An easy salad recipe to make ahead for quick lunches or turn it into the most delicious open faced tuna salad melt. Ready to eat in just 20 minutes or less!!
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Ingredients needed for this tuna salad:
I could honestly eat this tuna salad by the spoonful. It’s both creamy and crunchy and is made with a few simple ingredients.
- solid white albacore tuna, no salt added, in water
- mayo or greek yogurt
- relish
- yellow mustard
- red onion
- celery
- yellow pepper
- parsley or chives
- salt + pepper
I like to use solid white albacore tuna, which has a firm texture. This tuna has a mild, light flavor and it holds up in recipes such as a tuna salad with the addition of mayo, relish, mustard, and veggies. You could also use chunk white, which is the same type of fish, but comes in smaller pieces.
I always buy my tuna packed in water rather than olive oil because it makes for a firmer texture. Oil packed tuna tends to have a stronger tuna flavor.
In a lot of my recipes you’ll notice that I sub Greek yogurt for Mayo, but this recipe is an exception… I almost always use Mayo in my tuna salad. It just makes it that much better!
This tuna salad is best served cold. Pop this salad in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes while you clean up the kitchen and let the flavors meld together.
Eat this salad by the spoonful, or grab your favorite neutral crackers and dig in! If you want to make this into more of a meal, skip the refrigeration step and try making an open faced tuna salad melt!
Open Faced Tuna Salad Melt:
My first reaction after taking a bite of these Open Faced Tuna Salad Melts.. DAMN these are good and they’re ready in no time… especially if you already made a batch of tuna salad!
I used the “The Always Pan” toast up these tuna salad melts. This is the non stickiest, stick, stick pan I have ever used. It is made by a company called Our Place. It comes with a steam basket and a wooden spatula. If you look closely at my photo, there is a little nodule on the handle of the pan — that feature was created so the spatula can rest on the pan and not the counter. BRILLIANT! I have used this pan almost daily since it showed up on my doorstep and would still recommend this product.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- Bread
- tomato
- white cheddar cheese
- fresh herbs
Name a more perfect combo…
What type of bread was used to make these open faced tuna melts?
Since tuna salad is a heartier salad, I went with a lighter, fully bread. I used an Italian loaf and buttered both sides with Kerrygold butter — the best!
Any type of sliced grain bread would also be delicious.
What type of cheese is on these open faced tuna melts?
I used white cheddar slices to make these tuna melts because it’s rich in flavor and pairs nicely with the creamy tuna salad. For a gooier cheese, you could substitute for American, Gouda, or Havarti.
Other topping recommendations:
- sliced avocado
- lettuce
- micro greens
- arugula
- sliced radishes
In case you missed the other Salad Week recipes, you can catch up here:
- Strawberry Salad with Fried Goat Cheese and Homemade Vinaigrette Dressing
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad with Crispy Prosciutto
- Simple Broccoli Slaw Ramen Noodle Salad
- Family-Style Loaded Wedge Salad with Candied Bacon
Open Faced Tuna Salad Melt
Ingredients
- 2 cans albacore tuna, no salt added drained
- 3 tbsp mayo or greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp relish
- 1 tbsp mustard
- ¼ cup red onion chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- ¼ cup yellow pepper chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley or chives
- pinch salt and pepper to taste
Tuna Salad Melt
- Tuna Salad
- Italian bread
- 1 tomato sliced
- white cheddar cheese
- chives and parsley for garnish
Instructions
Tuna Salad
- Add drained tuna to a medium sized bowl. Add mayo, relish, and yellow mustard. Stir to combine.
- Add red onion, celery, yellow pepper, and fresh herbs. Stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Refrigerate 15-20 minutes. Garnish with chopped chives or parsley. Serve with crackers.
Open Faced Tuna Salad Melt
- Skip the refrigeration step. Slice Italian loaf. Butter each side and brown up in a skillet.
- Break cheddar cheese slice in half. Add half on top of the slice of bread. Top with Tuna salad mixture. Place the other half of cheese on top of the tuna salad. Cover the skillet for 5-10minutes until cheese is melted.
- Transfer to a plate. Top with sliced tomato. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chopped chives and fresh parsley to garnish. Enjoy!
I’d love to hear from you once you get the chance to make this recipe. Leave a comment below with your review or any modifications you made! And don’t forget to tag @rightbackspatula on Instagram if you take any pictures!
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