Tuna melts and I go way back. When I was growing up, my mom would always make them for us on nights when my dad had to work late. They were a special treat for the two of us because my dad inexplicably despises tuna melts (he’s weird) so we never ate them when he was around. Fast forward a couple of decades to when my new boyfriend (now fiance) brought a tuna melt from Mendocino Farms on a date to the Hollywood Bowl, forever rekindling my love.
Unfortunately my body’s tendency to reject gluten and dairy briefly put a damper on this tuna melt obsession of mine. Regardless of how delicious something is, it is difficult to justify consuming a meal that you know will negatively impact every system in your body within an hour or two. This led to a very dark, tuna melt-less year. I finally decided that enough was enough, I would not be held back from my one true food love, and created a gluten free, lactose friendly version. This gourmet tuna melt recipe is based on the one from Mendocino Farms, the tuna melt that is the king of all tuna melts.
Parsley, green onion and lettuce
Melting white cheddar cheese
There are several differences in ingredients between my gourmet tuna melt and the one from Mendocino Farms which I address below, but my taste buds feel (and my fiance’s agree) that this recipe comes pretty close to capturing the magical taste of theirs.
I hope you will give this recipe a try and enjoy it as much as we do!
- 14 oz tuna
- 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp parsley chopped
- 2 tbsp green onions chopped
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder or two cloves of garlic minced or pressed
- 1/8 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp pepper ground
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 8 pieces lettuce
- 8 slices white cheddar chese
- 8 slices bread I use gluten free bread from Trader Joe's
- Mix together all ingredients in bowl (tuna, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, parsley, green onions, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, salt)
- Oil or butter the outside of each slice of bread
- Place two slices of bread in skillet over medium heat, oil side down
- Once bread begins to slightly brown, top one slice with tuna
- Top piece of bread with tuna with slice of cheese and add other slice to other piece of bread, allow to melt slightly
- Add lettuce to slice of bread with tuna and cheese, then top with other slice of bread, cheese side down
- Flip occasionally and cook until cheese has melted and bread is golden brown
The Mendocino Farms tuna melt contains tomatoes and pickles and uses red onion instead of green. I don't like pickles and generally leave out tomatoes, but I'm sure the addition of both would only make this more delicious!
