Receta The Ultimate Tuna Melt and Bread and Butter Pickles to go with it.
Consider
the Tuna Melt, that diner staple that combines tuna salad, a slice of bread and
a heated layer of cheddar cheese. I
myself have consumed dozens and dozens of the open-faced sandwiches in a quest
to find the perfect Tuna Melt. And
almost inevitably I am disappointed. The
tuna salad, a glutinous mass of canned tuna, mayonnaise, celery and
occasionally onion, is hit or miss. But
the most common sin is that the tuna salad is often almost ice cold, while the
cheese topping is barely warmed through.
But I’ve pressed on for years until I came across a recipe not just for
what Bon Appetit magazine pronounced ‘the best they’ve tried’ but also for a
bread and butter pickle the writers insisted was their essential accompaniment.
Perhaps my disappointment came not from the sandwich but from not having the
pickles to go with it? Either way, the
ringing endorsement of the Tuna Melt and Bread and Butter pickles created by
the Palace Diner in Biddeford, Maine made me only too happy to rush to make
it. And while I was at it, to take a
look at the Tuna Melt’s origins, some of them fact and some of them, well, if
not fiction, shall we say, questionable?
Canned
Tuna, it turns out, is relatively new on the culinary scene. Before 1903, sardines made up the bulk of
American canned fish. That year sardine
supplies were in short supply. A grocer
in California named Albert P. Halfhill decided to pack empty sardine tins with Albacore
Tuna. The fish itself was considered a “nuisance fish’ because it’s large
schools got in the way of catching the prized sardines. Mr. Halfhill discovered that, when steamed,
the tuna turned an appealing white color with a great taste. He was not alone in his liking for canned
tuna. In less that a decade, tuna was being produced by 13 factories delivering
115,000 cases a year. Then, during World
War I, easily transported canned tuna was sent overseas to feed the troops. It became so wildly popular that by 1954, the
US was the world’s largest producer of canned tuna eclipsing Italy and Japan
who had invented canned tuna.
The Lunch Counter at Woolworth's on King St.
in Charleston S.C.
Was the Tuna Melt invented here?
But what of our Tuna Melt? Here history get a little less
verifiable. According a writer named
Warren Bobrow, the Tuna Melt was invented in Charleston, South Carolina. Mr
Bobrow writes that about 1965, at the Woolworth’s lunch counter on King Street,
the ‘ladies’ were working at their assigned tasks while Chef Bo filled orders.
One came in as follows: “I‘ll
have a grilled cheese sandwich, white bread with a smear of mayo and slices of
American cheese, “just as you like it”.
Then according to Bobrow, ‘atop the griddle on a shelf, a freshly made
tuna salad sits of the edge…and, as if guided by a hidden hand, the contents
tip over, falling on the grilled cheese. Voilà! The Tuna Melt is born!” A tall tale no doubt because it gives no
explanation for the fact that the English have an identical sandwich called
Tuna Alex or Tuna James and not Tuna Bo.
Finally, there’s reason to believe that the popularity of the Tuna Melt
was largely the work of Kraft Foods who wanted to prove the versatility of
their Velveeta Cheese. Ah well, another
day, another food mystery. Now on to our
recipe.
Palace Diner in Biddeford Maine.
Home of the Ultimate Tuna Melt
The secret to a great tuna melt goes
mayonnaise-y as most. The cucumber here
adds another dimension in flavor and crunch.
And while the ingredient list is substantially longer than you would
expect, every ingredient brings a nuance to the finished salad. If you make the salad and immediately make
the tuna melt, you will avoid the arctic chill of many a Tuna Melt. The original recipe called for Brioche
Bread. I much prefer the English Muffin
as a base – I am a sucker for those nooks and crannies. I also believe that the muffins should be
toasted prior to the addition of the tuna salad. This has the same effect as pre-cooking a tart shell so there’s no soggy bottom. Finally, I grated the cheese rather than
using a slab or slice of cheddar. It
think it melts better that way. The
Palace Diner version caps off the sandwich with iceberg lettuce and a couple of
pickles. I served my pickles but, as a Tuna Melt purist, left out the Iceberg. To my way of thinking, I achieved the
Ultimate Tuna Melt. Here is the recipe:
The Ultimate
Tuna Melt and Bread and Butter Pickles from Palace Diner, Biddeford, Maine. Makes 4 servings.
The pickles, while easy, take more time to make than the melt, which
comes together, tuna salad et al, in
under 30 minutes.
- For Bread-And-Butter Pickles
- 1 English hothouse cucumber, sliced ⅛” thick
- 1 habanero chile or 2 jalapeños, halved
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- For Tuna Salad And Tuna Melt Assembly
- 2 5-oz. cans water-packed solid white tuna, drained
- ¼ English hothouse cucumber, peeled, chopped
- ¼ small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ cup mayonnaise, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 slices challah, toasted
- 4 ounces cheddar, sliced
- Iceberg lettuce leaves
- Make the Bread-And-Butter
Pickles:
1. Pack
cucumber, habanero, and dill into a heatproof glass jar; set aside.
2. Bring
vinegar, sugar, kosher salt, red pepper flakes, celery salt, mustard seeds,
coriander, turmeric, and ½ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring
to dissolve sugar and salt, then pour into jar. Cover and let cool; chill.
Do
Ahead: Pickles can be made 2 weeks ahead. Keep chilled.
1. Preheat
oven to 425°. Mix tuna, celery, cucumber, onion, oil, lemon juice, mustard,
chives, dill, celery salt, and ¼ cup mayonnaise in a medium bowl; season with
salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
2. Place
bread in the toaster oven and toast until desired degree of brownness.
3. Then, on a baking sheet and spread remaining
mayonnaise over 4 slices; top with tuna salad and cheese.
4. Bake until cheese is
melted, about 4 minutes. Top melts with lettuce and pickles and close with
toasted tops of English muffins. Serve at once.