Which tuna?

lorraineforzani · December 2016

I used to eat solid white tuna, canned, packed in water. Thought I remembered reading light tuna is better for some reason so I bought some skip jack light tuna packed in water. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each?

MsAmandaNJ · December 2016

I prefer chunk light as opposed to solid. Solid is much more dry, I end up needing a lot more mayo to enjoy it. The texture of chunk or flaked is softer, and I believe it's made up of various parts of the fish or even different fishes. That last bit may be totally inaccurate.

lorraineforzani · December 2016

Thanks. I think the solid white is dry too. But I'm not sure about nutritional and environmental concerns.

marm1962 · December 2016

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/what-you-should-know-about-tuna

lorraineforzani · December 2016

Thank you for this. Very helpful refresher on mercury levels. That was what I couldn't remember!

Dalceridae · December 2016

With regard to environmental and sustainability concerns, there are two main factors: how is the tuna caught, and what kind is it?

Pole and line caught tuna is the gold standard for not harming other marine life. Most tuna is caught with purse seine nets - those enormous nets you see in TV or on films like Finding Nemo. They are harmful because they catch everything in the net - not just the adult tuna. Even worse is purse seine fishing in conjunction with FADs - Fish Aggregating Devices - these devices create a sort of floating marine biome which attracts all kinds of fish and sea life - including sharks, turtles, junvenile fish, etc. They are incredibly destructive.

The other question concerns sustainability because many types of tuna are being overfished. Skipjack and albacore tuna populations are doing pretty well, so those are good choices. Yellowfin and big eye tuna are heavily overfished and endangered, so it's good to avoid those. If the manufacturer doesn't specify or says something generic like "Genus Thunnus" (which sounds specific but covers all tuna species), then it almost certainly contains yellowfin and big eye.

Greenpeace has a canned tuna guide on their website which is helpful in identifying which brands use pole and line and non-threatened species.

charlieaulert · December 2016

John west.

tress29 · December 2016

marm1962 wrote: »

http://www.berkeleywellness.com/healthy-eating/food/article/what-you-should-know-about-tuna

Thank you for this link. I found a recipe for Quinoa Pilaf with Cherries and Pecans on their site. I printed it out to make for Christmas dinner for my step-mom.

Karb_Kween · December 2016

Dalceridae wrote: »

With regard to environmental and sustainability concerns, there are two main factors: how is the tuna caught, and what kind is it?

Pole and line caught tuna is the gold standard for not harming other marine life. Most tuna is caught with purse seine nets - those enormous nets you see in TV or on films like Finding Nemo. They are harmful because they catch everything in the net - not just the adult tuna. Even worse is purse seine fishing in conjunction with FADs - Fish Aggregating Devices - these devices create a sort of floating marine biome which attracts all kinds of fish and sea life - including sharks, turtles, junvenile fish, etc. They are incredibly destructive.

The other question concerns sustainability because many types of tuna are being overfished. Skipjack and albacore tuna populations are doing pretty well, so those are good choices. Yellowfin and big eye tuna are heavily overfished and endangered, so it's good to avoid those. If the manufacturer doesn't specify or says something generic like "Genus Thunnus" (which sounds specific but covers all tuna species), then it almost certainly contains yellowfin and big eye.

Greenpeace has a canned tuna guide on their website which is helpful in identifying which brands use pole and line and non-threatened species.

Link?

pdxwine · December 2016

I eat tuna every day. I may be doomed.

Mine is usually chunk light, no salt added.

sgt1372 · December 2016

Fresh albacore tuna that you can get at most supermarkets these days served raw as sashimi w/wasabi and just a touch of light soy sauce. Cooking such fish would be an atrocity.

AngryViking1970 · December 2016

crazyravr wrote: »

sgt1372 wrote: »

Fresh albacore tuna that you can get at most supermarkets these days served raw as sashimi w/wasabi and just a touch of light soy sauce. Cooking such fish would be an atrocity.

Not if you do it right

Sweet Jesus. So, when's the next dinner party? I need to plan ahead...

sgt1372 · December 2016

crazyravr wrote: »

Not if you do it right

Agreed but few people do.

The whole notion of pan grilling a slab of expensive albacore like a steak beyond rare just makes me cringe. However, the preparation in your photo does look appetizing, although I could do w/o the coating of sesame seeds.

cwolfman13 · December 2016

sgt1372 wrote: »

Fresh albacore tuna that you can get at most supermarkets these days served raw as sashimi w/wasabi and just a touch of light soy sauce. Cooking such fish would be an atrocity.

Raw or seared...but definitely very rare...

Not a canned tuna guy...in a pinch, I'll have canned salmon, but just not a canned tuna guy.

BusyRaeNOTBusty · December 2016

I like the pouches over the cans, they even come flavored. I work from home and for a super easy high protein lunch I just throw a pouch (or 2) on some salad.

robininfl · December 2016

Canned?

Solid light tuna in oil - light tuna has less mercury than albacore (white tuna) and tastes better to me.

Fresh? I haven't found any locally that is good enough to do this with, but in restaurants where they sear the outside and the inside is raw, oh my that is one of my favorite foods ever.

stealthq · December 2016

robininfl wrote: »

Canned?

Solid light tuna in oil - light tuna has less mercury than albacore (white tuna) and tastes better to me.

Fresh? I haven't found any locally that is good enough to do this with, but in restaurants where they sear the outside and the inside is raw, oh my that is one of my favorite foods ever.

I was going to add this. If you don't live on the coast, and your supermarket doesn't get fish flown in the night before then there is no way I would be eating it raw or seared. Yuck. Tuna tastes nasty if it is not at the height of freshness for those kinds of preparations.

As for me, one Ahi tuna tower, please. Don't skimp on the fresh wasabi, tuna or the flying fish roe.

AnvilHead · December 2016

stealthq wrote: »

robininfl wrote: »

Canned?

Solid light tuna in oil - light tuna has less mercury than albacore (white tuna) and tastes better to me.

Fresh? I haven't found any locally that is good enough to do this with, but in restaurants where they sear the outside and the inside is raw, oh my that is one of my favorite foods ever.

I was going to add this. If you don't live on the coast, and your supermarket doesn't get fish flown in the night before then there is no way I would be eating it raw or seared. Yuck. Tuna tastes nasty if it is not at the height of freshness for those kinds of preparations.

As for me, one Ahi tuna tower, please. Don't skimp on the fresh wasabi, tuna or the flying fish roe.

Flash frozen isn't bad - not quite as good as fresh off the boat, but it'll do in a pinch. Flash freezing also kills any potential parasites in the fish, which is a good thing if you're planning on eating it raw.

TerryMyfitbitsnbobs · December 2016

If you use tinned tuna, buy the type in spring water, but even then wash the can through with a couple of fills of water before finally draining.

Which tuna?

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