🥪 Tuna Melt
Serious Sandwich 03
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For years we resisted the tuna melt. Fools! Is it weird to eat fish with cheese, though? What about the hot mayonnaise?! To delve into these fundamental questions here would be to do a disservice to our paid newsletter subscribers, who this week shall receive a funny, thoughtful and bang-on-the-money piece from author and chef Tim Anderson. Some people are just wiser than others.
What we will say, is that we meandered far down an alluring but ill-fated path when trying to find our perfect version of this sandwich. There are many who would argue that by experimenting with confit tuna steak and quick-pickled fennel we’d overcomplicated the tuna melt - and they’d be right. Gilding the lily doesn’t do it justice. What we found at the end of our doomed yet ultimately necessary quest was this: the more ingredients you add to a tuna melt the worse the final result.
THAT SAID - we are here to have fun. Don’t be a melt! Share your tips on The Sandwich Board. How do you do it? Would you rather eat slugs than warm tinned tuna?
Nothing fancy! In fact, we’d go so far as to say that bagged bread can often be the one. Make sure it’s thickly sliced, though. Of course, your classic white sandwich loaf will work perfectly, too. New subs: you can find our perfect recipe from Rebecca Spaven of Frog Bakery in newsletter 01: Egg Mayo.
Tinned ONLY. If you want to use Ortiz or something then sure, you could, but it would be a waste. You’re looking to achieve a vaguely fishy mush here, and we’re pretty sure the phrase ‘vaguely fishy mush’ doesn’t feature in Ortiz’s brand strategy.
It’s tuna mayo, with added cheese and crunchy bits. Cheddar works well, and we use it often, but our current preference is for Red Leicester, which adds colour and substance to the sandwich. A tuna melt should never be overthought. Have an end of Gruyere or Manchego? Chuck it in. Bag of ready-grated mozzarella? 100% the right decision to use it. Deliberating too hard over a tuna melt is like garnishing something with pea shoots - pointless.
A really good tuna melt (with one fancy addition)
Serves 1 Please allow us one piece of frippery in the form of finely chopped confit fennel. The inside of a tuna melt is all about The Smooth, and the confit fennel adds even more Smooth. Of course, it’ll still be excellent without it. This could also be made in a toastie machine (duh).
1 tin tuna in oil (important - if it’s not in oil you will need more mayo)
2 generous tablespoons mayonnaise, plus extra for the breadÂ
¼ small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
½ teaspoon (ish, come on) lemon juice
Zest of ½ lemon
2 slices Red Leicester cheese (pre-sliced is perfect)
½ teaspoon Dijon
White pepper
Confit fennel
1 bulb fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced
Olive oil, to cover
Make the confit fennel by placing the fennel in a saucepan and covering it with olive oil. Bring to the gentlest simmer possible and cook for half an hour, or until the fennel is soft, removing it from the heat to calm down for a moment if it starts to produce more than the gentlest bubbles.
Once you’re ready to make the sandwich, spread one side of each slice with mayonnaise.
Place one slice of bread onto a work surface, mayonnaise side down. Top with a slice of cheese.
Make the tuna filling by combining the tuna, mayo, red onion, chives, lemon zest and juice, Dijon, some salt and a good pinch of white pepper. Mix well!
Finely chop a few slices of confit fennel and mix those through the mixture (keep the rest refrigerated and eat within a week).
Heap this on top of the cheese and crown the tuna layer with more cheese.
Place the second slice of bread on top (mayonnaise side up) and transfer to a frying pan.
Once golden and toasty on one side, carefully flip.
Serve hot!
A pared-back yet spicy one, which many would argue is the true ultimate one
This might just be our favourite melt - slender, spicy and studded with tuna’s good ol’ pal sweetcorn. Scotch bonnet chilli has the right fragrance for the corn here - you could also use hot sauce though, or sub in a different chilli.
1 tin tuna in oil (important - if it’s not in oil you will need more mayo)
2 generous tablespoons mayonnaise, plus extra for the breadÂ
¼ red onion, finely chopped
â…“ of a 198g tin sweetcorn, drained
1 small squeeze of lemon
½ scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and very finely chopped
Generous handful of grated Cheddar
Follow the method above, layering up cheese, tuna mix, cheese, and then pan frying.
A chickpea melt
Serves 1 Chickpea mayo makes a really good veggie substitute for tuna mayo, and here we must pause to nod in the direction of this tuna salad and hummus sandwich recipe from Ina Garten, of all people. Huh. It probably works?
½ a 240g can chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
¼ red onion, finely chopped
½ stick celery, finely chopped
Zest of ½ lemon
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 large handful of grated Cheddar
Mash the chickpeas and mayonnaise together with a fork.
Add the red onion, celery, lemon zest, wholegrain mustard and some salt and pepper.
Proceed as per previous sandwiches.
Get involved! Head over to The Sandwich Board to tell us how you make your melts. Are you disgusted by the very concept of this sandwich? Why does your version slap?