Open-Faced Cheddar Tuna Melts with Dill Pickles
Inspired by techniques from NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Tuna is mixed with mayonnaise, pickles, red onion, celery, lemon and dill, spread on butter-toasted sourdough, heaped with Cheddar and grilled 3-4 minutes until bubbling and browned.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Make the tuna salad. Flake the tuna and mix in the mayonnaise, pickles, onion, celery, lemon, mustard powder, dill and pepper.
- 2
Heat the grill. Heat the grill to high with a rack 10 cm below.
- 3
Toast the bread. Butter one side of each slice and toast both sides under the grill until golden.
- 4
Top. Spread the tuna salad to the edges and pile on the cheese.
- 5
Melt. Grill 3-4 minutes until the cheese bubbles and browns in spots.
- 6
Serve. Rest 1 minute and serve with pickle spears.
Storage
Best eaten hot. Keep leftover tuna salad chilled for up to 2 days and make fresh melts. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why this label?
27.5 g protein for 472 kcal = 5.8 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 23% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 1.3 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 234 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
2.2 g per serving
4.4 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 8.8 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- grill (broiler)
- baking tray lined with foil
- medium bowl and fork
- box grater
- spatula
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 472 kcal |
| Protein | 27.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 25.8 g |
| of which sugars | 3 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.2 g |
| Fat | 28.6 g |
| of which saturates | 9.7 g |
| Fibre | 1.5 g |
| Salt | 2.33 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
5.8 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
