- Connor Storrie shared Ilya’s signature tuna melt on the TODAY show.
- The recipe features Duke’s mayo, dill, red onion, lemon and Grillo’s pickles.
- Open-faced melts are topped with American cheese and served with chips.
In case you haven’t caught on to the hottest show of the moment, the hockey romance Heated Rivalry is taking over the world. The show’s stars have been on a media blitz, and actor Connor Storrie, who plays Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov in the series, stopped by the TODAY show for an interview. He topped off his visit with a tutorial on how to make tuna melts—an unexpectedly romantic meal for the show’s main couple.
TODAY shared Storrie’s behind-the-scenes tips on tuna melt-making on Instagram. “First of all, Grillo’s pickles,” Storrie says, opening the fridge and taking out all the ingredients. Grillo’s are made in Boston, where Ilya plays professional hockey on the show.
Storrie removes containers from the fridge with all the prepped ingredients portioned and ready to go—another Ilya-appropriate touch. (Fans of the show have pointed out that the character, who offers to make tuna melts nonchalantly, suddenly pulls a completely meal-prepped tuna melt station out of the fridge when his love interest, Shane, says he’d like one.)
Storrie riffed with the cooks about what he needed to assemble the meal, perhaps calling on his experience as a waiter, a job he held right until he began shooting Heated Rivalry. In the more informative recipe video with chef Krissy Nowney, we get a detailed breakdown of the ingredients and steps.
In a large bowl, Downey combines “a few cans of tuna” with Duke’s mayo, another ingredient that specifically appears on the show. Downey “eyeballs it” and scoops in what looks like about 1 cup of mayo. Wisely, she advises you to use the mayo sparingly, since you can always add more—but you can’t really take any away. She adds in about 1/2 cup of very finely chopped red onion and “some stunning dill,” also chopped finely.
Add a “a touch” of celery salt. “Shane likes celery salt,” Downey jokes. Next, zest and juice a lemon right into the bowl. Lemon is a great addition because it adds something bright to the dish, says Downey. While on the show the pickles are served on the side, Downey chopped up some Grillo’s pickles and added them to the bowl along with a splash of pickle juice from the container.
Downey sprinkled on regular kosher salt and ground in some black pepper. Once mixed, the salad was fairly moist and the ingredients were well distributed. Downey brought in her “tuna salad expert” coworker, who tested it out and proclaimed it needed more pepper and a little Dijon mustard, which adds an extra flavor boost.
She spoons the salad on slices of whole wheat bread. “Ilya’s tuna melts are open faced, so our tuna melts are open faced,” quips Downey. She tops them with yellow American cheese from the deli counter and puts them in the oven to bake.
While the sandwiches are toasting, Downey places the leftover salad and other ingredients into the containers so, like Ilya, she can be ready for the next time a house guest comes to the cottage (or the TODAY kitchen). When the cheese is melted and slightly brown, the tuna melts can come out of the oven and head to a plate.
We have lots of healthy tuna recipes including different tuna melts if you want to vary Downey’s version. If you’re aiming for a diet lower in carbs, swap out the bread for lettuce and you have a no-cook lunch that fits in with the Mediterranean diet. Or, take the whole thing up a notch with our tuna Niçoise melt which includes olives, egg and tomato and gets topped with fontina cheese. For pro hockey players—or anyone building muscle—tack on some extra protein by adding white beans.
Storrie (and Ilya) serve the tuna melts with chips. “We want it to feel rustic, alright?” Storrie says in the segment. Downey used Cape Cod chips as a bonus Boston reference. We’d love pairing these simple sammies with a quick salad, like our Green Salad with Edamame & Beets, or another easy, no-cook option. However you dish yours up, be sure you raise a glass of ginger ale—Shane’s drink of choice—and start counting down the days until season two arrives.
