This Significant Dish From “Heated Rivalry” Is All Anyone Can Talk About, So I Made It (Yes, It’s Worth The Hype)

    “You like tuna melt?”

    Adriana Chavez
    by Adriana ChavezTasty Contributor

    I'm Adriana, an NYC-based freelance writer for Tasty and BuzzFeed Shopping.

    Across the world, people at parties are making boring small talk until they think of the perfect conversation starter: "So...have you seen Heated Rivalry?"

    Two men in suits sit at a press conference table with microphones, appearing focused and attentive. A water bottle is on the table between them
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    The steamy and heartfelt (what a combo!) Canadian series follows the love story of two hockey stars on rival teams.

    Two people sit at a bar with drinks, engaged in conversation. Others socialize in the background
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    Since the first episode dropped at the end of November, it's become one of the most talked-about new shows.

    Two smiling individuals sit side by side; one wears a black shirt, the other a striped shirt, with a caption that reads "CONNOR *laughs*"
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    One of the sweetest (and most talked about) scenes in the series is when Ilya (Connor Storie) invites Shane (Hudson Williams) to his Boston house. It's one of the first times the two have met up outside of a hotel room and marks a significant moment in the development of their relationship.

    Two people in a modern kitchen; one is shirtless, standing at the counter, the other is seated on a stool, engaging in conversation
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    Notably, it's the first time Shane sees how much Ilya cares for him.

    Two people are sitting on a black sofa in a modern living room, with geometric art on the wall behind them. There are drinks on the coffee table
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    Ilya has stocked his fridge with ginger ale, Shane's signature drink that he orders everywhere he goes. Ilya even asks him if his soda is cold enough (so cute!).

    A person smiling while sitting indoors, holding a can in both hands
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    Ilya also offers to make Shane a tuna melt, an act of care that clearly touches Shane. Ilya then pulls out already prepped ingredients. The man has thought this through.

    Two people in a modern kitchen. One is shirtless, holding jars. The other sits at a counter, facing away, engaging in a relaxed conversation
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    The scene doesn't directly show what Ilya puts in his tuna melts. However, we can see he has Duke's Mayo in his fridge, and also pulls out Grillo's Pickles, two brands with ties to Boston.

    A shirtless person stands in front of an open refrigerator, while another person sits at a kitchen counter looking at them. Large window in background
    Crave

    With these hints, Today Food recently imagined the recipe for Ilya's tuna melts and got a little help from Connor Storie himself.

    Today Show

    Ingredients

    Naturally, I had to try it.

    Assorted ingredients and products on a countertop: mustard, mayonnaise, pickles, bread, cheese slices, tuna cans, celery salt, onion, lemon, and dill
    Adriana Chavez

    Here are the sandwich ingredients:

    —2 Grillo's Pickles Dill Spears, chopped

    —1/4 red onion, chopped

    —3.5 cans of tuna

    —1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

    —1/2 cup Duke's Mayo

    —1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

    —2 tablespoons pickle brine 

    —1 teaspoon celery salt

    —lemon juice + zest from half a lemon

    —4 slices whole wheat bread

    —8 slices American cheese

    You can find the full recipe here. I halved it to make two servings instead of four.

    Today also served the tuna melts with Cape Cod chips (another Massachusetts-based brand), more pickles, and of course, ginger ale.

    How To Make Ilya's Tuna Melt

    STEP 1: I started by using my vegetable chopper to dice the red onion and pickles.

    Adriana Chavez

    The recipe says to chop the pickles, but I prefer everything bite-sized.

    Chopped red onions and pickles are seen inside a green food chopper. Text warning: "Never touch blades with your fingers! Caution! Sharp!"
    Adriana Chavez

    STEP 2: I then added them to a bowl with the tuna and fresh dill.

    Ingredients in a mixing bowl: chicken, diced red onion, chopped pickles, and dill, ready for preparation
    Adriana Chavez

    STEP 3: Next up, mayo and mustard.

    Ingredients in a mixing bowl: chopped red onions, pickles, mayonnaise, and dill
    Adriana Chavez

    STEP 4: I mixed the ingredients together and then added lemon juice, lemon zest, pickle juice, and celery salt.

    Adriana Chavez

    STEP 5: After mixing that all together, I did a tasting and decided the salad needed more mayo and mustard. I added about a third more of each than the recipe called for.

    Bowl of mixed chicken salad with red onions and herbs; a spoon with mayonnaise is held above
    Adriana Chavez

    Since many of the ingredients already had sodium (including two out of three of my cans of tuna), I didn't need to add salt. 

    STEP 7: Since Ilya pulls out what looks like premade tuna salad from the fridge, I decided to put mine in a container and let it refrigerate overnight. I also gave it the full Ilya experience by putting my bread and cheese into a container, to be ready to assemble the next day.

    Adriana Chavez

    Note: while I noticed the flavors of the tuna salad deepened overnight, you can eat it right away!

    STEP 8: A day later, I assembled. First off, I toasted the bread in the oven for five minutes at 350ºF.

    Four slices of bread on a foil-lined baking tray, ready for toasting
    Adriana Chavez

    STEP 9: After the bread was slightly toasted, I added the tuna salad and two slices of cheese on top of each piece, returning to the oven for seven minutes until it was melted.

    Adriana Chavez

    Ta-da!

    Four open-faced tuna melts topped with melted cheese on foil
    Adriana Chavez

    STEP 10: I then plated with more Grillo's Pickles and Cape Cod chips.

    Plate with two tuna melts topped with cheese, pickle spears, and potato chips. A Cape Cod chip bag is nearby
    Adriana Chavez

    And naturally, I needed a cold ginger ale — a Canada Dry to be exact (since Shane is Canadian).

    Plate with two open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches, potato chips, pickle spears, and a can of Canada Dry
    Adriana Chavez

    Drumroll, please... This was a 10/10 diner-level quality tuna melt. I honestly wouldn't change anything about it. Obviously, this is a heavier lunch, but the fibrous bread helps balance the creaminess of the mayo and cheese. However, if you don't like whole wheat bread, don't worry — you can't really taste it.

    Plate with two cheese-covered tuna melts, pickle spears, and potato chips next to a can of Canada Dry ginger ale
    Adriana Chavez

    Even with so many ingredients, the tuna salad was quite flavorful, with no one element overpowering it. I was especially impressed by the pickle's flavor in the tuna salad; it was just strong enough that I could taste it, but not so strong that having two pickles on the side would've been overkill.

    Speaking of pickles, Grillo's are the best store-bought pickles I've ever tasted, and the closest I've found to homemade. Pairing the tuna melt with the dill spears and the potato chips helped the lunch feel more special, like a restaurant meal. It's a recipe that's unpretentious, but requires intention. If someone made this for me, it would be hard not to feel loved.

    Shane + Ilya 4ever. Tuna melts 4ever <3.

    Two open-faced sandwiches with melted cheese on a plate, accompanied by pickle spears and potato chips
    Adriana Chavez

    For a tuna melt worth swooning over, download the free Tasty app to save our classic tuna melt recipe — no subscription required.

    Stack of tuna melt sandwiches with grilled bread, melted cheese, and tuna salad filling, placed on a white plate with potato chips beside it
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