Best Mary Pats Tuna Melt Recipes

MARY PAT'S TUNA MELT

Steps:

• Mix tuna, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Stir in pickle and red onion. Spread tuna mixture on 2 slices of bread. Top each with 2 slices of Cheddar cheese.
• Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese on each of the remaining 2 slices of bread. Place on top of the Cheddar cheese.
• Place crushed chips in a shallow bowl. Spread top side of each tuna melt with 1 1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise and press into the chips. Repeat on other side.
• Heat a dry grill pan over medium-high heat. Toast tuna melts until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

MATER'S MISSISSIPPI TUNA MELT

Steps:

• Make the aioli and begin marinating the tuna early in the day. Microwave the lemon and lime in a small bowl to release the essential oils and set aside just long enough to be able to handle. Meanwhile, through the feed tube of a running blender, add 1 at a time, the egg yolks, dry mustard, salt, and white pepper. By this time, the micro-waved lemon and lime should be cool enough to handle. Leaving the blender running, squeeze the juice from half of 1 lemon through the feed opening, then add the oil in a slow stream. Remove to a bowl and refrigerate.
• Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper, place them in a nonreactive container and squeeze the rest of the lemon and the lime over them. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Heat the grill or preheat the broiler in the oven. Brush the marinated tuna with 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil. Cook until browned, until fish flakes with a fork, 3 to 6 minutes per side, and then let rest. Leave grill hot or oven on to toast bread.
• Brush olive oil (about 1 tablespoon per half) on Italian bread and toast lightly, either on the grill or under broiler.
• Flake the tuna, place in a bowl with scallions and fennel and fold in the aioli. Spoon tuna mixture onto the toasted Italian bread, drizzle a small amount of balsamic vinegar over, and top with Cheddar. Heat briefly in the oven to melt cheese. Garnish with fresh dill. This is great served with fresh tomato soup, if desired.

DECADENT CARAMELIZED TUNA PATTY MELTS

Steps:

• For the Thousand Island dressing: Stir together all the ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Set aside.
• For the universal tuna salad: Open the tuna cans and, using the back of a spoon, press as much of the liquid out as you can. Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Fold in the tuna and stir until incorporated.
• For the patty melt: Stir together the tuna salad and the sauerkraut in a medium bowl, and divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Using your hands, form each portion into a ball, and squeeze out any remaining liquid.
• Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the balls of tuna, pressing them into flat patties using a spatula. (It's okay if they run into each other.) Cook until caramelized on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes. Gently turn the patties over, and cook until the other side is caramelized. Transfer the patties to a plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Spread 2 slices of the bread with 1/2 teaspoon butter on each side, and put them in the skillet over medium-low heat. Top each bread slice with a Swiss cheese slice, and cook until the cheese melts, about 1 minute. Spread 1 tablespoon of the dressing on each cheese slice. Top each with a warm tuna patty and 1 Swiss cheese slice. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread, and butter the outside of each bread slice with 1/2 teaspoon butter. Cook for 1 minute; turn and cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, another 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat the process to make 2 more patty melt sandwiches. Serve the sandwiches hot with the remaining dressing.

MOM PAT'S TUNA AND NOODLES FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Cook the noodles in boiling water according to package directions.
• Melt the margarine in a skillet; add the oil from the tuna cans. this will add flavor to the sauce Add the flour and stir well to incorporate to make a roux.
• Add the canned milk to the roux and stir constantly until thickened. cook a couple of minutes to get the raw taste from the flour and thicken gravy salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the peas, mushrooms and drained tuna; cook until vegetables are done.
• Add cooked noodles and heat through.