Once upon a time a chef entered a contest for the best grilled cheese sandwich. It was only a grilled cheese after all, how hard could it be to come up with the winning recipe?
That is how I began my post about the Brie, Gorgonzola and Pork Loin Grilled Cheese recipe I developed for a contest. Well, here is the second recipe I entered into that contest . . . and the second one that did not make the cut.
So, it occurs to me that it may indeed be fairly hard to come up with a winning recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich. Could someone pass me that humble pie please?
This tuna melt starts with extremely flavorful tuna with lemon zest and fresh tarragon, with gooey provolone cheese and creamy avocado.
And to really make it really special, I threw on some potato chips for crunch.
Damn good grilled cheese, if you ask me.

Prep Time | 10 minutes |
Cook Time | 5 minutes |
Servings |
sandwiches
|
- 1 can (7 oz) solid white tuna in water drained
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspooon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 slices white bread
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 cups grated provolone cheese
- 1 each avocado large dice
- kettle cooked potato chips
Ingredients
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- In a medium bowl mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, tarragon, salt and pepper.
- Brush the slices of bread with the melted butter, then place them butter side down in a large skillet.
- Divide the provolone cheese between the 4 slices of bread.
- Spread the tuna on 2 slices of the bread, place a cover on the skillet and turn the heat to medium high.
- Cook the sandwiches for about 4-5 minutes, checking to see if the cheese has melted and the bread has browned.
- Remove the sandwiches from the skillet, place diced avocado onto the tuna and cover with the slice of bread with cheese only.
- If desired, add a handful of potato chips on top of the avocado before closing the sandwich.
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