the skillet with the butter side up.

buttered bread placed on top of tuna mixture

STEP NINE: Be careful and watch for browning on the underside of the sandwich. Grill until it’s golden brown. Flip the sandwich over and brown the other side.

STEP TEN: Remove the sandwich from the skillet and place it on a paper towel-lined plate for one minute before eating.

How To Serve

This perfect tuna melt is a complete meal in itself, but if you are looking for a larger meal, add a green salad, coleslaw, or potato salad to the side, along with a handful of potato chips and a couple of dill pickles.

A delicious tomato cucumber salad would add the perfect freshness to the side of this classic sandwich.

If you like this grilled sandwich, try out grilled ham and cheese, tuna salad, or our grilled cheese sloppy Joe.

MORE TUNA RECIPES

Casserole Ideas

Baked Tuna Casserole

Sandwiches

Tuna Sandwich

Storage

IN THE FRIDGE: Store your sandwich in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

IN THE FREEZER: We don’t suggest freezing this sandwich. The mayonnaise tends to separate when frozen.

close up overhead shot of slices of Tuna Melt sandwiches

You’ll Love This Drool-Worthy Grilled Tuna Salad Sandwich

This grilled tuna melt recipe is made from classic ingredients that you already know and love. This is a great option for an early dinner or even lunch. Enjoy this simple sandwich filled with melted gooey cheese and flavorful tuna with just a few simple steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze this sandwich?

We don’t recommend freezing this classic sandwich as the mayo will end up separating while frozen.

What type of tuna fish should I use?

You can choose whichever tuna based on your personal preference. Chunk light tuna or albacore tuna are both great choices.

What is the best bread for tuna melt sandwiches?

Choose a sturdy bread that will hold up to the grilling and all the tasty ingredients for this delicious sandwich. You could opt for sourdough, rye, or another artisan bread as good choices.

Why is it called a tuna melt?

A tuna melt has the addition of shredded cheese in the tuna salad mixture, which is then heated in a frying pan on the stove, resulting in a gooey, warm, melty sandwich.

Is canned tuna really tuna?

Canned tuna originates from the same source as fresh tuna.

What cheese goes with tuna?

We like adding mozzarella cheese to our tuna melt recipe, but Swiss cheese or cheddar cheese would also be delicious.

Can you eat a tuna melt cold?

Tuna melt could be eaten cold if you prefer, although it is best if heated in the frying pan so that the cheese in the mixture melts and becomes nice and gooey.

Easy Tuna Melt

5 from 12 votes

Mix together the perfect tuna salad, add some yummy mozzarella, and grill this sandwich to make a tuna melt recipe you’ll come back to time and time again.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings sandwiches

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe

Ingredients

20 ounces tuna in water or oil, drained (four 5-ounce cans)
1 medium onion, chopped (about ½ cup)
½ celery stalk, chopped (about ¼ cup)
1 clove garlic, minced (or ½ teaspoon ready minced garlic)
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
5 tablespoon mayonnaise
3 tablespoon olive oil, divided into 2 tablespoons and 1 tablespoon
½ cup mozzarella, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste
12 slices bread
softened butter

Instructions

Drain the water or oil from the tuna.
Place the tuna in a medium bowl and using a fork loosen it apart.
To the tuna bowl add the onion, celery, garlic, parsley, mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again.
Place a nonstick skillet on the stove and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Heat over medium heat.
Butter one side of a piece of bread and carefully place that slice butter side down into the now hot skillet.
Now spoon about 3 heaping tablespoons of tuna filling onto the slice of bread in the skillet, more or less depending on how thick you like your sandwiches.
Take another slice of bread and butter one side. Place that slice of buttered bread on top of the sandwich in the skillet with the butter side up.
Watch for browning on the underside of the sandwich and grill until golden brown. Next flip the sandwich over and brown the other side.
Remove from the skillet and place on a paper towel lined plate.

Video

Notes

You can place the tuna in a paper towel or a clean dish towel and wring out even more liquid, this makes for a less soggy sandwich.
If your butter is too hard to spread, place it in the center of the frying pan. When it has fully melted, spread it around a little and set your bread directly on top.

Nutrition

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Proudly Prepared by the Spaceships Kitchen

This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

Stephanie Keeping Publisher
Layne Kangas Marketing
Lexus Monroe Editorial Assistant

Grilled Tuna Salad Sandwich