Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe (2024)

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This is the kind of tuna melt you're likely to be served in a Jewish deli, where rye bread, Swiss cheese, and a dill-and-pickle tuna salad are kings.

By

Daniel Gritzer

Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe (1)

Daniel Gritzer

Senior Culinary Director

Daniel joined the Serious Eats culinary team in 2014 and writes recipes, equipment reviews, articles on cooking techniques. Prior to that he was a food editor at Food & Wine magazine, and the staff writer for Time Out New York's restaurant and bars section.

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Updated May 07, 2020

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Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe (2)

Why It Works

  • Brushing the bread with oil or butter ensures it's evenly coated for proper griddling without accidentally saturating it with pools of grease in the pan.
  • Adding extra mayo plus panko bread crumbs to the tuna salad creates a texture that is moist and light and fluffy, but not runny.
  • Toasting both sides of each bread slice ensures maximum flavor and textural contrast.

Inspired by the tuna salads found at Jewish delis, this tuna melt is built on sliced sandwich rye bread, draped with layers of melted Swiss cheese, with a tuna salad that's loaded with fresh dill, red onion, celery, and sweet relish.

If you're in the mood for something simpler, give our all-American diner-style tuna melt a short. Feel like going crazier? This fully loaded tuna melt with pickled peppers, avocado, bacon, and more may be for you.

Tips for Making the Best Tuna Melt

Recipe Details

Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe

Active15 mins

Total15 mins

Serves2 servings

Ingredients

  • One 5-ounce (142g) canned oil- or water-packed tuna, drained well

  • 1/2 cup (120g) mayonnaise, such as Hellmann's (see note)

  • 2 tablespoons (10g) panko bread crumbs (optional; see note)

  • 2 tablespoons (20g) minced red onion

  • 1 tablespoon (5g) mincedfresh dill

  • 1 tablespoon (20g) drainedsweet relish

  • 1/2 rib celery (30g), very finely diced

  • 1/2 teaspoon (5g)coarse ground mustard

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • Four 1/2-inch-thick slices rye sandwich bread

  • Vegetable oil, clarified butter, and/or melted butter, for brushing the bread

  • 4 slices Swiss cheese

Directions

  1. Adjust oven to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). In a small mixing bowl, combine tuna, mayonnaise, panko (if using), red onion, dill, sweet relish, celery, and mustard. Stir, mashing very well with a fork or stiff spatula, until almost no flakes of tuna remain. Season with salt and pepper.

    Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe (3)

  2. Using a pastry brush, lightly but evenly brush both sides of each slice of bread with oil, clarified butter, or melted butter. In a large cast iron or nonstick skillet, or using a griddle, toast bread slices on first side over medium heat until nicely browned and crisp, about 3 minutes; using a cooking weight or spatula, gently press down on bread slices while toasting to ensure even heating and browning.

  3. Flip bread and lay one slice of cheese on top of each bread slice. Mound tuna salad on top of 2 of the bread slices, spreading it in an even layer. Close sandwiches, placing top bread slices cheese side down, and continue to cook until bottom of sandwich is well toasted; press down gently on sandwich with cooking weights or a spatula to ensure even heating and browning.

    Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe (4)

  4. Flip tuna melt and cook until second side is well toasted. If cheese at this point isn't melted enough, transfer sandwiches to a baking sheet and heat in oven until cheese is melted, about 3 minutes. Serve.

Special equipment

Large (12-inch) cast iron pan, nonstick skillet, or a griddle

Notes

We don't often specify brands, but in this classic tuna melt, Hellmann's adds its signature flavor. Feel free to use another preferred brand or homemade if you prefer.

Panko helps make a tuna salad that's light and fluffy and moist without being runny. If you don't have it, do not substitute with another type of bread crumb as they will be too dense. Instead, reduce the mayonnaise from 1/2 cup (120g) to 6 tablespoons (90g).

For the fat to toast the bread, a neutral vegetable oil will make very crisp toasts but won't add any flavor; clarified butter will also make very crisp bread with a buttery flavor; melted butter will add buttery flavor too, but its water content will impede crisping slightly. You can use any three by themselves, or toast with oil for maximum crispness and then lightly brush with melted butter for just a bit of that rich dairy flavor.

Make-Ahead and Storage

The tuna salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container overnight.

This Recipe Appears In

  • The Tuna Melt Manifesto: 7 Ways to Improve Your Melt
  • American
  • Stovetop
  • Cheese
  • Tuna
  • Celery
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1025Calories
75g Fat
47g Carbs
40g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories1025
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 75g96%
Saturated Fat 23g116%
Cholesterol 127mg42%
Sodium 1701mg74%
Total Carbohydrate 47g17%
Dietary Fiber 5g17%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 40g
Vitamin C 4mg20%
Calcium 604mg46%
Iron 4mg21%
Potassium 436mg9%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Jewish Deli–Style Tuna Melt With Relish, Dill, Celery, and Swiss Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my tuna melt soggy? ›

The key to preventing a soggy tuna melt is to drain your canned tuna really well. To do this, empty the tuna into a fine-mesh strainer then press down on it to release any liquid.

Is tuna supposed to be hot on a tuna melt? ›

The sandwich is made from canned tuna, mayonnaise, and pre-sliced wheat bread. However, if you would like to make it fancy, you can pop it under the broiler in order to make a bubbling and satisfying tuna melt. A tuna melt is a delicious tuna sandwich that is served hot and usually has toasted bread and melted cheese.

What is the best bread for tuna sandwiches? ›

The Best Bread for Tuna Melts

To ensure everything stays together when griddles, choose a fairly sturdy bread. We like a loaf of sliced French or Italian bread, though a sliced sourdough or country loaf is also a great choice.

Is tuna salad healthier than lunch meat? ›

The highest-fat lunch meats are bologna, salami and loaves (olive loaf, pickle loaf, etc.). Canned white tuna has a lot going for it. It is lower in fat than chicken, low in saturated fat, high in protein and contains heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Why does restaurant tuna taste better? ›

This is due to the use of heavy-duty mayonnaise, which contains more egg yolks than regular mayonnaise. This thicker, fattier condiment gives restaurant tuna salad a richer flavor when compared to tuna salad made by home cooks using regular mayonnaise.

What cheese goes best with tuna? ›

Things like American cheese, Monterey jack or Swiss cheese are all great, but we love the sharp bite of cheddar. — Variations. We packed this sandwich full of celery, pickles, and red onion, but just like our classic tuna salad, feel free to switch up the toppings.

What sauce goes with tuna melt? ›

Tuna and sweet chili sauce are a flavor pairing dream. Salty, briny tuna fish with sweet, spicy chili sauce plus creamy mayonnaise - give it to me any day. So naturally, I had see how it worked as a tuna melt.

How long can a tuna melt sit out? ›

Bacterial growth increases rapidly within these temperatures. It could reach harmful levels and result in food-borne illness or food poisoning, if the food is consumed. This is why the Meat and Poultry Hotline says to “never leave food out of refrigeration over 2 hours.”

Can dogs eat tuna? ›

Can dogs have tuna? Yes, you can feed your dog canned tuna, as long as you do so in moderation and infrequently. Choose the version that's packed in fresh water instead of oil or salted water. Also check the label to make sure there is no extra salt added to the canned tuna.

How long does a tuna melt last in fridge? ›

Make sure the butter is softened and that you evenly spread it all over the slices of bread so that the tuna melt bakes to a crispy golden brown. Already cooked tuna melts will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. However, they don't tend to freeze well.

What toppings are good on a tuna sandwich? ›

Amped Up Classic – Start with the traditional combination of tuna plus a little light mayonnaise, then add bread and butter pickles, hard-boiled egg, celery, green onions, and coarse-grain mustard. Sriracha Spiced – Spice is nice with Albacore.

What can I mix with canned tuna? ›

Dress up your canned tuna in these healthy recipes.
  • 01 of 05. Tuna Cakes: Add Eggs, Herbs & Breadcrumbs. ...
  • 02 of 05. One-Pot Pasta: Add Pasta, Olives & Lemon. ...
  • 03 of 05. Tuna Melt: Add Greek Yogurt, Veggies, Cheese & Bread. ...
  • 04 of 05. Niçoise Salad: Add Potatoes, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Green Beans & Dressing. ...
  • 05 of 05.
Aug 19, 2022

What tuna does Ina Garten recommend? ›

According to Garten, Spanish tuna is packed in olive oil and is “absolutely delicious.” “It's moist,” she adds, “and the flavor is fantastic.” While shopping for Spanish tuna, Garten likes to purchase imported tuna in a glass jar, like Ortiz's Tuna Bonito Del Norte.

What is the best tuna called? ›

The best fresh tuna is the albacore (Thunnus alalunga), also called albacore fish, albacore tuna, albicore, albie, pigfish, tombo ahi, binnaga, bonito, longfin, longfin tuna, longfin tunny... It is the only tuna species which may be marketed as "white meat tuna" in the United States.

Why is deli mayo better? ›

Much of it boils down to the fact that, when it comes to making dishes with mayonnaise, restaurants often give a hard pass to the typical mayo that home cooks might grab at the grocery store. Instead, they tend to use heavy-duty mayonnaise.

Why am I craving tuna fish salad? ›

Tuna from a can is about as close to pure protein as any food I can think of. If you are lacking anything that you are craving, I'd guess protein. And if that's so, tuna is a pretty darned good choice. Your body is very smart and will make you hungry for what it needs.

Is tuna salad good or bad for you? ›

Tuna is a healthy food. But when folks make tuna salad, they tend to go overboard on the mayo adding tons of extra calories and fat. One cup of mayo has a whopping 1440 calories, 160 grams fat, and 24 grams saturated fat. It'll also tack on almost 50 percent of your daily recommended amount of sodium.

Why is tuna salad good for you? ›

The high levels of omega-3 fatty acids in tuna fish may help to reduce the level of omega-6 fatty acids and LDL cholesterol that can accumulate inside the arteries of the heart. Studies have shown that eating more omega-3 is associated with reduced rates of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks.

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