Tuna Melt Panini with Grilled Onion and Hatch Chile

This tuna melt panini is loaded with grilled onion and fire-roasted hatch chiles. The melty cheese and spice blend in with the tuna to make this the best tuna melt sandwich ever!

Do you love grilled cheese sandwiches?

What about a tuna melt? Well, I combined all of your favorite things into one delicious panini! What better way to celebrate Earth Day than a sustainable, delicious tuna panini sandwich?

When Wild Selections^® asked me to share their tuna fish with my readers, I was excited. Earth day is so important to bring awareness about our environment. I am the one you see at the grocery store with the Safe Watch list out when I am at the seafood counter. Wild Selections^® seafood is all certified sustainable. This means that all Wild Selections^® seafood uses only Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood.

Sustainable Tuna

Wild Selections^® even make a donation of 13 cents from every can sold to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to benefit their sustainable fisheries programs and marine conservation efforts. They have committed a minimum of $1 million to be donated to these programs by 12/31/2018. (And you know that I support 100% companies that give back to make the world a better place!!) Wild Selections is the only brand to “pay it forward” and act on its belief to take care of the oceans for the future, not just fishing sustainably in the present.

The blue MSC eco-label tells you the fish in your can comes from well managed fisheries and healthy fish stocks.  Where the fish is caught is much more critical than how it was caught (limited impact if the fish stock is overfished). All tuna is also Non-GMO Project Verified.

Let’s get back to the melty cheese! When the tuna is combined with melty cheese, grilled onion and the spicy hatch chiles…something magical happens. (Note if you would like to see how to prepare fire-roasted hatch chiles, check out these simple instructions.)

For this panini, you can use a lot of different kinds of cheese. For my tuna melt panini, I used a flavorful Emmental cheese. It is such a versatile Swiss cheese and it was perfect to pair withWild Selections^® Solid White Albacore in water.

Panini is usually made with non-sandwich breads like sourdough, ciabatta, and focaccia. Unfortunately, we are gluten free and those breads are very difficult to find in gluten free versions. I used a gluten free bread that our family likes.

When you look at a can of Wild Selections Tuna, you can see huge chunks of high quality fish. This fresh high quality shines through when you use it in your recipes.

Are you ready to get cooking? These tuna melt panini sandwiches are so easy to make!

Add bread to a panini grill and add a layer of cheese. Add tuna salad on top. (If you don’t have a panini grill, don’t worry! You can make this panini recipe in a frying pan like a regular grilled cheese sandwich.)

• Just heat up a frying pan and put your butter side down bread on the pan so that the butter melts into the bread.
• Add your cheese, tuna salad, onion and chiles.
• Put a piece of buttered bread on top with the butter side facing up.
• Cook until the under side is slighly brown.
• Flip it over to cook the other side.)
• It is ready when your cheese is all melted and your bread is golden on both sides.

Add fire-roasted hatch chiles and grilled onion on top of the tuna salad.

How will you enjoy your Earth Day?

5 from 2 votes

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Tuna Melt Panini with Grilled Onion and Hatch Chiles

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

5 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Easy grilled cheese tuna melt panini full of sweet grilled onion and spicy hatch chiles.

Course: Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 2 sandwiches

Calories: 559 kcal

Author: Sandi Gaertner

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bread
• 1 can Wild Selections White Albacore Tuna in water
• 1 tablespoon mayonaise
• 2 tablespoons onion slices
• 4 slices emmental cheese
• hatch chiles to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat a panini grill, or a small frying pan over medium heat.

2. Next, open tuna can and drain the water into the sink.

3. Scoop the tuna into a bowl and add mayonaise, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

4. In a small pan, add olive oil. Add onion and saute until golden.

5. Prepare your hatch chiles. You can also use canned green chiles in the store if you prefer.

6. Butter one side of each slice of bread. Put two slices butter side down on the pan.

7. Add a slice of cheese to each slice of bread.

8. Next, add a layer of tuna fish.

9. Top the tuna with grilled onion and chiles.

10. Add a slice of cheese on top. Cover with the top piece of bread. Make sure the butter side of this slice faces upward.

11. Check the bottom slice of bread that is touching the heat. 

12. When this slice looks golden, flip the sandwich with a spatula to cook the other side.

13. This is ready when the cheese is all melted.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.