Tuna Melt Bruschetta

Tuna melt bruschetta is easy and delicious Italian inspired appetizer. Cheesy, creamy and savory tuna topped baguette.

What is Bruschetta?

Bruschetta is an antipasto, traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. Made from bread rubbed with butter and topped with other ingredients. In Italy, the most famous one must be the bruschetta with tomato topping, but other may include cheese of any type, peppers, black olives, basil, beans, cured meat and so on. Most Italian restaurants will have bruschetta as a snack or appetizer.

What is Tuna Melt?

A tuna melt is a mixture of tuna salad, melted cheese, and vegetables. Besides, mayonnaise or special mustard is also a common filling for it.

Based on a story, the tuna melt was invented in the 1960s at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Charleston, S.C. When the chef dropped a bowl of tuna salad onto a melted cheese accidentally, the chef found out that it was tasty. From that, it has become a classic American diner food. It usually served with some bread to make it a sandwich.

What is the differences of bruschetta and crostini?

Bruschetta and crostini are versatile additions to Italian antipastos.
The difference between bruschettas and crostini lies in the bread used. Bruschetta, from the Italian word “bruscare” which means “toasted on coals” is made by baking a whole, wide range of Italian or sourdough bread. The crostini is sliced and baked from a smaller, rounder, finer texture, more like a white bread baguette.

For this recipe, I will use canned tuna chunks and mayonnaise for the topping. Tuna mayo or tuna melt is widely used and very popular as pizza topping in my country. Not only the creaminess comes from mayonnaise, it came from melted mozzarella cheese.

This is How I made Tuna Melt Bruschetta

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Slice baguette diagonally about 1 inch thick. Then, spread butter on both sides.

After that, bake at 350°F or 170°C for 15 minutes total. Flip halfway.

The texture of the baguettes will be very crunchy.

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Drain the tuna chucks from a can and store in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, paprika powder, salt, black pepper, and 1 tbsp chopped parsley (optional). Stir to combine.

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Spread about 1 tbsp tuna melt on each sliced baguette. After that, topped with shredded mozzarella.

The last, broil until mozzarella has melted. Garnish with parsley. Tuna Melt Bruschetta is ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

• Choose rustic country bread or crusty baguettes. You need to slice on a diagonal shape to get longer pieces. The bread will be easier to handle on the grill.
• Brush the bread with olive oil so it browns more evenly on the grill.
• Set the temperature in a medium-hot. If you use the gas, the fire should be medium hot. The bread will burn if the temperature or fire is too hot. However, if too cool, the bread dries out before it gets well grill marks.
• If you plan to hold the bruschetta for a while, be sure to cut the bread while it’s warm or it tends to crack.
• You can use any toppings you like. It doesn’t have a limit for the bruschetta.
• The number of servings you’ll get out of each topping recipe will depend on how large your bread slices are and how you plan to serve the bruschetta.

Tuna is an inexpensive protein that’s shelf-stable. It’s a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA, which are important for heart, brain, and eye health. Albacore and bluefin tuna have the highest levels of omega-3s followed by skipjack and yellowfin. Here are some things to look out for when picking up canned tuna:

• Look for BPA-free cans.
• Don’t buy dented or bulging cans which can indicate possible food safety issues.
• Pick brands that follow responsible fishing practices that go beyond “dolphin safe”.
• Don’t fall for vague greenwashing terms like ‘line caught’. Stick to pole caught or trolling if possible.
• Check the ingredient label to see what oils and broths have been added to the product, and decide if you want them in your tuna.

Our other seafood recipes:

• Grilled Squid Hotdog Skewer
• Tomato Shrimp Spaghetti Pasta
• Vietnamese Spring Rolls: Shrimp and Spicy Tuna
• Seasoned Tuna with Coconut Milk Sauce

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