Easy taco tuna melt recipe, made with a secret ingredient, melted cheese, avocado, and English muffins. Make it on the grill or over the campfire. Thanks to Bays® English Muffins for sponsoring this post. Views expressed here are genuinely mine.
While we'll cook just about anything while we're camping, simple and easy dinner ideas, like this tuna melt sandwich, go a long way. Easy is everything when you've been out exploring all day long.
This tuna melt is one of my favorite camping recipes because not only is it Tex Mex, but it requires minimal prep work and minimal ingredients.
In fact, while I like to use a medium bowl to mix up the ingredients, you can mix it right in the same skillet used to grill the sandwiches.
We even use a secret ingredient that gives it a pop of flavor. Keep reading to find out what it is.
We prefer to make it an English muffin tuna melt, as well, using Bays English Muffins. They give the sandwich a slightly crispy texture with an explosion of flavor from both the muffins and the tuna mixture.
My mouth is watering right now just thinking about fish and chips, pairing it up with our favorite seasoned steak fries.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my grilling tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the tuna melt recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
If you're as into Tex-Mex recipes as I am, you'll love these recipes too:
- Crab enchiladas with white sauce
- Slow cooker chicken enchilada soup
- Easy fish tacos with Tzatziki Sauce
- Taco tater tot casserole
WHAT IS A TUNA MELT?
If you've never had a tuna melt, it's pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
It's tuna on some sort of bread with cheese melted over it. Usually, the tuna is mixed with mayo or other ingredients to give it a really delicious flavor.
In this case, we mix the tuna with certain ingredients to make it a Tex Mex tuna melt.
WHAT'S THE BEST BREAD FOR TUNA MELT?
As I mentioned above, we prefer to use Bays English Muffins. I love the thin, crispy outside and soft inside of these particular English muffins.
While they're perfect for breakfast, they make a wonderful alternative for lunch and dinner too, as well as snacks. My kids like to eat them with peanut butter.
Also, they're pre-sliced and easy to use when you're cooking in the great outdoors.
You can find Bays in the dairy case at your local grocery store. They are chilled for freshness, so we stow a pack or two in the cooler for camping.
HOW TO MAKE A TUNA MELT, TEX MEX STYLE
Making this easy tuna melt, even over the campfire, is a breeze.
First you need to wash and prep the peppers and green onions, the only chopping you'll really need to do for this recipe (unless you want additional toppings).
Create the tuna mixture…
- Combine tuna fish, picante tomato juice (our secret ingredient), red peppers, and green onions.
- Place the mixture in a cast iron skillet, and heat it thoroughly on the grill or over the campfire. Cook it 'til it's bubbly and sizzling.
Now you're ready to assemble your sandwiches…
- Start by splitting your pre-cut English muffins.
- Top the bottom half with a good sized helping of the tuna mixture.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese. We love using Monterey Jack or extra sharp cheddar on our tuna melts.
- Grill both the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches on a griddle until the cheese is melted. Be careful not to let the muffins burn.
CAMPFIRE COOKING TIPS
Your fire should be down to coals, with a little bit of flame here and there.
We use a tripod grill. You’ll want to watch it closely, though, as you may need to adjust the height of the grill over the fire, so the pan doesn’t get so hot that it burns the sandwiches.
Once you have the height you think you need, place the griddle on the grill, and you can either use a heated lid (with a skillet or Dutch oven), or use aluminum foil as sort of a tent wrapped around the griddle to trap the heat.
Trapping the heat will allow the tops of the tuna melts to cook, also allowing the cheese to melt.
Want to see an example of our aluminum foil tent? Check out our campfire chicken nachos recipe.
We’ve also put together a list of campfire cooking gear you may need for your next adventure. Be sure to check it out for all the essentials!
WHEN IT'S TIME TO ADD YOUR FAVORITE TOPPINGS
Once your tuna melt has cooked, you can load it up with your favorite taco toppings.
We like to add diced tomatoes and avocados. Other alternatives might include tomato basil salsa, sour cream, lettuce, etc.
Be sure to Like/Follow Bays Facebook page for more delicious recipe ideas.
HOW ‘BOUT DESSERT AFTER DINNER? MORE CAMPING RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY…
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Quick and Easy Grilled Taco Tuna Melt
Ingredients
- 4 small red bell peppers chopped or minced
- 3 green onions chopped
- 20 ounces solid white albacore tuna
- 3/4 cup picante tomato cocktail
- 8 English muffins
- 1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese* shredded
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 2 avocados
Instructions
- Wash and chop the peppers and green onions.
- Combine the tuna fish, peppers, green onions, and tomato juice.
- Place the tuna mixture in a cast iron skillet over the fire, stirring as needed, until the mixture starts to bubble and sizzle and is heated through.
- To assemble the tuna melt, split the English muffins in half.
- Top the bottom half with a good sized helping of the tuna mixture.
- Sprinkle with shredded cheese. We love using Monterey Jack or extra sharp cheddar on our tuna melts.
- Grill both the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches on a griddle until the cheese is melted. Be careful not to let the muffins burn.**
- Add your favorite taco toppings, like tomatoes and avocado, and serve while warm.
can you use regular can tuna?
Pam, I can’t see why not.
This looks so delicious, and relatively easy to make which is always a winner in my book!
Thanks so much, Gemma!
Yum, this looks so good!
Thank you so much, Felicity!