# Good canned tuna



## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Canned tuna has always been a no brainer for me. Quick, easy to make into a healthy tuna sandwich luch, and pretty tasty. But lately I've been finding my canned tuna to be suffering from poor texture, flavor, and little bits of bone here and there. I remember canned tuna used to be pretty darned good. Anyone else thinking the same thing? I usually buy starkist packed in water, hoping to find a better brand.


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## bughut (Aug 18, 2007)

I find if I stick to tuna chunks in brine and stay away from flaked im happy with consistent quality. Even with supermarket own brands. - I only ever use it for sandwiches anyway, so i'm not about to get all cheffy about it. In saying that, I wouldnt be without it.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Try the new bags of tuna. I tried starkist and chick of sea both were good . It just tast fresher to me I bought chunk lite and solid white both were good.


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## suzanne (May 26, 2001)

Most of my tuna is stockpiled :blush:, so I'm not eating recently packed stuff. But what you describe sounds just plain _wrong_. You should contact the processsor with the serial codes from the cans to let them know that something is amiss.


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

also an advocate of big chunk in water. Also remember to be dolphin safe


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## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

No matter what kind of tuna I'm using, I always empty it into a good size bowl and run cold water over it, swish it a couple of times, then drain it in a strainer. JUst a quirk of mine. With the tuna I usually buy [Chikn of the sea, maybe?], I have not experienced any thing such as the OP has described. However, if I did notice something wrong I would notify the company right way.


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## beachbaby (Mar 29, 2003)

I feel your pain. The last time I bought a commercial brand, and I beleive it was Chicken of the Sea because I remember thinking, Sorry Charlie Never Again!, the can contained mostly tuna water with what amounted to less than two actual tablespoons of tuna, once I strained that away. I was furious. 

Since then I've found the best canned tuna, though: Trader Joe's house brand. It's well seasoned, and one can will actually make a sandwich!


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## kayakado (Sep 25, 2003)

It won't help you with restaurant quantities, but I've switched to Whole Foods Tongol Tuna. It seems to a cut above the other chunk lights. It actually looks like flakes of fish. My family doesn't like the stuff in the bag, they say it is too fishy.


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## stormwarning (Mar 3, 2009)

We experienced the same thing about ten years ago. Canned tuna started looking and tasting like something that was scraped off the cannery floor. Tried all kinds of brands and kinds (albacore in water, solid white, etc.) Finally started canning my own and love the results. It costs more but the results are superior to anything from a can. It takes most of a weekend to can three years worth of tuna but it's time and money well spent.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I can live with the pouches of tuna (also salmon, etc.), but I can't tolerate water-packed tuna. It tastes like fishy sawdust to me. 

The best tuna I've enjoyed is Italian tuna packed in olive oil. No fishy taste, and a very mild seasoning from the oil.


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

The pouch stuff actually tastes like tuna; much better than canned and really no more expensive, especially when you consider it's almost all product (not water).


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## indianwells (Jan 2, 2007)

This is the only canned tuna I can eat now. Anything else is just cat food to me. Expensive (a little cheaper here in the UK) but I like it as a treat once a week, much as the Spanish people do. Either with a simple tomato salad or flaked into a tomato sauce and tossed with linguine.:lips:
http://www.tienda.com/food/products/se-07.html


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestions. I will buy both Trader Joe's and Wholefoods tuna to try out. I like to avoid the oil packed ones because of extra calories it adds.

What annoys me most about this tuna I have is that a 6oz can is labeled as containing 2.5 servings . Am I really supposed to find another friend and a half to share this 6oz with? (mos of which is water anyway). Ridiculous.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

+1 on that for me too. Some Spanish brands are also excellent. Unfortunately the Progresso canned tuna is not so great, and the one time I had Star-Kist oil-packed it was hideous.


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

*Why is Italian tuna better?*
Because it's dark meat tuna. Dark meat tuna tastes like tuna, is not dry, even if packed in water (as it is sometimes here) and is not like sawdust. 
(Well, dark meat everything is generally better)
It doesn;t have to come from italy, it just has to be dark meat.

Try this in your next sandwich:
chop celery, carrot, red onion, tomatoes. Parsley if you have it. You can use the green of scallions if you don;t have onions, or you can leave it out completely. Add well drained dark meat tuna. Add good mayonnaise and a little lemon. 
I thought it was the way everyone made tuna salad, but apparently not. 
Do not mush up the tuna, leave it a little chunky, just small enough to fit in a sandwich.

Or do it the italian way - just open the can, dump tuna and all its dripping oil into a crusty roll. Eat. You can actually do that with dark tuna, although all that oil is too much for me. My husband has fond memories of this sort of sandwich. Sometimes they may add some sliced tomato.


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## eeediot (Jun 2, 2009)

Americas Test Kitchen once had a taste test and I believe Chicken of the Sea came pretty close to the top with bumble Bee in last place. Might be on their website.


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## fooddiva (Jun 16, 2009)

How about BumbleBee? Personally I like to use Tuna in oil, because it has a better flavor. I drain off the oil first, of course.


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## john cox (Apr 18, 2012)

Take a look at the best tuna I have ever had.  (link deleted)


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## zoebisch (Apr 9, 2012)

My tops is one that the Wegman's chain sells. Talking "standard" canned tuna, not a high end product which is a whole different world. What I like about it is you don't have a ridiculous sodium level, the whole thing is a solid chunk, it's not Albacore (mercury dangers, esp with larger ones) and it's great base for salad, etc and it's pretty inexpensive, considering it's all meat and hardly any water. If you don't have a Wegman's around, Look for ones that don't have Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein. Not only does this add unnecessary sodium but is typically found in the cheaper near-shredded nasty type tunas to enhance flavor. I would imagine in capacity they benefit from subbing in even a small amount of the HVP for the actual fish protein on a cost basis.


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

WalMarts Great Value brand tuna actually is better than chicken of the sea etc. I got tired of mush tuna so I tried the generic and was surprised at the quality.


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## kirkb (Mar 16, 2012)

I always purchase clover leaf solid white albacore tuna in water and have never *knock on wood* had a problem with it. From what I understand all tuna is now shipped to China to be processed and canned - I'm not sure if this is 100% fact or just speculation, but perhaps your brand has ended up in a cheap Chinese cannery, hence the odd taste and small bones.


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## countrykook (Apr 8, 2012)

My favorite is Clover Leaf solid white in water but will buy other brands of solid white - right now I have Ocean's and Gold Seal - both products of Thailand.

Rinse tuna in water, then lemon juice and water again - improves flavor - works really well with cheaper tuna.


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Lets all be on the same beginning.

Are we talking chunk light or white? solid white, or flaked white, Bonito, in oil or water or dry pack.  Each one is different and different qualities of brand.


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## margcata (Sep 18, 2011)

Good Morning,

I have found the most notable difference in:  Cuca Brand Ventresca in Evoo which is the Tuna Belly Section of the Tuna, from The Iberian Peninsula, is the best I have had. It is on pricey side, however, well worth it as there is a huge texture and taste difference.

It is jarred verses canned, which I prefer as well.

I believe  the following corporations export to the USA:

Cuca

Isabel

Ortiz

Have nice wkend.

Margaux Cintrano.

( Margcata. )


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## thatchairlady (Feb 15, 2012)

I prefer solid, packed in olive oil.  When on sale, I'll always pick up a can or 2.  The BEST I ever had came in a jar... from Trader Joe's... not TJ brand and have never seen it there again??  First thought was... at about $5... kind expensive.  Then I realized it was almost the same a 2 normal sized cans.  It was big"sticks" packed in olive oil.  Had seen somebody cooking with tuna from a jar on TV... can't remember who.  When I saw it on the shelf, decided to try it out.  Shoulda bought more than one can.


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## zoebisch (Apr 9, 2012)

If we are talking high end tuna, there is a whole world out there. (Like Margcata mentions). I just started buying tuna, salting it and then pressure canning it with some loose ideas from this blog.


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## duckfat (Aug 7, 2008)

While it's cost prohibitive if you buy fresh fish it's hard to go back to any canned product after you get used to catching your own and steaming fresh tuna for tuna salad. I usually end up doing this after I've had some in the freezer too long.

For canned Tuna we usually rely on the Costco Solid White albacore in water. I did notice that a local Italian market here now has a large display of imported Tuna tins but I haven't tried any yet.

Dave


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## chinacats (Feb 4, 2012)

Kayakado said:


> It won't help you with restaurant quantities, but I've switched to Whole Foods Tongol Tuna. It seems to a cut above the other chunk lights. It actually looks like flakes of fish. My family doesn't like the stuff in the bag, they say it is too fishy.


+1


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## chefmasterjohn (Feb 28, 2012)

Koukouvagia said:


> Canned tuna has always been a no brainer for me. Quick, easy to make into a healthy tuna sandwich luch, and pretty tasty. But lately I've been finding my canned tuna to be suffering from poor texture, flavor, and little bits of bone here and there. I remember canned tuna used to be pretty darned good. Anyone else thinking the same thing? I usually buy starkist packed in water, hoping to find a better brand.


Blue fined tuna belly. Seriously one of the most tastiest things I have ever had. It's 60 bucks a can, one of my rich lawyer buddies gave me it and I was in disbelief.

Once I tried it though, I can understand why rich people would buy it!! 5 star quality ALL THE WAY!


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I like the tuna in olive oil best. Good flavor and the oil is a good addition to many pasta dishes with tuna. Italian brands if you can find them. For me I keep 4 or 5 cans of this sort of tuna in my pantry that I get from an italian specialty market. 

I keep some albacore water packed cans for sandwiches and such. Costco's brand is pretty good, packed by Bumblebee as I recall. 

I like foil pack tuna quality too. No paying for water weight or oil weight so the price isn't quite as high as it seems at first glance. This tends to be something I buy for a targeted dish, not what I keep on hand. I do like it for those primitive camping situations as it's a low waste packaging and won't generate the volume of garbage to pack out nor stink much until I can reach a dumpster. Unless I'm mixing it with pasta, then I probably want the oil pack. 

Lidia has shown canning her own tun in glass jars on her program a time or two. That would give you the fine control on the grade and quality of tuna you want to store. 

While my sister was in Japan, she found some very high grade canned tuna and began enjoying canned tuna again. Now that she's in Korea, I think her consumption has dropped again as she can't find the same quality.


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## duckfat (Aug 7, 2008)

phatch said:


> Lidia has shown canning her own tun in glass jars on her program a time or two. That would give you the fine control on the grade and quality of tuna you want to store.


I've never seen that but I'll be watching for that episode now! The last time we went Tuna fishing we wound up with a little over 500# in a few hours that netted around 200# of meat. Canning would have been a great way to preserve some.

Dave


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

That's a great idea Dave!
We hope to go fishing while back home in Hawaii next month, 
what better souvenir to bring back but home canned Tuna ( or Ahi ) 
Though we were reading not too long ago that there has been 
a big shortage of Ahi and no one knows why yet


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## teamfat (Nov 5, 2007)

Not tuna, but there's a chance canned fish is one reason I am still alive today.  I used to be an avid mountain climber.  Back in March of 1977 I was involved in a trip that had a winter ascent of the north face of Mt. Hooker in the Wind River mountains as a goal.  I could go on and on about that trip.  I'll just say that one climber was from the Olympic Peninsula area.  His grandfather had caught a bunch of salmon and had it canned.  We took what seemed like a 50 pound bag of those cans on this extremely cold, arduous 3 week winter journey in the wilderness.  That nice, fatty salmon packed in oil was just what we needed.  While it lasted, that is.  I won't go into the last couple of days when all we had was boullion cubes and Starburst candy.

mjb.


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## duckfat (Aug 7, 2008)

Reminds me of some of the back packing trips I've been on in years past Teamfat. Even the worst canned fish is better than freeze dried ice cream! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/lol.gif I just picked up a new MSR camp stove with my REI rebate after finding that Coleman discountinued the bottled fuel for my other stove. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif

@Kaneohegirlinaz Your killing me with the Hawaii trip! (but I'm happy for you). I've been pricing tickets the last few days as we have fallen head over heels for the big Island over the last several years. It's a photographers and foodies paradise. I've heard the same about the Ahi. The Tuna we fish for are usually Big Eye and Yellowfin off the OBX in NC or Blackfin in the keys. I was supposed to fish with Norm Issacs off Kona in '99 but got stuck in LA after a AA non strike or sick out but that's another story.

Dave


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

We were buying the Kirkland brand canned tuna, but the Chicken of the Sea albacore in water that they carry is just a little better
I've always wanted to try the Italian tuna in olive oil, but boy, it's pricey for a sandwich 
I've tried it in red sauce with pasta, looks good though, some crusty bread, a jug of wine and thou ...


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I have no clue as to why I was thinking about this while on vacation, but Miss KK, you got stuck in my head. One morning I was looking for something to throw together to take to the beach with us, when I spied this can of tuna.



Coral brand tuna in Hawaii was considered the "cheap stuff",

but what's a gal to do when she needs to feed her man?

Can I just tell you all how absolutely fantastic that brand of canned tuna fish was...

I tossed the content into a bowl, added a tablespoon or so of Mayo

(shhhhh, don't tell my husband, he claims to HATE mayonnaise),

some S&P and some grated sweet Maui Onion, that's it.

Slapped it between two pieces of Love's (think Wonder) bread and off we went.

Anything that I used from my in-laws pantry, I went to the market and bought a replacement for.

In Honolulu now, the can of Tuna was a little more than $1.00


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## koukouvagia (Apr 3, 2008)

That's one I've never seen kgirl.

The best tuna sandwich I make is from fresh tuna obviously but who can afford that on a regular basis.  Lately I've been relatively pleased with the bumble bee brand chunk light tuna.  Had to stop eating canned tuna last year during pregnancy and not allowed to eat too much of it still.

Didn't I just hear that there was a blue fin tuna sighting on the west coast recently?


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I'm not sure if you read this AP article ...

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap...i3HGBQ?docId=8aef0b7418e546cb85f6436b3ff6b49e

I got an oppertunity to talk to some of the fisherman in Honolulu, and thy're just scratching their heads


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## kaneohegirlinaz (Apr 24, 2011)

I started to think more about canned Tuna; Coral brand Tuna and why I preferred its taste.

I couldn't recall where it was packed, them an old memory popped up. As a kid riding the City bus through the docks on Ala Moana blvd, past the canning plant, you had to hold your nose when the ladies got on the bus until they got off farther into Kalihi. That's how fresh it was though, from the boat, straight to the plant.

I found this article from the Honolulu newspaper …

http://www.staradvertiser.com/features/20100901_Tuna_truths.html?id=101945758

I totally forgot that Tuna use to be canned in Honolulu. Maybe that's why it tasted so good to me, that and I hadn't eaten it in a while. The next time I go to the market here in Arizona, I'll try the Bumble Bee brand, since Coral is still fresh on my taste buds.


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## thatchairlady (Feb 15, 2012)

Don't eat a lot of canned tuna, but pretty much ONLY buy solid in olive oil.  Agree with earlier poster that some of the stuff in water, even if solid, is extremely DRY?!?  Saw someone on a food show using tuna in a jar??  NOT something in everyday supermarkets.  Found it once in Trader Joe's.  At first wasn't gonna buy it cuz of the price... something like $4-5... then realized it was about twice a much as a normal can.  It was FABULOUS!!  Big slabs of tuna in olive oil that actually tasted like olive oil.  All it needed was a nice squeeze of lemon juice.   Kicking myself for not buying more, cuz I've never seen it again at TJ's.


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## french fries (Sep 5, 2008)

This one is the best canned tuna I've ever had. At $5 a normal-size can, it's expensive, but once you check out the videos on their site and read around, you'll realize that it's much more than your regular canned tuna. It tastes great.

http://www.americantuna.com/


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## chefedb (Apr 3, 2010)

Most of the brands are not consistant, they vary quite a bit by date.  I find that commercially a brand from American Roland to be good. Everyone is Albacore happy this is hype because it not the best kind. Like salmon is pushed as sockeye which is also not the best (king is). If you buy a brand you like, go back right away and buy more of the same lot number as it could change the next time.


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## tolson261 (Jun 10, 2012)

Costco's Kirkland is my favorite and that of our Boston terriers when we're out of dog food.  I'd try another, but Trader Joes is in the next town. We live in the central valley, not a lot of choice.  However, we still eat bologna and white bread too!


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## chefamos (Jun 13, 2012)

ITALIAN TUNA FANS: Perhaps you're referring to the Tonino GENOVA brand.  Very good, around $2.50 for the 5oz can in our market.  Far preferable to any water-packed, and any other vegetable or olive oil-packed tuna I've used or tasted.  Solid light style, not shreds, bits or sawdust...wild caught, Mediterranean premium yellowfin, dolphin safe - what more could one ask?  Next to canning one's own tuna, this is an exceptional product.


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