I am always looking for ways to use tuna in recipes. It doesn’t matter whether I am enjoying some bluefin tuna sashimi or making a tuna salad from canned tuna. Today I am making the Best Tuna Melt Using Corn Tortillas!

Why Am I using Corn Tortillas

I decided to use corn tortillas as an experiment. Knowing that I had some tortillas sitting in my pantry, I was thinking of ways to use them. They happened to be sitting next to cans of tuna, and the lightbulb went off. I also knew that the tuna melt mixture recipe was a good one. Any remaining tuna mixture will find its way between my favorite slices of bread.

One question you might have, ” Isn’t this recipe just another name for a “Tuna Melt Quesadilla“? Or Maybe a “Tuna Melt Taco”? The answer is, maybe. It’s kind of similar to the question of whether a hot dog is a sandwich. Ultimately, whether a hot dog is a sandwich often comes down to semantics, personal interpretation, and cultural perspective. For our purpose and in trying to be as clear as I can on what this recipe is all about, I am sticking with naming this dish A Tuna Melt Using Corn Tortillas!

Check here for another version of a Tuna Melt!

**My Tuna Melt with Pickled Onions on a Homemade Croissant Bun**

In this recipe I have included chopped pickles. Check here for my homemade pickle recipe!

**My Homemade Pickles Accompanying My Homemade New York-Style Pastrami**

What Kind of Canned Tuna Should I Use

It’s time to move this discussion forward and look more in-depth at making this dish. In this recipe, I am using a water-packed tuna. I am including mayo and Dijon mustard in my tuna mixture.

There are positives in using either oil-packed tuna or water-packed tuna. For a richer, more flavorful tuna melt, use oil-packed tuna. It is often preferred for its moist texture. Make sure you drain your oil-packed tuna if you decide to use it instead of water-packed.

Water-packed tuna works well and is a more traditional ingredient in making a Tuna Melt. However, water-packed tuna needs to be drained completely and mixed with ingredients such as mayo or Dijon mustard, or your tuna melt mixture might be dry.

I have used both oil-packed and water-packed tuna and have enjoyed the results of both options.

How to Layer Your Tuna Melt

We are going to layer the ingredients onto our tortilla to get the most flavor into our tuna melt. Starting from the bottom and going up, we will have 4 layers:

Cheese: It is a melt after all!
Seasoned Tuna Mixture (including chopped capers and chopped celery)
Chopped red onions and chopped green onions
And more Cheese: Continuing the thought that we are making a Cheesy, Gooey Melt!

I hope I tantalized your taste buds enough to try my recipe. Please share your thoughts in the comment area below. As always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

The Best Tuna Melt Using Corn Tortillas

Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

2 – 5 Oz cans of Water-Packed White Albacore Tuna (water drained)
1/2 Cup Mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Chopped capers
1 Tbl Green onion, fine dice
1 Small Pickle (Your favorite), small dice
Juice from 1 lime
1 Tbl Red onion, small dice
1 Small Celery stalk, small dice
2 Cups Shredded Gruyere cheese
8 Large-sized corn tortillas (white or yellow corn)
Salt and white pepper to taste
Celery salt to taste
Chili crisp; Optional

Directions

Make Your Tuna Melt Mixture
Drain your tuna and press to release any remaining water.
Juice one lime and set aside.
Dice green onion and red onion. Add both to a small bowl, mix, and set aside.
Chop celery, capers, and pickle. Add all to another bowl and set aside.
Add tuna to a large bowl. Add mayo, mustard, lime juice, chopped pickles, celery, a pinch of celery salt, and capers to the bowl with the tuna and mix well.
Place tuna mixture in the fridge for 1 hour
Taste your tuna mixture—if needed, season with celery salt, salt, and pepper to taste. Remember, your capers are salty. Be cautious when adding both celery salt and regular salt. (Start with adding a pinch. Taste the tuna mixture and add a little salt if needed until reaching the salt level you desire.)
Layering Your Tuna Melt
Pre-heat your oven to broil.
Place a 14-inch skillet/pan over medium heat. Add a spoonful of ghee (You can substitute oil for ghee) to the skillet/pan. Add 1 or two tortillas to your pan. Lightly toast, then flip it to the other side. Set aside when done. Add more ghee as needed. Clean your pan before making your tuna melt.
Divide the tuna mixture into 4 servings.
Add cheese as the first layer on top of one of the toasted tortillas. Layer one serving of the tuna mixture on top of the cheese
Top off the tuna mixture with the chopped onions.
Sprinkle a good amount of shredded cheese on top of the onions
Cooking Your Tuna Melt
Place your open-faced tuna melt on your oven-safe pan/skillet under the broiler.
Cook until the cheese is gooey and lightly golden. Place another pre-toasted tortilla on top of the cheese and leave under the broiler for 2 minutes. Keep an eye on your tuna melt. You do not want to burn the top of your tuna melt.
Use the same steps to make your other servings.
Serve and enjoy!