Tuna Melt Mini Quiches

Looking for new, scrumptious ways to eat canned tuna? Try these delicious Tuna Melt Mini Quiches and you’ll be hooked. Made with good-quality solid tuna and a few other simple ingredients, these bite-sized mini quiches look sophisticated, but they are easy to make and pack a lot of punch! Perfect for parties or even simple weeknight family meals. Made even better with canned tuna that’s sustainable, and with all natural ingredients from Wild Selections® Tuna.

Tuna is another one of those things that turns back the clock for me and conjures up memories from my childhood that I didn’t even know were still stashed in my memory reel. Having grown up in islands, just a stone’s throw away from the beach (well almost, maybe if I had like a really strong arm and I was throwing downwind), I’ve eaten my fair share of tuna, growing up. And it’s been a true lifesaver throughout. My mom used to make delicious tuna and mayo sandwiches, and one of our absolute favourite ways to eat tuna was by making these Sri Lankan Fish Cutlets, which are basically bite-sized spicy fish croquettes. No party or gathering was EVER complete without some fish cutlets as snacks/appetizers when we were kids, and it was so much fun to get involved in the process of making them. And then later during my student years, tuna would feature heavily in my lunches and dinners and I was always on the lookout for new ways to use tuna for quick and easy meals, especially the likes of my favourite – Tuna Melt Sandwiches!

But I kicked them up a few notches with these Tuna Melt Mini Quiches. These little guys are addictive and they pack an insane amount of punch! All the comforting  flavour of tuna melt in one wickedly delicious bite – How could you say no to that?? These Tuna Melt Mini Quiches are easy to make, perfect for parties, gatherings, or even weeknight dinners, and fully customizable to suit your taste preferences!

I made short crust pastry from scratch for these Tuna Melt Mini Quiches recipe, but you can use ready made short crust pastry OR use pre-baked mini phyllo cups to make it even easier! The final product will still be the same, because the filling is truly the star here!

And yes, that filling! Slow roasted tomatoes (or you can use sun-dried tomatoes instead), serrano (or jalapeno) peppers, red onions, pepper, chopped dill and cheese. And of course good-quality tuna.

Having grown up eating a lot of  tuna, I have been quite wary about canned tuna – the quality of the tuna and where is comes from. With Bluefin tuna populations being threatened due to overfishing, it is really important to make sure you buy tuna that is from a sustainable source. Then there are those cans where it’s only tuna flakes in a can with A LOT of liquid. And once you drain all the liquid, you’re left with such a sad amount of meat.

But one that I absolutely love however is Wild Selections® solid tuna. This is legit solid tuna in a can. Plus, Wild Selections® is certified sustainable tuna. Meaning, their tuna comes from well-managed fisheries and healthy fish stocks (Read more about it here!). They are the only full line of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable seafood. And their products are also Non-GMO Project verified. Wild Selections® also ensures that they give back to the oceans and for marine life conservation, by donating 13 cents for every can that’s purchased to World Wildlife Fund marine conservation and fishery improvement projects. So you know your fish comes from conditions that put great value on them – and by buying these cans you know that you’re contributing to that cause.

When I lived in Australia, I always looked for tuna that was dolphin-friendly and sustainable – my favourite type was line caught tuna. So it was only natural that I found Wild Selections® solid tuna products just as appealing when I moved to the USA.

But most of all, it tastes delicious. In this recipe for tuna melt mini quiches, I used one can of Wild Selections® solid tuna (drained), and they taste absolutely scrumptious! I used my favourite tuna melt fillings for these mini quiches, but you can also try them with anything else you like.

Tuna Melt Mini Quiches

Servings: 24 mini quiches

Author: Dini from The Flavor Bender

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Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

• 10 oz AP flour
• 5 oz cold butter cut into small cubes or grated
• 4 -5 tbsp ice water
• ½ tsp salt

Tuna Melt Mini Quiches

• 4 oz/ 113 g Drained Wild Selections® Solid Albacore Tuna - 1 can (in water or oil is fine)
• ¼ cup finely chopped red onions
• ¼ cup Jalapeno chopped (with or without seeds) OR Serrano peppers
• ¼ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Pepper
• Shredded cheese I used Pepper Jack, but you can also use cheddar
• Chopped dill

Egg Custard

• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup half and half
• ¼ tsp salt
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the flour, butter and salt in a bowl and rub the mix together until it resembles coarse sand. You can do this in the food processor too.
2. Add water (1 tbsp at a time), and mix well until it starts to form a ball - It only took about 5 tbsp of water for me.
3. Place the dough ball on a floured surface, and bring it together to form a dough and then flatten it out to a disc. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes - up to overnight. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it soften (if you keep it in the fridge overnight).
4. Preheat oven to 375°F.
5. On a well floured surface, roll out till you have a rectangle that’s about 18 inches in length and about a foot wide. Cut this into 24 parts (4 strips lengthwise and 6 strips across).
6. Spray a mini muffin tray with non stick spray. Place each square in the mini muffin cavity and press it down using your fingers or a tart tamper. The four corners will be sticking out, and that's OK. You can trim it if you like though.
7. Dock the dough using a fork. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.
8. Remove from the oven and let it cool down while you get the filling ready.
9. Drain the liquid as much as possible from your can of tuna. Place the tuna in a bowl, along with the chopped onion, serrano pepper, tomatoes, lemon juice and black pepper.
10. Next, mix all the ingredients of the egg custard in a bowl and set aside.
11. Spoon a little bit of the tuna filling into each mini tart (a small amount, leaving room for the custard).
12. Then add a little custard into the mini tarts using a measuring spoon to fill to the top.
13. Top with the remaining tuna filling, and sprinkle chopped dill and shredded cheese on top.
14. Return to the oven to bake for a further 15-20 minute, until the cheese starts to bubble and brown at the edges.
15. Remove from the oven and let it cool until it's cool to the touch. Serve warm or at room temperature.
16. Before serving, add a dollop of sour cream and another sprinkle of chopped dill (optional).

What I love about these tuna melt mini quiches – beyond how flavourful they are and how appetizing they look – is how versatile they can be. The tomatoes add a burst of sweetness, and the solid tuna chunks are meaty with fresh tangy flavours from all the add ins. They are perfect party hors d’oeuvres, but they are just as great for a delicious family meal. They look sophisticated, but they are made with simple, flavourful ingredients. Good-quality tuna really makes all the difference!

To find out more about their sustainably sourced fish, that’s 100% traceable, go ahead and check out the Wild Selections® website here, and their videos on marine conservatism with The World Wildlife fund – check out their YouTube channel and you can use this store locator to find out where you can get your can of delicious solid tuna.

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