This tuna melt is the best tuna melt

Golden Diner's tuna melt is a study in texture, in contrasting flavors, in griddled perfection.

View in browser|nytimes.com September 1, 2024 Golden Diner's tuna melt by Sam Yoo, adapted by Alexa Weibel. Rachel Vanni for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. An absolutely incredible tuna melt By Sam Sifton Good morning. What's better than the Sunday of a three-day weekend? If you're lucky, you've already been off work for a day. And if you're going to be off tomorrow, too? That can feel like a gift, a room in your house you didn't know you had. Luxuriate in it if you can. There may be back-to-schoolish responsibilities looming. But today's just for you. For dinner, I'm thinking you could make a version of the incredible tuna melt sandwich (above) that the chef Sam Yoo makes at his Golden Diner in Manhattan's Chinatown. It's a study in texture, in contrasting flavors, in griddled perfection: Rye bread and melted cheese and tuna salad run through with mayonnaise, mustard, minced bread-and-butter pickles, celery and red onion, with hits of smoked paprika, garlic and onion powders and a zip of hot sauce, with a handful of salt-and-vinegar potato chips nestled into the mix for crunch and zing. Featured Recipe Golden Diner's Tuna Melt View Recipe → It's cool to eat that sandwich at the restaurant. But it's even more exciting to eat it at home, whether in a too-small apartment, a soaring suburban colonial or anywhere in between. It is a professional-grade tuna melt. It'll leave you feeling like a professional-grade cook, eating restaurant food wherever you stay. As for the rest of the week. … Monday Celebrate the American labor movement and the contribution of its members to this country's development and achievement the way the Knights of Labor intended: with a cookout built around a centerpiece of smash burgers. Just put a cast-iron pan or a flat griddle on your grill and go to, with maybe some brats and macaroni salad to follow. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Smash Burgers By Farideh Sadeghin 45 minutes Makes 4 servings Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Beer Brats By Melissa Clark 20 minutes Makes 6 servings Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist; Simon Andrews. Macaroni Salad By Millie Peartree 30 minutes, plus chilling Makes 8 to 10 servings (3 quarts) Tuesday Going back to work hits different when you're cooking every day. Do yourself a favor and make it a little easier on yourself tonight with Andy Baraghani's new recipe for a crispy artichoke pasta. It's a smart and sophisticated pantry meal that makes great use of canned artichokes in a simple sauce of starchy pasta water, Parmesan cheese and butter. Emma Fishman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff. Crispy Artichoke Pasta By Andy Baraghani 35 minutes Makes 4 servings  Wednesday In the middle of the week, there's little better than a dish that comes together in under 30 minutes, and Jerrelle Guy's new recipe for scrambled eggs with soy-marinated tomatoes is a prime example. It's vaguely related to the Chinese comfort-food classic, but the tomatoes are cooked separately from the eggs and Cheddar, and you could throw a chunked-up avocado into the mix as well. The combination is exquisite. Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Scrambled Eggs With Soy-Marinated Tomatoes  By Jerrelle Guy 15 minutes Makes 4 servings Thursday I think Rick Martínez's recipe for Tajín grilled chicken cooks just as well in a hot oven as on a grill, and tastes equally delicious served over rice with scallions as it does piled into a sandwich or sliced into buttery warm tortillas. It's a dish to make your own. Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Tajín Grilled Chicken By Rick A. Martinez 35 minutes Makes 4 servings Friday There have been small tuna running in the waters near home of late, and I've been blessed with friends who've dropped off slabs of loin for me to slice for sushi and sashimi. But if you're not in that position, you can still make Naz Deravian's new recipe for chirashi with steamed shrimp and cooked eel from the store, along with lots of pickled vegetables, steamed snow peas and dabs of salmon roe. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Chirashi Sushi  By Naz Deravian 2 hours 50 minutes  Makes Serves 4 to 6 And if none of that appeals? There are thousands more recipes to cook this week waiting for you on New York Times Cooking, which, amazingly, thrillingly, wondrously, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. We're all of us proud of the achievement. Ten years! We'll be celebrating all month, among ourselves and with you. Let's kick things off with gifts. A lot of them. For the entirety of the month, we're giving New York Times Cooking subscribers unlimited gift recipes to share with friends and relatives. Just tap the "Give" icon on any recipe to create a paywall-free link that you can send to whoever you like. Please do that with abandon. Baby's all grown up. Now, it's nothing whatsoever to do with frying chicken or whisking a vinaigrette, but Amanda Petrusich's interview with the musicians David Rawlings and Gillian Welch in The New Yorker? Click. More random, I'm the dummy who watched "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" without ever having seen its predecessor, "Mad Max: Fury Road." I bring that up because even if you're the smart one who has seen everything in real time, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is worth a rewatch in the coming days. Do read David Marchese's interview with Jelly Roll in The New York Times Magazine. Finally, some math rock to play us off: Geordie Greep, "Holy, Holy," "clever and creepy at the same time," as my colleague Jon Pareles put it in The Times. Play that loud and I'll see you next week. Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018