Yummy Tuna Melt
So it’s Sunday, and yesterday I attended my beautiful friend Katy’s beautiful wedding in downtown Detroit. I know Detroit gets a bad rap from many outside the area–in part to how it can be portrayed by the media–but as someone who lived around the city and has remained around since, I am very excited for all of the positive things happening.
Now back to Katy, who is not only one of the best co-workers on the unit where her and I work, but also one of the sweetest and coolest chicks you will ever meet (hey Buffalo!). As I mentioned it was a beautiful wedding that I was fortunate to share with some of my favorite people in the world. Of course there was a lot of dancing, eating and drinking…disclaimer: I was someone who was not drinking. What you will find out is that I’m not much of a drinker. Literally I am the living embodiment of the saying “lightweight” when it comes to alcohol. Seriously, half a glass of moscato will have me quite tipsy to borderline intoxicated. My friends have always made fun of me for this, but truthfully I’m still the little kid who does not like the smell or taste of alcohol. After all the dancing, which I’m still amazed at how long I lasted in my high heel pumps, I returned back to the car and it finally kicked in. Not the alcohol (since there was none), but how much my feet actually hurt…OMG! Long story short I drove home barefoot because, well, Michael had a good time with the open bar they had LOL. We got home around 11 PM to a wide awake one year old. Luckily it didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.
Here we are today where I woke up far too exhausted to go to church, and instead simply made breakfast. I don’t feel it’s worthy as a separate post so here’s a picture to reference:
A light breakfast containing Italian Toast, fruit, eggs and blueberry/spinach smoothie.
As you will see, breakfast was quite light (for our standards) and a couple hours later we were both hungry. It was then that I realized the foods I intended to cook for the day were still frozen. With no idea of what to make, tuna saved the day. It’s always good to have cans of tuna on hand since it’s very filling, packs such a punch of nutrients and is easy to make. Of course if you are not a fish eater or pregnant then this is not going to work, so I’m speaking to all of those that enjoy the taste of a good fish. On the topic of fish I couldn’t get enough of the coconut shrimp at the wedding. It got so bad that I had to turn away when the tray came around just so I wouldn’t have the urge to eat anymore. Noticing I had tuna and Italian bread readily available, why not a tuna melt? In fact, according to Wikipedia, in the United States, 52% of canned tuna is used for sandwiches. Other than that there’s no special backstory here, just know that this version of an American Classic I love to make is simple yet delicious!
| Prep Time | 5-10 min |
| Cook Time | 5 min |
| Servings |
people
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- 2 5.5 oz cans albacore tuna Drained
- 1/4 cup mayo Regular
- 1/4 cup sweet relish
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 tbsp fresh diced jalapenos It's ok to use jared, but remove the seeds from fresh jalapeno if you don't like spicy. If you didn't know already the seeds increase are what creates the intensity of heat.
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika Regular paprika will do
- 1/4 tsp lemon pepper
- 1/8 tsp fresh black pepper It's ok to use any black pepper
- 6 slices creamy havarti You can absolutely use your favorite cheese. We always have this on hand from Costco.
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Add more as needed
- 6 slices round italian bread I like to slice it myself, just don't buy pre-cut because it is sliced to thin.
- 2 cups arugula Optional. You can also use romaine lettuce.
- 2 whole roma tomatoes You can add any tomato you prefer
Ingredients
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- Gather all your ingredients.
- Drain tuna and place in a small mixing bowl. Add mayo, relish, jalapeno, onion, lemon pepper, paprika, black pepper to bowl.
- Mix well and set aside.
- Slice bread with a bread knife about 1 inch thick, and preferable at a slight angel. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high. Add olive oil, with more if needed. IMPORTANT: If it smokes then it's too hot.
- Place one side of bread down in skillet and add 2 pieces of cheese. Make sure your breads are not touching. At this time lower the heat a bit so that you don't burn your bread before the cheese has started melting. Once your cheese starts to melt top with tuna.
- Add arugula and tomatoes on the other piece of grilled bread, then put the two pieces of bread together. Cut in half and enjoy.
- Let me know your thoughts. Thank you, Erica
Nice and simple. Love it.