California Tuna Melt Skillet
California diner tradition reading oil-packed tuna salad piled onto sourdough with sliced tomato and sharp cheddar, griddled in butter until golden and the cheese melts, plated with quick pickles and a side of kettle chips for the West Coast weekday lunch counter classic.
American
Categories
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
For 2 servings
Instructions
Prep
Slice tomatoes into 5mm rounds, season with salt. Finely chop red onion and capers. Pick and chop parsley. Slice dill pickles into spears. Halve lemon. Divide tuna between two bowls. In each bowl, mash tuna with fork, fold in 3 tbsp mayo, 1 tbsp Dijon, half the red onion, half the capers, 0.25 tsp celery seed, half the parsley, juice from lemon half, and 0.25 tsp black pepper.
Build
Spread 10g butter on each of the 4 sourdough slices. For each sandwich: lay one slice butter-side down. Layer quarter cheddar, one portion tuna salad, half the tomato slices, remaining quarter cheddar. Close with second slice butter-side up. Repeat for second sandwich.
Toast
Heat a large heavy skillet (or two medium skillets) over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Lay both sandwiches in skillet(s), 4 minutes per side, pressing gently with spatula, until golden brown and cheese melts completely. If using one skillet, toast sandwiches one at a time.
Plate
Diagonal-slice each tuna melt into 2 triangles. Set on plates with dill pickle spears and kettle chips alongside. Scatter remaining parsley across, rest lemon halves on plate rims.
Recipes use AI and Edamam. Always check for allergens before cooking. Spotted something wrong—email us at hello@grubplanit.com.