Dinner

Mater's Mississippi Tuna Melt

Name: Mater's Mississippi Tuna Melt
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 135 min
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: 4 (6-to-8 ounce) tuna steaks; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 3/4 cup canola oil (must be room temperature); 1/4 pound American artisanal Cheddar (such as Grafton Village Classic Reserve), sliced 1/8-inch thick with a cheese plane; 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard; 2 large egg yolks; 3 tablespoons (or enough as needed) extra virgin olive oil (approximately 1 tablespoon to brush on the fish and 2 for the bread); 4 stalks fennel, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill; 1 loaf Italian bread, sliced in 1/2 lengthwise; 1 fresh lemon; 1 fresh lime; 1/4 teaspoon salt; Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 6 scallions, white and tender green parts only; Tomato soup, as an accompaniment; Pinch (1/16 teaspoon) white pepper

18 September 2026

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Total Time155 Mins

Serves4

Per Serving$7.38

Need a pescatarian main course? Mater's Mississippi Tuna Melt could be an amazing recipe to try. For $7.38 per serving, this recipe covers 43% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. One portion of this dish contains around 58g of protein, 79g of fat, and a total of 1212 calories. This recipe serves 4.

Southern Lunch Onions Cheese Eggs Steak

Method:

1
Make the aioli and begin marinating the tuna early in the day. Microwave the lemon and lime in a small bowl to release the essential oils and set aside just long enough to be able to handle. Meanwhile, through the feed tube of a running blender, add 1 at a time, the egg yolks, dry mustard, salt, and white pepper. By this time, the micro-waved lemon and lime should be cool enough to handle. Leaving the blender running, squeeze the juice from half of 1 lemon through the feed opening, then add the oil in a slow stream.
2
Remove to a bowl and refrigerate.
3
Season the tuna steaks with salt and pepper, place them in a nonreactive container and squeeze the rest of the lemon and the lime over them. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
4
Heat the grill or preheat the broiler in the oven.
5
Brush the marinated tuna with 1 tablespoon or so of olive oil. Cook until browned, until fish flakes with a fork, 3 to 6 minutes per side, and then let rest. Leave grill hot or oven on to toast bread.
6
Brush olive oil (about 1 tablespoon per half) on Italian bread and toast lightly, either on the grill or under broiler.
7
Flake the tuna, place in a bowl with scallions and fennel and fold in the aioli. Spoon tuna mixture onto the toasted Italian bread, drizzle a small amount of balsamic vinegar over, and top with Cheddar.
8
Heat briefly in the oven to melt cheese.
9
Garnish with fresh dill. This is great served with fresh tomato soup, if desired.