7 Ingredient Tuna Melt
Few things bring me as much joy as crunching through griddle-crisped sourdough into pillowy-soft tuna that's been whipped with mayo, peppered with pops of pickled jalapeno, and wrapped in a double-layer of sharp, melty cheddar cheese. Here's my take on the club classic using only seven ingredients. The real trick to canscending into divine delicacy is no seacret at all; leave those 2-dollar tins on the shelf and instead reach for something pole-and-line caught and lovingly processed by hand. For this recipe, I used Tenorio tuna fillets sourced from Portugalia Marketplace.
1 tin Tenorio Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil
1 ½ tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs pickled jalapeno, finely chopped
2 slices crusty sourdough bread
3 oz sharp cheddar
2 tbs EVOO
Kosher salt to taste
Open the tin of tuna and gently drain of oil. Transfer the filets to a small mixing bowl and gently break apart with a fork.
Add the mayo, pickled jalapenos, and a pinch of salt. Stir. Add more salt to taste. Set to side to let flavors meld.
Slice the cheese to medium thickness. If it crumbles, that’s okay. Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy bottom pan on high heat. Meanwhile, lay the bread out on a board and arrange half the cheese on one of the slices. Gently spread the tuna over the cheese. Lay the rest of the cheese on top, covering as much of the mixture as possible. Lay the second slice of breat on top of that.
Carefully drizzle half the olive oil onto the top layer of bread. Use more as necessary to cover as of it as possible. It will look like a lot of oil, but this is how you get uniform crispiness.
Using a spatula, carefully flip the sandwich oil side down into the pan. If the contents move at all in process, carefully adjust the bread to right shape. Turn heat to medium-high
Grill until bread is golden brown in the center and a dark chestnut brown on the edges, about three minutes. Drizzle remaining olive oil (using more if needed) onto the exposed slice and use the spatula to carefully flip. Ogle this sando’s evolving beauty. Now, gently move it around in the pan to ensure good oil coverage.
When 2nd bread is crisped, turn heat off and transfer to cutting board. Sprinkle with more kosher or your favorite finishing salt. To slice, with a sharp knife, start by piercing the middle of the bread (rather than going across the whole top) and gently cutting through until you reach the crust and then chop down. Turn the sandwich 180 and repeat from same center to cleave in two.
Serve immediately. Share with your favorite human (or don’t)!
