This gourmet tuna melt takes more time than slapping tuna and mayo on white bread. But it's so worth it. You'll get a toasty sandwich oozing with cheese and flavorful spices plus a crunch from the cucumber. Serve with a pickle spear and your favorite chips!
Drain the tuna. Leave the tuna in the strainer to remove as much water as possible.
Finely dice the red onion. Thinly slice the cucumbers lengthwise.
Mix the drained tuna, 5 tablespoons of mayonnaise, relish, onion, salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder in a mixing bowl until well combined. The tuna salad is ready.
Toast the bread
Separate the burger buns. Spread the remaining mayonnaise on the buns.
Heat a nonstick frying pan on medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan.
Once the butter has melted, add the bread to the pan, mayonnaise-side down.
Once the buns are golden brown, remove them from the pan. Set aside.
Assemble the sandwich
Add the cheese to the top bun. There's 3 ways you can do it: A) If you don't mind cold cheese, place the slices of cheese on the warm bread. B) If your pan isn't nonstick, add the top buns back to the warm pan with the mayo-side facing up. Add the sliced cheese on top of the bun. C) If your pan is nonstick, add the cheese to the warm pan and put the top burger bun over the cheese. The residual heat from the pan will melt the cheese.
While the cheese is warming up, scoop the tuna salad onto the bottom bun. Place a generous heaping.
Add the sliced cucumbers on top of the tuna salad.
Check on the cheese. If melting in the pan, carefully move the top bun and place over the cucumber tuna salad.
Enjoy your tuna melt!
Notes
The recipe is for 2 people but you'll have leftovers. Enjoy the leftover tuna salad the next day with another toasted bun. Or check out these ideas on how to eat tuna salad.Here are a few tips from Lacey:
If I'm making it for my hubby, I add a little finely chopped jalapeno and two splashes of hot sauce.
Sometimes I like to eat the last of the tuna with crackers as a snack. In that case, I add a little horseradish to give it a kick.