English Muffin Tuna is Melting! When you have the tuna salad fixins, some cheese and some English muffins, you have dinner. With any luck, you’ll have a dinner your kids will love, too.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Your job as a parent is not always satisfying. This applies to all things, including the dining table. Teaching my kids that the world isn’t theirs to command is at the top of my list of things to do today.
Teach kids to like tuna
But, you know what? I make them anyway because A) I LOVE tuna melts, and these easy English muffins are freaking delicious, and B) they take some getting used to, not always succeeding exactly What you want.
As my four-year-old’s teacher says over and over again, “You get what you get. And you won’t have a fit!”
Be sure to read the testimonial below to see how these tuna melts actually played out on our dinner table!
Prepare a good tuna salad
For me, a good tuna salad needs a few things:
- There has to be some crunch. The last thing you want is a soggy salad, so adding crunchy veggies like celery, red onions, and bell peppers is a must.
- It must have a balanced taste. A touch of lemon or acid will help balance out the rich flavors in the salad. A pinch of salt and pepper is always a good idea, and maybe even a dollop of mustard!
- Third, and perhaps most important, try to use good quality canned tuna. In theory, any canned tuna works great, but finding a white albacore tuna is a great start to a great salad! Personally, I prefer the oil-packed tuna, but some people prefer the water-packed one. Either is fine for this recipe.
Once you’ve mixed the salad, you can add it to many things. Eat it over lettuce for a real tuna salad or make it into a sandwich. These English Muffin Tuna Melts are my new favorite dish and easy to eat!
How to make the best tuna melts
There are a few things to keep in mind to make these tuna muffin melts really tasty.
Don’t overfill the muffins to start with. I like to use about 2 tablespoons of tuna salad per half of an English muffin. You should be able to make about eight muffin halves from one serving of tuna salad.
Next, let’s talk about squishy muffins. In general, you might tend to toast the muffins so they don’t get too soggy. The problem, however, is that when you toast the muffins, they burn after you bake the melts.
So don’t toast. Instead, sandwich half a slice of Swiss cheese between the muffin and the tuna salad. This will keep the moisture out of the muffin and prevent it from getting too soggy.
Do these few things, and you’ll have some seriously delicious tuna muffin melts!
Serving options for tuna melt-in muffins
These muffins are great on their own or with a side of steamed veggies, baked fries, or even a small side salad.
However, for a light dinner, I can eat two or three of these muffins with some pickles and I’m full!
The father adds: Quickly pickled vegetables!
Again, what I always want to add to tuna salad is crunch and acidity. Therefore, these quick pickles are the perfect addition. I like to keep it simple with thinly sliced carrots and radishes, stirred with some pickles and pickle juice straight from my fridge.
These are quite addicting and I snack on them while waiting for the muffins to bake!
The children’s certificate
Well, as expected, I had to face a dinner revolt when my kids found out we had these tuna melt-in-the-mouth muffins.
It should be noted that they have never done this before had Tuna melts beforehand, so her dislike for it wasn’t based on experience.
If I’m anticipating a dinner revolt, I recommend calming the situation down by asking lots of questions. I use the Socratic method with my children.
- What do you dislike about dinner?
- Do you like other types of fish?
- Do you like plain toast?
- Do you like grilled cheese?
- Do you think Lebron James eats these? (This is a very important issue in our House.)
Most of these questions remain unanswered, but occasionally they can spark a conversation!
I can usually get them to do it after a series of questions Attempt a thing. Even if they don’t try, you can still get them to talk about it. Don’t just leave them smugly sitting around with something you’ve spent money and time on!
But yes. My kids tried zero bites from this dinner. Dinner on this particular night consisted of yoghurt and apple sauce.
More kid-friendly recipes:
- Goldfish Chicken Tender
- Easy Chicken Lo Mein
- Broccoli and Cheddar Quesadillas
- Pepperoni Pizza Penna Pasta
- Turkey Sloppy Joes
English Muffin Tuna Melts
ingredients
- DAD ADD: Quick Pickles:
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1 medium carrot
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5 radishes
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1/2 pickle
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3 to 4 tablespoons of pickle juice
- For the tuna melt:
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1 stick of celery, chopped
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1/4 cup chopped red onion
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2 tablespoons chopped red pepper
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juice of 1/2 lemon
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2 cans (about 10 ounces total) albacore tuna, packed in oil or water
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1/8 teaspoon salt
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1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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1/3 cup mayonnaise
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4 whole english muffins
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8 slices of Swiss cheese
method
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ADD DAD! Make the pickles:
Peel and halve the carrot lengthwise, then cut into thin half-coins. Halve the radishes and also cut them into half coins. Do the same with the cucumber.
Toss the vegetables together with 3 tablespoons of cucumber juice to coat. Set aside for a few minutes while you prepare the tuna melt-in-the-mouth muffins. Taste and add more pickle juice if needed.
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Preheat oven to 400°F
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Make the tuna mix:
In a medium bowl, stir together chopped celery, onion, red pepper, salt, pepper, and tuna. Finally fold in the mayonnaise.
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Preparation of the tuna melt:
Spread English muffin halves on a baking sheet. Place half a slice of Swiss cheese on the bottom of each muffin. Top each muffin with about 2 tablespoons of tuna salad mix. Top with the second half of cheese.
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Bake:
Bake the tuna melts for 12 to 15 minutes, until the muffins are browned on the edges and the cheese is melted.
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Surcharge:
Serve warm with pickles (optional).
Prepared tuna melts do not keep well, but the tuna salad mix keeps well in the refrigerator for a few days, and you can make the muffins as needed.
