Why Butter May Not Be Your Best Option When Toasting Tuna Melts

The iconic grilled cheese sandwich and the classic tuna salad are each delicious, and divisive, on their own. Debates about which fat is best for the grilled cheese and conflict over the ideal vehicle for tuna salad abound. Combine the two culinary concepts into a tuna melt and further dissent swirls. Dare you swap its standard bread for an English muffin? Just how many surfaces shall you hazard to toast to maximize the tuna melt's crunch? And what's the sandwich's best cooking fat for crispiness?

We opt for oil, although butter is most home cooks' go-to in grilled sandwich matters. There's probably some in the refrigerator, it's probably what you're used to from childhood, and you're probably familiar with how it's going to perform. Mayo comes in second; a favorite among the guess-my-secret-ingredient crowd with ideal spreadability and a sufficient smoke point to bring some golden color to your bread without burning it. But, for a tuna melt, butter's lower smoke point and high moisture content can leave a greasy, burnt, and even paradoxically soggy mess since there's more volume to heat through in a longer period of time than with a simple grilled cheese. For its part, mayo is too much of a good thing, as there's already plenty in the sandwich filling. Instead, swipe or even spritz the bread with a bit of oil to slake these potential pitfalls prior to grilling.

While exchanging the typical butter or mayo for oil is a tiny, mighty way to improve your tuna melt, it's still what's inside that counts. Yes, we're aiming for comprehensive crispness and the oil-coated exterior aids in that effort. But you've also got to zhuzh up the salad itself with a bit of bite by way of chopped cucumber, bell peppers, carrots, or radish. Season it all generously with at least salt and pepper, and incorporate the mayonnaise slowly, taking care not to overdo it. There aren't any great ways to truly remedy gloopy tuna salad.

Once the interior is mixed, barely brush the bread with oil, which could be repurposed from previous frying recipes or just the olive variety in your pantry. Toast all sides on the stovetop over medium until they get a nice amber blush. Then slather one piece of the toast with your tuna salad and cover it in a fine layer of easily melted cheese like bright, salty American or a milder Swiss. Fire the open-faced sandwich under the broiler and start monitoring for bubbly goodness after around three minutes. When done, remove, top with your reserved toast, and serve.