Zesty Open-Faced Tuna Melt (Gluten-Free)

This isn't your average "pantry staple" tuna melt! By swapping the standard relish for zesty Meyer lemon, fresh dill, and the vinegary kick of pepperoncini, we’re elevating a comfort food classic into something bright, herbaceous, and seriously sophisticated. Piled high on toasted Bread SRSLY sourdough and finished with a blanket of cheddar cheese, this recipe proves that a few fresh upgrades can turn simple canned tuna into a gourmet lunch.

This recipe elevates a standard tuna melt recipe using the following ingredients and methods: 

Keep It Open-Faced

This recipe is ingredient-forward, capitalizing on a melted cheese topping and creamy tuna rather than the bread.

Toast-Then-Broil Method

Instead of pan-grilling our tuna melt, we set the structure of the bread first by toasting. Heating bread drives out moisture, creating a more stable, crunchy base. This is especially important for gluten-free sourdough which doesn't have the elasticity of gluten-containing breads. 

When you pan-grill, you melt the cheese by trapping heat in the sandwich through the flipping process. Sometimes this can result in an over-toasted bread but cold filling.  Broiling, however, heats from the top-down, melting the cheese rather than toasting the bread. When you separate the toasting and melting processes into different steps, you are able to have full control over the browning and melting.  

Tuna Salad But Make It Zesty

This is where this recipe really diverges from the traditional. More traditional recipes are made with mayo, mustard, onion, and celery. This Zesty Open-Faced Tuna Melt is  gourmet, using bright, tangy flavors and a crusty gluten-free sourdough. We use the following swaps and additions: 

  • Pepperoncini and brine instead of celery and mustard
  • Fresh dill rather than freeze-dried herbs
  • Green onion instead of red onion
  • Meyer lemon zest and juice instead of a small squeeze of regular lemon. These are a smaller, more fragrant lemon
  • Gluten-free Sourdough from Bread SRSLY. This bread uses no gums or fillers, and is made with a traditional fermentation process that brings out the tang of this recipe. 

Makes two open-faced toasts
Recipe created by Dana // @baydish // Watch the recipe
Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, can be made Dairy-Free

NUTRITION INFORMATION

For one open-faced sandwich: 

  • Calories: 673 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Protein: 40 g
  • Fat: 50.5 g
  • Fiber: 2 g

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 diagonally cut slices of Bread SRSLY Gum-Free, Rice-Free Sourdough 
  • ½ cup mayonnaise of your choice
  • 2 tbsp pepperoncini, roughly chopped, plus a splash of brine from the jar
  • 2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp green onion, sliced
  • Zest of one Meyer lemon 
  • Juice of ½ Meyer lemon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 10 ounces canned tuna, drained well (we like Safe Catch)
  • 4 slices of cheddar cheese (or cheese of your choice)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Pop two slices of Bread SRSLY Gum Free Rice Free Sourdough in the toaster oven for about 5 minutes, until bread is lightly browned.
  2. While the bread is toasting, assemble the tuna salad. Add the mayo, pepperoncini, dill, green onion, meyer lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper, and drained tuna to a medium sized bowl and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to your personal preference.
  3. Turn the broiler in your oven on. Distribute the tuna salad evenly between the two toasted bread slices. Top each slice with two slices of cheese. Broil until cheese is melty and perfect. Top with additional pepperoncini, dill, and green onion if desired. Enjoy!

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