Linda, for years I hated tuna. DH loves it and was making a sandwich one time, and it looked good so I tried it. It was delicious, and ever since, we now eat tuna.

He only likes the solid white, and I just checked and it's
CloverLeaf, solid white, packed in water (low-sodium).
We buy it at Costco and grocery stores.

I make tuna casseroles with it as well. I'm tempted to buy the light tuna, but he can't stand that stuff, so he wouldn't even eat the casserole made with it. (I've asked him) It's a lot cheaper.

I like the light tuna, packed in water the best. Albacore tuna does seem dry and hard to mix up.

Nancy

I generally only get the light (not white) tuna packed in olive oil. Yes, it has a few more calories than water-packed tuna, but the flavor is better. You need less mayo than with water packed tuna, and the olive oil may be a little healthier than the fats in mayo.

I can't test this hypothesis, but I would imagine the packers use better tuna for packing in olive oil. Dunno. I do know I've never had a bad can of it, but I have had some soggy cans of water packed tuna.

Linda,

I've had undesirable tuna from Chicken of the Sea also. I prefer Starkist. Seems I get what I expect every time, whether oil packed or spring water packed, though I am going back to the oil-packed again, after water packed for many years. The oil is good for you, I prefer the taste, and then I need a little less mayo to enjoy it in a sandwich.

My mother always bought solid pack albacore packed in oil. I used to use light packed in water....because it was cheaper and I liked light tuna better. Then somehow I got on to albacore white.
Going to try Starkist light, in olive oil and see if that restores my faith in canned tuna.
thanks.
My neighbor, back yards adjoin, caught 9 raccoons in 10 days and took them several miles out in the country. I knew we had coons around but not that many!!
Maybe I'll give the other cans to him.

DH had me trying various brands after disappointment with Chicken of the Sea, Starkist & Geisha Girl. Finally I hit on a private brand can at Gelson's that he approves of. Nevertheless, Albacore packed in water has changed in consistency. It's dryer and less flakey than before.
I don't recall the name, but it's a 5 oz can =( and has a purple label. It's just his opinion, but he thinks this one has the others beat. I'll try and remember to post the name when I'm at home.

I usually buy white albacore packed in water, but I do prefer it oil packed. Have not had a good can of Chicken of the Sea in years. Don't care much for Starkist, wither. Geishs is okay but I like Bumblebee brand the best of the four brands I can get here.

Glad I like tuna because albacore is rich in Omega 3's and I need all I can get!

Linda

Linda, I am with you. The Chicken of the Sea even smells more like cat food than tuna, IMHO.
I get the Starkist.

DH will only eat Empress tuna (for grocery store bought tuna.) Otherwise I have to got to a "not so local crunchy granola store" and buy expensive tuna. I really do like Empress tuna much better than Chicken of the Sea, Bumblebee or Starkist.

I gave up on canned tuna long ago and now am being so snobbish for buying Ahi for the grill and then going on to other things with it, like casserole.

Nancy

You can get packages of frozen tuna at Trader Joe's, and it will probably be better than canned tuna, but of course not good enough to eat grilled. You can poach it in vegetable broth or fish stock to improve the flavor and add some aromatics to the mix and then use it for sandwiches. Personally, like Nancy, I only buy Ahi tuna (usually sushi grade) and grill it, which I did last week-end, but I will not buy any kind of Albacore tuna because it is too tough.

I've seen tuna in pouches but have never bought any - it is any better than the cans?

Lars

I've started buying Wild Planet tuna, which I can find at some of the local grocery stores. It's obviously more expensive, but very, very good.

I've linked below just to show the different varieties. I did buy some in bulk, but only after trying a can to make sure I liked it.

Sue

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Planet Tuna

I always buy Bumblebee Albacore packed in water. I haven't tried any of the more esoteric brands, but maybe I will.

Chicken of the Sea (remember Jessica Simpson's remark? Is it tune or is it chicken? LOL)is my least favorite and I don't like Starkist much either.

Don't eat a lot of canned tuna, but always have a few cans on shelf. I prefer solid tuna in olive oil. Splurged once on a JAR of tuna at Trader Joe's... cuz I saw it jarred on some cooking show and never saw it in a regular supermarket. Thought it was pricey (around $5) until I realized pretty much the same a two standard cans. Big sticks of tuna... had my eyes rolling back in my head, it was os good! Only saw it ONCE... woulda really splurged if I had known it would disappear!

Tuna in the pouches doesn't taste very good to me. Salmon in the pouches is even worse. I buy Bumblebee solid white Albacore in water as it's the best tasting i can easily find.

Please make sure it's been line-caught and not net-caught for the dolphins.

Genova brand tuna, packed in olive oil.

"The following is a partial list of EII-approved, dolphin-safe tuna brands sold in the US. Their companies have cooperated with IMP and have adopted worldwide dolphin-safe tuna policies. IMP has the necessary assurances that these policies are verifiable and fully implemented.
Starkist (H.J. Heinz)
Empress (Mitsui Foods Inc., USA)
Chicken of the Sea
Bumble Bee
Deep Sea Tongol (imported by Humble Whole Foods)
Ocean Light (imported by Humble Whole Foods)
Captain's Choice (Safeway brand)
Natural Sea (Cornucopia Natural Foods)"

Thanks everyone....I'll go see what of the brands listed I can buy locally. But, I am afraid it will be a week or more before I can even consider tuna.....shudder.....

I buy whatever is on sale... no one here eats canned tuna anyway, so I use it for the Have-a-heart trap when I need to relocate raccoons. Wasn't there another foo foo brand? Tonnato maybe? Didn't seem any better than the mass produced ones, but I vaguely recall someone oohing over it a long time ago.

Alexa

There are a bunch of foo-foo brands that supposedly taste better than the run of the mill grocery brands. I never see them or notice them when shopping and am unlikely to search out a special tuna. I toss a can of Bumble Bee albacore in my cart once in while. Easy, quick single person meal. I like it mixed with a tiny bit of mayo, lots of freshly ground pepper, lemon juice, and capers. A toasted poppy seed bagel to place it on wouldn't hurt my feelings either.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chowhound tuna picks.

No point in my mentioning brands which are unavailable to you, but I started buying tuna in springwater some time ago when we had an elderly cat with a poor appetite who was tempted by tuna. The vet told me too much salt was bad for her kidneys so I bought the non-salted kind. So if you're buying tuna for pets as well this may be a consideration.

Bumble Bee in the gold can is my favorite albacore of the moment. Quality seems to change from year to year. I used to buy the Meijer store brand albacore which was superior to all others available. Having a brand name seems to mean nothing. Most of my albacore I eat straight from the can/pouch so I'm sensitive to it being of good quality. I hate a bunch of mushy ground paste... nice whole flakes of fish appeal.

My last tuna purchase was plain Walmart store brand light tuna in water. Ate 8 cans of it in the last month without being disappointed at all. I figured if I was going to be unhappy with the tuna it might as well be unhappy with the cheap stuff. Turned out to be fair and edible. Yoko and Favorite fully agree it was purr-fect. I never get the whole can to myself.

I've had to switch brands and types a few times to keep up with a decent tuna. Far as I know all albacore is line caught so it is dolphin safe.

: )
lyra

My favorite supermarket tuna is Genova Tonno solid light tuna in olive oil, but the best IMO is Bonito del Norte Tuna which is cooked in seawater and packed in mild olive oil - they say within 24 hours of the catch. I buy it from Cooking Enthusiast over the internet. It's pricey - $8 for 4 ounces ($7, if you buy 6 or more cans) - but for the few times we eat tuna, I splurge. When I run out, the Genova brand is pretty good.

Hmmm. By the time I add onions, celery, mayo and black pepper, it all tastes much the same to me.

Of course, there are no "foo foo" brands here, I can get Starkist, Bumblebee and the store brand. I like Bumble Bee the best, I guess. I could get the Walmart brand that Michael/Lyra enjoys except then I'd have to go to Walmart. if I'm going to drive 30 miles to shop, I'm going somewhere better than that!

Truthfully, we get enough fresh salmon that I can some and that's what I use in sandwiches so I seldom buy tuna. As for the cats, tuna was one of the things that the Dead Cat wouldn't touch at all. She'd eat salmon but she wouldn't eat tuna. Cooper likes them both.

Annie

If I had access to all that fresh salmon I wouldn't eat canned tuna either!!
And trust me....mayo onion pepper....whatever you would have tossed this tune...I kept adding stuff.....finally thought stop adding good stuff to bad....and tossed it. It was gritty...sort of like a very over cooked chicken breast.

I've never had issues with canned tuna being bad by any of the brands (chicken of the sea, starkist, etc) Of course, the cans don't stay for long in the house. Fresh tuna is probably best but expensive. I prefer packed in oil tuna myself (especially since it's same price as water packed here) but the boyfriend prefers water.

Now we have canned salmon... which I wonder if I should put that in the fridge with the canned tuna... I noticed it keeps better when you put canned stuff in the fridge. Maybe try putting a can in the fridge next time?

I always flush tuna with fresh water and lemon juice regardless of can or pouch. It negates the tinny and fishy taste/smell.

Sands

Cloverleaf solid white packed in olive oil, for me. Only Jasdip mentioned it so maybe it's a Canadian brand.

For a while there I was buying small filets of fresh tuna and poaching it for tuna salads. No comparison to canned.

here is a "recipe" I got from Whole Foods for an amazing Tuna Salad they make. Basically I just copied the ingredients off the label. It is so darn good!
Tuna And Artichoke Salad

Fresh tuna,poached in a
-court bouillon
Mayo(they made their own)
Kalamata olives,chopped
Artichoke hearts,chopped
-(canned)
Green onions,chopped
minced garlic
oregano, dried
lemon juice,fresh
salt and pepper

Mix , chill, go light on the mayo

I don't know if you have a Price Chopper supermarket in your area, but if you do, their store-brand solid white albacore (dolphin safe) tuna packed in water is hands down the best canned tuna we've had. DH loves his tuna, as do I...a friend of mine made tuna salad with it for a luncheon at work about 5-6 years ago. I started buying it after that and it's the only brand we buy. The can is solidly packed with firm white meat and very little liquid and no "schmutz". When they have a good sale you can get it for $1.00 a can. The regular price is around $1.29.
Please give it a try if you're able to find it. Here in the Northeast the can is white, blue with red accents on the lettering.

alas, Price Chopper stores are only in the North East.
I was in Dollar Tree today buying napkins and they had Bumblebee light....packed in water and oil. Bought one can to try.....as soon as I get the thoughts of the raccoon bait out of my mind!

This is a popular Wholefoods recipe:

Tuna with Sun-Dried Cranberries and Lemon

1 can solid white albacore tuna

3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise

1/2 fresh lemon

2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion

1/8 teaspoon unrefined sugar

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped sun-dried cranberries

Pinch of sea salt

Directions: Squeeze the lemon and remove any seeds. Combine the lemon juice, sugar and salt with the onions, and set aside. Drain the tuna thoroughly. Mix together all the ingredients immediately before serving.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

I'm fussy about tuna (big surprise) too. I have seen gourmet canned tuna for $6-9 a can and thought should I try it? Once maybe? Couldn't justify it but wondered if it was that much better. I too always get the Bumblebee albacore in the gold can (it's upside down for some reason...you flip it to open it with the can opener) and have never been disappointed and it doesn't have that 'cat food' smell! When I worked in an office a lady always brought in tuna casserole....oh no...it smelled like cat food...warmed up even! People raved about it (to be polite?) and I couldn't bear to smell it let alone eat it.

Thanks Linda, now I'm hungry for a good tuna fish sandwich!

Duane

We like Costco's Kirkland brand of tuna, solid white albacore packed in water. It come in 7 oz cans, unlike those itty bitty cans at the grocery store,

You know, something must be wrong when "people" tuna is cheaper than cat food....but I digressed! The only tuna I have bought (that is, when I can FIND it) is the Bumblebee in the gold can....the only place here that has it is Albertsons....WallyWorld and our United do not carry it for some reason. I find it a little higher, but so worth it! What do you all think of the tuna in the pouch? I tried it several times and it wasn't bad...I had to rinse it, though...but I rinse it anyway....I can't stand watery tuna salad.

so I was grocery shopping today....and since this thread I was scanning the tuna display.....and spotted Bumble Bee Albacore in a gold can....picked it up and looked more closely....and it was packed with chipotle peppers...
No!

At least with the pouches of tuna and salmon you don't have to drain off excess water. I resent that! I know that there are better brands of canned tuna out there, but so far, I haven't gotten a can that was as bad as what was described. I like the pouch of salmon to make a quiche or quick salmon patties for a light dinner.

My tuna salad is mixed about half and half with cottage cheese and very little mayo, plus celery, a little pickle relish, green onion, lemon pepper, and a hard boiled egg if I have thought ahead. Very creamy, easy lunch with crackers and grape tomato salad.

Teresa

Like Sharon and Jasdip, the only tuna I buy is Cloverleaf. White Solid, either packed in Vegetable broth and oil or in water.

When we lived in the US, Cloverleaf Tuna was one of two food items that I regularly stocked up on in Canada and brought back to our home in the US. The other one was Canadian Flour.

Ann

No one should be eating ANY tuna to excess:

Excerpted from the EPA website (URL: http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/fishshellfish/outreach/advice_index.cfm):
"By following these three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.

1.Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2.Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.
◦Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.
◦Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.

....6. The advice about canned tuna is in the advisory, but what's the advice about tuna steaks?

Because tuna steak generally contains higher levels of mercury than canned light tuna, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of tuna steak per week.

7. What if I eat more than the recommended amount of fish and shellfish in a week?

One week's consumption of fish does not change the level of methylmercury in the body much at all. If you eat a lot of fish one week, you can cut back for the next week or two. Just make sure you average the recommended amount per week."

From Consumer Rpts (URL: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/january/food/mercury-in-tuna/overview/index.htm)
"Results from our tuna tests (canned, all kinds), conducted at an outside lab, underscore the longheld concern for those people. We found:

Every sample contained measurable levels of mercury, ranging from 0.018 to 0.774 parts per million. The Food and Drug Administration can take legal action to pull products containing 1 ppm or more from the market. (It never has, according to an FDA spokesman.) The EPA compiles fish advisories when state and local governments have found high contaminant levels in certain locally caught fish.

Samples of white tuna had 0.217 to 0.774 ppm of mercury and averaged 0.427 ppm. By eating 2.5 ounces of any of the tested samples, a woman of childbearing age would exceed the daily mercury intake that the EPA considers safe.

Samples of light tuna had 0.018 to 0.176 ppm and averaged 0.071 ppm. At that average, a woman of childbearing age eating 2.5 ounces would get less than the EPA's limit, but for about half the tested samples, eating 5 ounces would exceed the limit.

In 2006 we scrutinized the results of the FDA's tests in 2002 to 2004 of mercury levels in hundreds of samples of canned tuna. The agency's white-tuna samples averaged 0.353 ppm; light tuna, 0.118 ppm. But we found that as much as 6 percent of the FDA's light-tuna samples had at least as much mercury as the average in white tuna - in some cases more than twice as much.

Given the uncertainties about the impact of occasional fetal exposure to such high levels, we urged the FDA to warn consumers about occasional spikes in mercury levels in canned light tuna. More than four years later, the FDA still hasn't issued such a warning. When we asked why, an FDA spokesman indicated that the agency had already taken the spikes into account when formulating its mercury advice. "

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BTW, if you think these guidelines ONLY apply to children or pregnant/nursing women, that's not true. A few years ago there was a report of an NFL football player who was trying to move to a healthier diet of less meat and lower cholesterol. As he didn't really like fish as a rule, he switched to canned tunafish.

He was eating a can of tuna almost every day. After a few months he started to have numbness in his limbs (parethesia) and muscle weakness. A doctor finally diagnosed his illness, and got him on a natural detox diet.

Extreme? Yes. But mercury poisoning is just as real a threat as lead poisoning. Heavy metals toxicity is something to always be aware of.

And there you have it folks, why I'm a lifelong environmentalist specializing in water quality. Purely selfish, (or should I say shellfish) reasons!