Tuna melt – it sounds so pedestrian, so banal, so recherché.
If that’s what you are thinking – leave now, I don’t want you in my world and your soul has lost all hope for culinary salvation.
A well-made, proper tuna melt is a sandwich of beauty and unmatched savor, and I will teach you to make the best one on the planet.
First – a tuna salad secret held closely by old-school Jewish deli men that I will share at great risk to life and limb.
This may surprise you, but the secret to a truly awesome deli-style tuna salad is a bit of schmaltz, aka rendered chicken fat!
Yes – schmaltz. If you are unfamiliar with the liquid glory that is schmaltz – you are truly missing out on one of the world’s greatest taste sensations, Citizen! Fear not for your cholesterol, the secret is that you use only enough to add a richness to the mayo that you can’t quite put your finger on.
Trust me – this works and it is the reason so many old-school deli tuna sandwiches tasted so good.
Make this into a tuna melt with top-quality cheese and you have a true diner classic, with a touch of true Jewish deli thrown in for good measure. If you prefer, leave out the schmaltz but trust me, you’re missing out if you do.
My other secret ingredients – a hint of curry powder, which I find really amps up the flavor quotient in a truly delicious way and a special cheese blend that exemplifies deliciousness.
Be sure and finely mince the celery and shallot to the smallest dice you can – and make sure they’re the same size. Textural consistency is very important in this sandwich.
Enjoy my killer recipe, Citizens!
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintThe Hirshon Tuna Melt
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- 1 can (6 oz) top-quality solid packed white albacore tuna in oil
- 2 ½ Tbs Best Foods mayonnaise or to your taste
- ½ Tbs plain rendered pure chicken fat (schmaltz) or to your taste
- finely minced shallot (alternatively, mild white or Maui onion), to taste
- finely minced celery (de-stringed), to taste
- Wickles sweet pickle relish, to taste
- A large pinch of curry powder
- Dill sprigs
- Paper-thin slices of cucumber
- Thin slice of heirloom tomato, de-seeded
- Mix of grated Gruyere and Beemster Vlaskaas Cheese (my personal blend) or grated cheddar if you’re feeling less adventurous
- Romaine lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Make the schmaltz by slowly cooking shredded chicken skin with a bit of oil, or buy some from your butcher – it is also sold jarred in many supermarkets.
- Drain tuna and place in mixing bowl. Break up and mash tuna with fork to remove clumps and make a spreadable consistency. Use a stirring motion to flake the tuna as fine as possible. Mix in the mayo. Then add and mix in ONLY enough schmaltz until tuna achieves a rich taste.
- Mix in celery, relish and shallot. Add curry powder. Mix again.
- The important part:
- Tuna should neither be flavored with either too much mayo or schmaltz. You shouldn’t be aware of any blatant schmaltz taste in the tuna.
- You can make a tuna melt that stays crunchy without the tuna getting hot by using my hybrid method.
- Butter one side of a piece of top-quality bread (I prefer potato bread (old-school!) or artisanal sourdough and occasionally rye), and brown that side on a griddle.
- Then put it on a rack in a sheet pan and top with tuna salad and cheese. Run it under the broiler and you have an open faced sandwich with a crunchy bottom layer.
- The rack is crucial, because if you just put the bread on the pan, the heat from the cooking can make the bread steam and get soggy.
- Add a few sprigs of dill, the tomato slice, cucumber slices and a piece of Romaine lettuce on top. Top with another piece of pan-griddled bread.
- Serve with a dill pickle spear and potato chips plus a side of good childhood memories.
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
