Showing posts with label Tuna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuna. Show all posts
A bit of a gloomy day here today, but still warm and humid. Somehow its not so bad when the sun is shining, but when its dull and blah, its just blah.
In hot and humid weather nobody feels like really cooking. I don't anyways, and I know I am not alone in that. I still want to eat something nutritious and tasty however and so I try to prepare things that are designed to use the least amount of heat as possible and to get me in and out of the kitchen quickly!
These Tuna Melt Sliders do all that and more! Quick and easy to make. Cheesy and rich, and designed to get you in and out of the kitchen as quickly as possible.
Yes, they do require having the oven on, but I dare say you could also make them in the air fryer, or even on the outdoor grill over low heat with the lid down. You can correct me if I am wrong!
I have always loved tuna melts and I have always enjoyed sliders. It made common sense to me to put the both together into one delicious tuna melt slider sandwich!
I did a search online to see if anyone else had done the same and to see how it had worked for them. I found two recipes. One here, and one here. Both served as inspiration for my own version sandwich.
The original recipes both made twelve servings. Far too much for me to justify cooking for myself, living all on my own, and I am not expecting any company, not today at any rate.
I decided to cut the recipes in half, but that was still a bit much. Six sliders. Nope. I then decided to use only four slider buns, with 1/2 of the filling and create a sandwich that was generously filled and more like a meal rather than a snack.
I am of an age now where I just can't eat things like that for snacks. I can remember when I was younger my ex husband and I would order a pizza and eat it in the evening before we went to bed, or cook a whole box of macaroni and cheese and eat that. I just do not have that kind of appetite anymore.
I eat my breakfast, and then one meal a day. I do nibble on other bits the rest of the day. I might have some toast or a salad, but nothing substantial and I certainly could not eat a hot filled sandwich as a snack! (This is not meant as a criticism of those who can!)
Some pretty simple ingredients. You know me. I am not a faffy kind of a person. Simple works best for me, and in this economy, who can afford extravagant! These are a great store cupboard option.
- 1 tin (6 ounces/170g) tin of solid albacore tuna, drained very well
- 1 TBS minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then drained very well
- 1 tsp minced flat leaf parsley,, or 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 2 TBS good quality full fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
you will also need:
- 4 slider style rolls
- additional mayonnaise to spread
- 1/2 cup (115g) grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar)
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- parsley flakes
I just happened to have some parsley in the fridge which needed using up. By all means use dried parsley flakes if that is all you have. You will need roughly half the amount if using dried.
I like to use albacore tuna. It is the best, responsibly fished and just tastes better than any other kind. I buy the solid, but if you can't afford that, then just use the kind of tuna fish that you can afford!
If you don't have red onion, you can use white or even green. The idea is to have a sharp flavor to contrast with all of the other ingredients. Onion is the best thing for that. It doesn't really matter what color you choose to use.
Use the best mayonnaise that you can afford or that you enjoy. I like Hellman's. I don't recommend Miracle Whip. I also used Maille Dijon mustard because that is what I have in my fridge.
In the UK, I used to used the Heinz dill relish. It is not quite a sweet as North American pickle relish, but it will work very well.
HOW TO MAKE TUNA MELT SLIDERS (SMALL BATCH)
These are very easy to make and cook very quickly. Perfect for a midweek supper.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a small baking dish, large enough to hold the buns in one layer.
Flake the drained tuna into a bowl. Add the drained onion, the pickle relish, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley flakes and salt and pepper. Mix everything together well.
Cut the rolls in half horizontally through the middle. I like to keep it as one sheet of four buns, still attached together.
Place the bottom into the baking dish, cut side up, and spread with some mayonnaise. Pile the tuna filling on top, spreading it out to cover the bun halves completely. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over top. Spread the cut side of the tops of the rolls with some mayonnaise and place, cut side down, on top of the cheese, pressing down lightly.
Whisk the melted butter, onion powder, and Dijon mustard together. Brush over top of the buns and sprinkle with a few parsley flakes.
Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes and then serve, cut into single buns, with some potato chips on the side if desired.
These were really delicious. The buns stayed nice and soft and the melted butter topping added a really nice and flavorful touch. I thought the filling was beautifully ample. I hate a sandwich with a stingy filling.
A bit messy to eat, but the bits that fell out were really scrummy scooped up with a potato chip! (Don't judge, lol.) All in all this made for a really tasty weeknight supper!
HOT HAM & CHEESE SANDWICH WITH BACON & CARAMELIZED ONIONS - I know that sounds like a real mouthful, but it is a really tasty mouthful! These really are very easy to make. Probably the most time consuming part is the caramelizing of the onions. If you are not keen you can always leave them out, but I highly recommend you do make them as they really add to the deliciousness of this tasty sandwich! Sized for one, but easily amped up to feed more.
RUSTIC ITALIAN BAKED SANDWICH - Thin bread focaccia buns stuffed with deli ham and salami, cheese, hot peppers and olives. Baked until the flavors are beautifully melded together. This is quite simply one of my favorite hot sandwiches to make and to eat. If you can't get the thin breads, you can use regular, but the carb count will be double. Still delicious however!
Yield: 2
Tuna Melt Sliders
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 30 Min
Quick, easy to make, cheesy and delicious! These make a great midweek supper with some potato chips on the side. Generously filled they feed two people quite sufficiently and make a perfect main dish.
Ingredients
- 1 tin (6 ounces/170g) tin of solid albacore tuna, drained very well
- 1 TBS minced red onion, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes, then drained very well
- 1 tsp minced flat leaf parsley,, or 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
- 2 TBS good quality full fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
- 1 1/2 TBS sweet pickle relish
- fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
you will also need:
- 4 slider style rolls
- additional mayonnaise to spread
- 1/2 cup (115g) grated sharp cheddar cheese (I used white cheddar)
- 1 TBS butter, melted
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- parsley flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a small baking dish, large enough to hold the buns in one layer.
- Flake the drained tuna into a bowl. Add the drained onion, the pickle relish, Dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, parsley flakes and salt and pepper. Mix everything together well.
- Cut the rolls in half horizontally through the middle. I like to keep it as one sheet of four buns, still attached together.
- Place the bottom into the baking dish, cut side up, and spread with some mayonnaise. Pile the tuna filling on top, spreading it out to cover the bun halves completely. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese evenly over top. Spread the cut side of the tops of the rolls with some mayonnaise and place, cut side down, on top of the cheese, pressing down lightly.
- Whisk the melted butter, onion powder, and Dijon mustard together. Brush over top of the buns and sprinkle with a few parsley flakes.
- Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the foil, return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer.
- Remove from the oven and leave to sit for 5 minutes and then serve, cut into single buns, with some potato chips on the side if desired.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I have always had a great fondness for Tuna Salad Sandwiches. Tuna wasn't something that my mother used to buy to make us sandwiches with. She had a thing for canned Salmon. If we were going to have a fish sandwich at all, it was with canned Salmon.
Then in Grade Eight I happened to taste my first Tuna Salad Sandwich. A friend of mine had them in her lunch and she didn't fancy them and so I said I would try them. I fell in love then and there.
I did manage to convince my mother to buy tuna once in a while after that, but it always remained a very rare treat. Salmon being her preference. When my mother passed away my sister had to get rid of countless tins of out of date salmon that my mother had stored.
Whenever they were on offer my mother would pick up a couple tins, whether she needed it or not, and of course in, her later years, they just did not ever get used.
Don't get me wrong. I do like tinned salmon every now and then. I use it to make Salmon Patties and Salmon loaf. Both are favorites of mine.
I also love a good French Canadian Salmon Pie. That is something which is high on my list of things I love to eat.
I am just not particularly fond of it in sandwiches. If I am going to have fish in a sandwich like that, for me, it has to be tuna.
This recipe which I am sharing today was inspired by one I found on the New York Times recipe site and is attributed to Naz Deravlan. The recipe was for a delicious sounding tuna salad sandwich using dill pickles and a tasty mix of herbs.
What I really liked about it was not the herbs so much as the use of potato chips to give some added crunch! I have often enjoyed potato chips on the side of my tuna sandwiches, but not in my tuna sandwich. It sounded really delicious!
The original recipe made four sandwiches. I adapted it to make only one demi baguette sandwich which would feed to regular eaters. A man might be able to eat the whole lot in one go however.
Having said that, as well, you don't want to be adding any potato chips to the sandwich until just before you go to eat the sandwich as they will go soggy. You have been warned.
But eaten right away, this sandwich is a gorgeous mix of delicious tuna salad and potato chip crunch. In a lovely chewy sour dough baguette, it was heavenly with just the right amount of crunch and tastiness!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A CRUNCHY TUNA SALAD BAGUETTE
Simple ingredients. Make sure you use the best you can afford. In a sandwich like this, it really matters.
- 1 (5 oz) can of solid albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1/4 cup (50g) real mayonnaise
- 1 TBS dill pickle relish
- 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp fine ground black pepper
- 1 good quality demi-baguette
- softened butter
- potato chips to serve (ready salted are nice, but so are cheese and onion!)
An old Italian Nonna in a grocery store in London, Ontario, told me over 40 years ago that anything but Albacore Tuna was garbage. I heeded her advice and have only been eating white albacore tuna ever since. It really does have the nicest flavor.
When it comes to mayonnaise, if I am not using homemade I always use Hellman's and that is not a plug for their product. It has the nicest flavor and is quite simply always my mayonnaise of choice. I hear Duke's is also very good if you can get it.
If you have fresh dill, by all means use that. I did not so I used dry. Fresh lemon juice really adds a nice flavor, and here is where I would definitely use extra virgin olive oil. This an occasion when the flavor of it will really shine through.
I used dill pickle relish because I think it has a bit of a sweeter flavor than regular dill pickles. If you don't have dill pickle relish then use regular sweet hot dog relish. I can promise you it will taste really good.
Use a good quality fresh baguette. It also really matters, and when it comes to potato chips, use the freshest crunchiest ones you can find. A kettle chip is really nice. Ready Salted are ideal, but I think cheese and onion are also very nice as are salt and vinegar. At the end of the day, just use your favorite flavor. I wouldn't be using ketchup or BBQ though. To me that just sounds wrong!
HOW TO MAKE CRUNCHY TUNA SALAD BAGUETTE
Nothing could be easier. I don't like to chop my veggies too awfully small. Neither do you want them left too large. Somewhere in the middle is ideal!
Flake the well drained tuna into a bowl with a fork and mash it well together.
Add the mayonnaise, pickle relish, chopped celery, spring onion, dill weed lemon juice and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Split your baguette in half horizontally. Butter both cut sides with softened butter.
Pile the tuna salad onto the bottom half of the buttered baguette, spreading it out evenly. Top off with your potato chips and then the baguette top. Squash down a tiny bit, and cut in half.
Serve immediately.
The amount of mayonnaise I have suggested is only that, a suggestion. I would add half the amount first with everything else and then see if you need any more. You don't want your sandwich to be too sloppy.
If you are a singleton, you can remove the chips from one half of the baguette, wrap it tightly and store it in the refrigerator for the next day. That is what I did. Yes, I did eat the chips I removed. No, I did not add any more the next day. I just ate it plain.
This was a really, REALLY good sandwich. It had never dawned on me before to add a layer of potato chips to my tuna salad sandwich and I don't know why. The two together were sublimely delicious.
I highly recommend!
Some other tuna sandwich recipes which you might really enjoy that I have posted on here are:
THE CLASSIC TUNA MELT - A favorite toasted sandwich composed of a tasty tuna filling and plenty of melted cheese, sandwiched between buttery toasted bread. I also have an Air Fryer Tuna Melt that is really nice.
PIZZA TUNA BURGERS - Something I learned how to make in Grade 9 Home Economics. They were really good then and they are really good now! A delicious tuna mixture is spooned on top of halved English Muffins and topped with cheese and pimento stuffed olives before grilling. Great for lunch with veggie sticks or for supper with a hot cup of Tomato soup!
Yield: 2
Crunchy Tuna Salad Baguette
Prep time: 8 MinTotal time: 8 Min
The perfect Tuna Salad sandwich with the addition of crisp potato chips This does mean you need to eat it right away. I say, not a problem!
Ingredients
- 1 (5 oz) can of solid albacore tuna in water, drained and flaked
- 1/4 cup (50g) real mayonnaise
- 1 TBS dill pickle relish
- 1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 spring onion, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried dill
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/8 tsp fine ground black pepper
- 1 good quality demi-baguette
- softened butter
- potato chips to serve (ready salted are nice, but so are cheese and onion!)
Instructions
- Flake the well drained tuna into a bowl with a fork and mash it well together.
- Add the mayonnaise, pickle relish, chopped celery, spring onion, dill weed lemon juice and oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Split your baguette in half horizontally. Butter both cut sides with softened butter.
- Pile the tuna salad onto the bottom half of the buttered baguette, spreading it out evenly. Top off with your potato chips and then the baguette top. Squash down a tiny bit, and cut in half.
- Serve immediately.
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Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
One of my favorite sandwiches has to be the classic tuna melt sandwich. I have been making myself this delicious sandwich for years and years, even before I knew there was such a thing as a tuna melt!
Usually I make it in a skillet on top of the stove and its delicious. My own favorite creamy tuna salad, with lots of cheese and crisp buttery bread. Its fabulous!
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
This past year I bought myself an air fryer however and I am keen to use it whenever I can. I decided to try it out with making my tuna melt today and I can tell you now that I will never make a tuna melt any other way from now on!
Yes, It is that good! Seriously tasty!
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
And its not that the tuna salad is any tastier. It is the same old tuna salad recipe I have been making for eons. Tuna, mayonnaise, pickle relish and and a few other bits.
I haven't changed the cheese either. Its good old processed cheese slices. Perfect for a tuna melt.
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
Its the buttery, light, crispness of the bread! I mean wowza!! Wowza!! This is a game changer here.
The bread stays true to form, not squished in any way, and it is so light and crisp and buttery that it practically melts in the mouth!
This is some serious deliciousness here! Why didn't I think of this before!!!
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER TUNA MELT
For the tuna salad:
- 1 (150g/5 ounce) tin of albacore tuna, packed in water, well drained and flaked
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 TBS pickle relish
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt or fine sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
You will also need:
- softened butter for spreading
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
- 3 slices processed cheese, divided
Simple ingredients as always!!
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
I always use Albacore Tuna. It has a lovely light color and a beautiful flavor. I have been buying it for 40 years now on the advice of an older Italian Nonna I met in the grocery store one day.
She saw the tuna I was buying and quickly told me, no buy. Its garbage. She said only buy Albacore, its the best, and so I did and I have never looked back.
She also told me that rounded blunt ended carrots were the sweetest and best. She was right on that score also!
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
Some of you may balk at my use of processed cheese slices for my tuna melt, but you know, what works works. And they taste good.
I do buy the really good ones. Kraft Extra Cheddar Cheese slices. They taste the best, and are more like American Cheese Slices, which are the best in my humble opinion. But we can't get them here.
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
Also, plain old wonder bread. White. It works best. You can try an artisanal bread if you want, but I think they get tooo crunchy and hard. Gum ripping.
Wonder white works best. Again, this is only my humble opinion. I know what I like and this is what I like.
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
HOW TO MAKE AN AIR FRYER TUNA MELT
Depending on the type of air fryer you have you will only be able to cook one of these at a time. Begin by making the tuna salad. Drain your tuna well, flake into a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients well.
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice into the air fryer basket. Top with 1 1/2 slices of cheese, taking care that the cheese is not placed past the edges of the bread. Top with half of the tuna salad, spreading it out over the cheese. Place another slice of the buttered bread on top of the tuna salad, butter side up.
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
Place the basket into the air fryer and shut the door. set to cook at 380*F/193*C. Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping the sandwich over at the halfway mark.
The sandwich is done when the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted throughout. Remove and keep warm while you cook the other sandwich.
Using a serrated knife, cut in half diagonally to serve.
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
Just look at how nice and crisp and buttery the bread turns out, and yet still soft inside. That tuna salad is perfect just the way it is. Not too much mayonnaise, just the right amount. And the cheese has the perfect amount of ooze.
In short, this is the perfect tuna melt. I really hope if you have an air fryer you will want to try this delicious sandwich out. I think I am going to try making a grilled cheese like this next.
If the results of this sandwich are anything to go by, a grilled cheese will be AMAZING done in the air fryer!
.JPG "Air Fryer Tuna Melt")
If you are on the hunt for a delicious sandwich today, here are a few of my other options:
CROISSANT TURKEY CLUB SANDWICH - I do love a good club sandwich, but they are often too large for me to manage to eat. This one, done on a flaky buttery croissant is not only delicious, but is the perfect size for my aging appetite!
WORLD'S GREATEST HAM SANDWICH - A tall claim to make, but I stand by it. With ham, tomatoes, lettuce, home picked onions, cheese and an herbed mayonnaise.
WORLD'S BEST BLT - Another tall claim that I stand by. Crisp bacon, crisp rocket leaves, sweet tomatoes, a tasty basil mayonnaise and a house dressing drizzle. All served on a rustic baguette.
Air Fryer Tuna Melt
Yield: 2 sandwiches
Prep time: 7 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 15 Min
This air fryer tuna melt is so delicious! Crisp and buttery on the outside and filled with lots of tasty tuna salad and gooey cheese on the inside.
Ingredients
For the tuna salad:
- 1 (150g/5 ounce) tin of albacore tuna, packed in water, well drained and flaked
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 TBS pickle relish
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp celery salt or fine sea salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
You will also need:
- softened butter for spreading
- 4 slices white sandwich bread
- 3 slices processed cheese, divided
Instructions
- Depending on the type of air fryer you have you will only be able to cook one of these at a time.
- Begin by making the tuna salad. Drain your tuna well, flake into a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients well.
- Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice into the air fryer basket. Top with 1 1/2 slices of cheese, taking care that the cheese is not placed past the edges of the bread. Top with half of the tuna salad, spreading it out over the cheese. Place another slice of the buttered bread on top of the tuna salad, butter side up.
- Place the basket into the air fryer and shut the door. set to cook at 380*F/193*C. Air fry for 8 minutes, flipping the sandwich over at the halfway mark.
- The sandwich is done when the bread is golden brown and the cheese has melted throughout. Remove and keep warm while you cook the other sandwich.
- Using a serrated knife, cut in half diagonally to serve.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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