Tuna Melt

When trying to decide what recipe to make from The Sandwich Maker Cookbook I knew one thing...it was going to have cheese. I just figured something cheesy would be the best dish to start with. While reading off dishes I wished to try to Mr. L, I was surprised when he told me he'd never had a tuna melt. Now mind you, I've probably only had a handful of them in my life, but since Mr. L isn't adverse to some good canned tuna, I was surprised he'd never had this simple classic sandwich.

If you don't like canned tuna, you probably won't like this sandwich. We used some good albacore tuna which made this much less fishy than one would think. I also just kind of eyeballed the ingredients instead of measuring.

The first batch had an almost burnt crust. Didn't taste burnt, sort of carmelizy (that's what I thought so even if it's not a word, it works for me).Though subsequent batches looked a bit overcooked, they didn't taste that way, they had a nice crunchy exterior.

I think the size of bread slices have grown since this machine was made. A slice of bread pretty much fit 2/3rds of the maker. So i cut off the crusts of the bread...which worked perfectly for the sandwich maker. The sandwiches themselves made a nice presentation with their sealed edges. The ingredients stayed nicely inside. The actual sandwich maker was a bit messy, not that easy to use since it's also a bit heavy.  But it made some great sandwiches and it cleaned up easy.

We really liked this. The tuna with the cheese was all melty and reminded me of old time comfort food (and yes, melty is also a new word). Looking forward to trying other combinations in the sandwich maker. Mr. L, after finishing off his second sandwich (and being disappointed that I wasn't making any more) turned to me with light in his eyes and said "cheese and bacon". Yeah, this little sandwich maker might be worth it's weight in gold for the rest of this summer....

TUNA MELT

Bread: rye, pumpernickel, whole wheat, cracked wheat, multi-grain, sourdough or white

Filling:
1 (9 1/4 oz) can tuna, drained
1/4 cup mayonnaise or to taste
3 tbs - 1/4 cup diced celery or 4-5 pickles, diced
parsley to taste, optional
salt and pepper or salt-free seasoning blend to taste
1-2 slices American, Swiss, Muenster or provolone cheese

Mix tuna, mayonnaise, celery (or pickle), parsley if desired and seasoning.

Spread 3-4 tablespoons over bread and cover with cheese.

Close the sandwich and coat the outside of the bread with butter, margarine or olive oil.

Follow sandwich maker instructions or grill in a pan.

You can substitute canned chicken, turkey or deviled ham for the tuna and Italian dressing for mayonnaise.

Note: We used albacore tuna in oil (Trader Joes brand). We used whole wheat bread. We did not use parsley. We used Swiss cheese. We coated the outside of the bread with butter.

Note: I actually used a combination of celery and dill pickle relish which we usually put in regular tuna sandwiches.

A simple classic sandwich. Made even more fun with the sandwich maker.

Comments

[David, Wild Planet Foods]

This looks wonderful! If you're looking for a canned tuna, Wild Planet's Albacore Tuna is sustainable,and has lower mercury & higher Omega 3s compared to national brands. Also, no draining, it is packed in natural juices! I look forward to reading future blog posts:)

[Chris]

I enjoyed reading this post and the previous one about the gadget. I've got a few things like that too, but I don't think any 20 years old.

[Ann]

YUM! I might make this for lunch!

[Arch]

Excellent. I actually make these in a "pita" format... though it never occurred to me to add pickles, I will have to dice some dill chips next time :)

[Chef Barbie]

i love me a good tuna melt!

[Mrs. L]

David - I'll check it out.

Chris - Oh man, I still have a Salad Shooter that's there somewhere, never used.

Ann - I've actually been craving tuna melt for lunch a lot these days.

Arch - Tuna salad is NOTHING without dill pickles.

Chef Barbie - Come for dinner, I'll make some!