spicy dilly tuna melt

another tuna sandwich!

If you guys can’t already tell I love a good tuna sandwich & especially a tuna melt! On my weekly farmer’s market run, I knew I needed to re-up on my pickles from my local pickle vendor, The Crazy Cucumber (they ship now!) and they had this new flavor called Naughty Hottie…spicy garlic bread & butter and I was SOLD! So delicious! Spicy, tangy, garlicky plus bread & butter-y, so I knew I had to make a tuna melt!

hot saucie tip: pickles are not created equal tbh, so when you’re at the grocery store go the extra mile to get some good pickles! I like Grillo’s pickles for a grocery store pickle! In addition to pickles, tuna is also not created equal and below are my faves:

• Fishwife Smoked Albacore Tuna - available at Whole Foods & online retailers

• Wild Planet Albacore Tuna - available at retailers nationwide!

• Tonnino Yellowfin Tuna in spring water - available at Whole Foods & online retailers

Even if you don’t make a tuna melt, this will also be very delicious with some ritz crackers, my other personal fave when eating tuna fish!

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2, 5oz. can tuna in spring water, drained

• 1/3 cup bread & butter pickles, roughly chopped for texture

  • hot saucie tip: order The Crazy Cucumber Naught Hottie spicy bread & butter pickles or Grillos Sweet & Spicy Pickles but if you wan to make this asap use the below:

    • 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, depending how spicy you like!

    • 1-2 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane

• 1/4 cup mayo

  • hot saucie tip: a GOOD mayo like Duke’s mayo

• 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped

• 1/2 medium shallot, chopped

• 1 tablespoon ground mustard & dijon mustard

• kosher salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Toppings & Fixings!

• 2 slices good crunchy bread like sourdough

• 1 ripe beefsteak tomato, sliced & seasoned with flakey salt & fresh cracked black pepper

• 2 slices medium cheddar cheese

• reserved dijon mustard for the bread, for extra tang!

• 1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) for toasting the bread

Tools

• chef’s knife

• cutting board

• wide sauté skillet

• microplane, if needed

• prep mixing bowls

• measuring spoons & cups

Directions

1. In a prep mixing bowl combine all ingredients in the bowl for the tuna and stir to combine well, taste to adjust seasonings to your liking! i.e more pickles, more dijon for some tang or more celery for added crunch & texture!

2. Add some EVOO to a pan on medium heat & let it get hot.

3. Add some dijon mustard for some extra tang & punch onto each side of the bread then top one side with the tunafish, add sliced tomatoes then top with cheddar cheese (hot saucie tip: cheese needs to be next to bread so it melts) then place the other piece of bread on top….layering a sandwich properly is key!

4. In a hot skillet, place the cheese layer side down first and let the bread get nice & toasty and the cheese starts to melt! Once it is done, flip & do the other side, depending on your stove could be 3-ish minutes!

5. Cut in half & enjoy with some kettle cooked chips on the side and a nice cold glass of white wine lol!