How to Make a Tuna Melt
This open-faced tuna melt piles caper-studded tuna salad onto buttery toasted French bread, then broils it under a blanket of fresh mozzarella and sharp Cheddar. Sambal oelek adds a gentle heat that balances the tangy capers and rich cheeses for a toasty, melty bite. Serve for a cozy lunch or a quick, satisfying weeknight snack.
- Prep15 mins
- Cook10 mins
- Serves2
- DifficultyEasy
easyChef Pro health score
Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in How to Make a Tuna Melt, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.
- Glycemic ImpactFair
- 50 / 100
- Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
- Nutritional DensityPoor
- 0 / 100
- Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
- Energy DensityFair
- 45 / 100
- Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
- NOVA Processed Culinary Ingredients
- 2 / 4
- Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.
How it scores for each health goal
The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.
- 9
- Heart Health
- 58
- Metabolic
- 16
- Digestive
- 39
- Inflammatory
- 47
- Performance
- 28
- General Wellness
- 1
Put the tuna in a mixing bowl and gently break it up with a fork. Add the celery, green onion, capers, mayonnaise, and chile paste. Pinch in small pieces of mozzarella and stir to combine. Season with salt and black pepper, then refrigerate the tuna salad until needed.
- 2
Preheat the oven broiler and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- 3
Generously spread butter on both sides of the French bread slices.
- 4
Broil the buttered bread until the tops are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the slices and broil the other side until toasted, 2 to 3 more minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the slices on the baking sheet so the darkest sides are facing down.
- 5
Using 2 forks, gently spread the tuna salad onto the bread slices. Press the salad onto the bread and spread it all the way to the edges. Sprinkle shredded Cheddar over each sandwich and dust the tops with cayenne pepper.
- 6
Place the sandwiches under the broiler and cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Calories 534.17 kcal High 27%
- Protein 30.99 g Good Source 62%
- Carbohydrate 22.82 g 8%
- Total Fat 33.94 g High 44%
- Saturated Fat 13.66 g High 68%
- Trans Fat 0.0 g Low Source 0%
- Cholesterol 89.88 mg High 30%
- Sodium 1011.79 mg High 44%
- Dietary Fiber 1.28 g Low Source 5%
- Total Sugars 2.78 g --
- Added Sugars 0.15 g Low Source 0%
- Calcium 224.24 mg Moderate 17%
- Iron 1.82 mg Moderate 10%
- Potassium 379.68 mg Low Source 8%
- Vitamin A 55.81 mcg Low Source 6%
- Vitamin C 0.46 mg Low Source 1%
- Vitamin D 1.59 mcg Low Source 8%
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Fish 🐟
- Milk 🥛
- Wheat 🌾
- Gluten
- Celery
About This Recipe
How to Make a Tuna Melt is made with 12 ingredients and serves 2. It takes about 25 mins and is rated easy. Key ingredients include Butter, Canned Tuna in Oil, Capers, and Cayenne Pepper. Each serving provides about 534.17 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is How to Make a Tuna Melt made of?
- The main ingredients are Butter, Canned Tuna in Oil, Capers, Cayenne Pepper, Celery. The full list of 12 is above.
- How long does it take to make How to Make a Tuna Melt?
- About 25 mins in total: 15 mins to prepare and 10 mins to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 534.17 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is How to Make a Tuna Melt easy to make?
- This recipe is rated easy, with 12 ingredients and 6 steps.
- Is How to Make a Tuna Melt healthy?
- How to Make a Tuna Melt has an easyChef Pro health score of 34/100. Per serving, it provides 534.17 calories and 30.99 g of protein, or 62% of the Daily Value. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 1011.79 mg (44% of the Daily Value) and saturated fat at 13.66 g (68% of the Daily Value). It contains Fish, Milk, Wheat, Gluten and Celery, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.
How easyChef Pro scores recipes and products
easyChef Pro analyzes up to 41 nutrients using data sourced from USDA and other verified food databases. Its scoring method uses the nutrients relevant to nutrition quality, calorie density, processing level, and your selected health goal. Recipes and food products get a health score from 0 to 100, calculated using consistent rules instead of being estimated by AI. The same nutrition data, serving size and health goal will produce the same result.
The calculation evaluates nutrients, calorie density, processing level, and how well the food supports your selected health goal. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients can strengthen the score. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, added sugar and other nutrients may lower it.
Your health goal also matters. easyChef Pro evaluates recipes and products across six health areas and adjusts their importance for your selected goal. This means the same food may be a better fit for one health goal than another.
For recipes, changing an ingredient, quantity or serving size changes the nutrition and may change the score. Remix the recipe in easyChef Pro to calculate fresh nutrition and scores for the version you actually make. Product scores are based on the nutrition and serving information associated with that specific product.
Score a recipe free, no app required