How to Make Dill-Pickle Tuna Salad (+Bonus: Tuna Melt)

I understand some folks not being into tuna, but since you’re here, clearly that’s not you HAHA! So how can you up your tuna salad game, and maybe make what could be your new favorite sandwich?!

I’ll quickly mention here that there is a tuna salad recipe in my first cookbook, Insane in the Brine: The Official Cookbook, which has about a thousand and one ingredients. (Everything but the kitchen sink!) I love that recipe, but today’s recipe here on the blog is meant to be less time consuming and more traditional.

Tuna salad has long been a staple of the American Jewish deli. For one thing, this is because tuna is pareve, meaning it’s neither meat nor dairy according to kosher dietary food laws. That meant it could be eaten any time after a meat meal (whereas dairy cannot be). Alternately, it can be served with cheese (in spite of a kosher prohibition against mixing milk and meat, fish is not classified as meat). Add in its affordability, protein content, and ease of prep, and it’s no wonder delis embraced it.

This version leans into that tradition with a briny twist: kosher garlic dill pickles, chopped right into the mix. It’s creamy, crunchy, and just tangy enough to wake up your sandwich game. At the same time, you can use whichever type of pickles you want, or frankly none at all.

And if you’re feeling indulgent, this salad makes the perfect base for a tuna melt—a buttery, golden sandwich that may have been born in a diner, but owes its soul to the deli. It’s the warm hug version of tuna salad, and we’ve got a quick pan-fry method to make it shine. Even though I usually have a tuna melt on my Jewish-style sourdough rye bread, the featured tuna melt sandwich below was incredible served on my cheddar-jalapeno sourdough white bread!

Yield:

Makes about 2¼ to 2½ cups of tuna salad (650g). Enough for 4 hearty tuna melts, each with approximately ⅓ to ½ cup filling (about ¼ to ⅓ pound per sandwich). Also suitable for 5–6 regular cold sandwiches, depending on portion size.

Equipment:

• Cutting board & knife
• Measuring cups & spoons
• Mixing bowl
• Spoon and/or fork
• Airtight container for storage (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 can tuna in water, well drained (12 oz.)
• 1/4 red onion, petite diced (about 50g)
• 1 large celery rib, petite diced (about 50–60g)
• 1 large kosher garlic dill pickle, petite diced (about 85–100g or more); or pickle of choice
• 1 teaspoon pickle brine
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (about 100 g, adjust to preference)
• Optional:
  • 1/2 tablespoon Dijon or yellow mustard
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Instructions:

1. Prepare the tuna: Open the can partially, then press down firmly on the lid to drain out as much liquid as possible. Alternatively, empty the tuna into a fine mesh colander and press gently with the back of a spoon. Transfer the drained tuna to a mixing bowl and flake thoroughly with a fork until no large clumps remain.

2. Add the diced onion, celery, and pickle to the bowl with the tuna.

3. Add pickle brine, salt, pepper, and celery seed.

4. Stir in mayonnaise until creamy and well combined. (Also add the dill and mustard if using.)

5. Taste and adjust seasoning or mayo as desired.

6. Serve chilled on a sandwich, as part of a tuna platter with romaine, olives, crudite, crackers, and more. Or… use in a tuna melt!

Tuna Melt Ingredients:

• 2 slices of bread (suggest some hearty sourdough or rye)
• ⅓ to ½ cup pickle tuna salad (see above)
• 2 slices of cheese (Swiss, cheddar, or American)
• 1 tablespoon butter, divided (½ tablespoon to start, ½ tablespoon for flipping)
• Optional: 2 thin slices of tomato; mustard on one or both bread slices, pickle slices

Tuna Melt Instructions:

1. Spread mustard on one or both slices of bread, if using. For extra pickle punch, add a few thin slices of dill pickle to either or both slices—this is for the pickle-obsessed.

2. On one slice of bread, layer the pickle tuna salad evenly.

3. If using tomato, place two thin slices on top of the tuna. Then add two slices of cheese, slightly overlapping but separated to help them melt across the full surface.

4. Close the sandwich with the second slice of bread.

5. Heat ½ tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat until melted and hot.

6. Place the full sandwich into the pan. Cook uncovered for about 2 minutes to begin crisping the bottom.

7. Cover the pan with a glass lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook for another 2 minutes, watching for signs that the cheese is melting—especially near the edges. This helps the sandwich hold together when flipped.

8. Remove the lid, add the remaining ½ tablespoon of butter to the pan, and carefully flip the sandwich. Use a wide spatula to support the bottom, and press gently on top to steady it as you turn. Tilt the pan slightly if needed. The melting cheese should help keep everything intact.

9. Increase heat slightly and cook uncovered for 1–2 minutes to crisp the second side.

10. Cover again, reduce heat to medium, and cook for another 2 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted, including the center. The outside may look gooey before the inside is ready, so give it time.

11. Monitor the heat throughout to avoid burning the bread. Adjust as needed.

12. Remove from pan (flipping back to the original side, so the cheese is on top of the tuna), slice, and serve hot. (Hint: serve with salt & vinegar chips and maybe even put a couple in there!)