I know what you’re thinking? Cranberry? Tuna? Do those things even go together?
They do. So well. More than you could even imagine.
Like so many wonderful discoveries, I came up with these tuna melts by accident one day when I was actually trying to accomplish something very different…
Picture fresh-faced 19 year old Finn in her second year at the University of Victoria. She’s hungry and she would like a burger and fries. She checks the fridge and finds approximately zero ingredients for said burger and fries: 3 different kinds of mustard, a jar of olives and a bottle of wine (okay, so maybe the mustard could go towards the burgers).
It’s raining out- hard. She contemplates driving out to get a burger, or ingredients to make one.
Back to the fridge. Check the pantry. Tuna… dried cranberries… a stale bagel that may or may not be resuscitated via toaster oven.
Back to the fridge. Maybe a glass of wine would help her think- and it does- except after said glass (or two) she couldn’t in good conscience drive to the store… so tuna melt it is!
Look at that, I’m like Iron Chef Bridget Jones.
From then on I always added dried cranberries to my tuna melts. My tuna melts even became a family staple, never to be made without cranberries again. It’s one of those things my parents tell their friends about in the way other kids parents’ brag about athletic accomplishments.
Parent 1: “Oh, did I tell you? Annie got first place at her track meet! She’s going to Provincials!!”
My smug parents: “Oh yeah, well Finn discovered dried cranberries are amazing in tuna melts, so, yeah, we’re pretty proud of her.”
(I’d like to take this moment to thank my Mum and Dad for always letting me follow my own path and supporting my accomplishments, even if I never played on a sports team. You guys are the best.)
You could certainly put these tuna melts on buns or other bun alternatives (some kind of veggie?), but I love mine on bagels. Proper bagels- none of this round bread with a hole in it- I need a good, chewy bagel.
Toasted bagel topped with savoury tuna, melted cheese, some crunch from the celery, a touch of sweetness from the cranberries… it’s tuna melt perfection in my books, excellent as a lazy dinner or a decadent lunch on a rainy day.
| Cranberry Jewelled Tuna Melts | | Print |
- 1 tin tuna
- 1 spine celery, chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
- ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise (can use light)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 sesame seed bagel, halved
- 4 slices cheddar cheese
- Preheat oven to broil.
- In a medium bowl mix together celery, green onion, cranberries and tuna. Add mayonnaise and mix until the mixture comes together evenly. Season with black pepper to taste.
- Spoon a healthy amount of tuna salad on to both halves of the sliced bagel and top with slices of cheddar cheese. Place, open faced, on a baking tray.
- Cook on broil for 5 minutes, until the cheese melts and becomes bubbly.
I just wanted to let you know that I’ve made these cranberry jewelled tuna melts twice! I acquired some bagels with cranberries in them and they totally pump up that sweet touch of cranberry that is already going on in the tuna (I just used a tad less dried cranberries). The tuna recipe is different for me–more like a chicken salad–but I think it creates a good but subtle combination of flavors. This is an easy winning recipe. I’ll be making it again and again for lunchtimes in the future 🙂
Oooh, cranberry bagels as well! I should try that out. Glad you enjoyed it, Melanie 🙂
JUST MADE THIS and it is absolutely delicious. Cranberries + tuna = yummmmm. I used baby swiss instead because I didn’t have cheddar. SO good.