4 hours ago
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Ahoy. I confess to knowing very little about tinned tuna before this experiment. I don’t eat it much, but when I do, I tend to reach for Sirena on the strength of the branding and the salty, meaty flesh within. I now know that meaty quality to be characteristic of yellowfin tuna.
In the past, I have turned my nose up at “fishier” tunas. I now know “fishiness” to be characteristic of skipjack, a comparatively small species of tuna.
I was deeply suspicious of white tuna. I now know that to be a telltale sign of albacore, a species considered the creme de la mer.
The tunaverse is vast. Each species has its own flavour profile, texture, colour and use cases. Each has its place on the supermarket shelf. But questions of ethics and sustainability in the tuna business abound.
Which species are overfished? Which waters are overfished? Which fishing techniques are soundest, and which are destroying ecosystems? Which communities are being exploited in the process, and what’s being done to stamp out modern maritime slavery?
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Tuna companies tend to position themselves as moral arbiters of the Seven Seas, but, at the risk of sounding like an anti-vaxxer, I’d encourage a little self-directed research before pulling the ring on your next tin. Were the fish caught with pole and line? Has the brand been certified sustainable by the Maritime Stewardship Council (MSC)? What’s turning up in the by-catch? Are the dolphins safe? Somebody, think of the dolphins!
Before the mercury I’ve ingested metabolises and my grip on reality loosens, I offer you these blind tasting notes on 21 variations of tuna in oil. Each was procured from a supermarket. Some of them were cheap and delicious, others fancy but foul. They are listed henceforth, in ascending order of deliciousness, from the mealy and mushy to the firm and flavourful.
21. Good Fish wild skipjack tuna fillets in organic EVOO (speciality supermarkets)
$9.49 for 120g
Our story begins with a fancy-looking rectangular tin. But, as I have come to know, a rectangular tin does not a tasty fish guarantee. Strong, dark colour in these fillets. Very tightly packed – packed in like sardines. But my goodness, that is bad. Bitter. Mealy. Brutal.
Score: 2.5/10
20. East Coast Tuna Co Australian line-caught wild tuna chunks in olive oil (speciality supermarkets)
$3.99 for 95g
Colours you’d expect in a tin of tuna: pink, brown, grey. This fish is the colour of English teeth. The chunks are neat, they just look more like monkfish or swordfish than tuna. *Checks tin later that day.* Ah! That’s because it’s albacore, and albacore is white. We are learning! Either way, this is not good eating. Intrusive, overpowering oil, very fishy fish. Crumbly, astringent flesh. This fish is making me thirsty.
Score: 3.2/10
I feel like a cat in an alleyway dumpster picking at an old herring.
19. Safcol wild caught tuna in oil Italian-style pouch (Woolworths)
$2.70 for 95g
POUCH ALERT! Why? We’re barely beating the cat food allegations by canning this stuff – why pouch it? Tastes like a telegraph pole, but fishier. I feel like a cat in an alleyway dumpster picking at an old herring.
Score: 3.5/10
18. Coles tuna chunks in olive oil blend
$2.20 for 185g
This is the tuna Sirena heads rally against. They live their life in opposition to this mealy, pongy fish. I fear I’ve turned my colleagues against me by opening this tin in the office. And for what? Colour is a nice medium-dark dusky pink, but the flavour is skipjack to the power of mackerel.
Score: 3.7/10
17. Coles yellowfin tuna chunks in oil
$1.55 for 95g
Nice chunks, not too compressed. A coquettish blush under a greyish-yellow top. Very bland, slightly metallic. Oil is … oily. Oily and omnipresent. Good oil makes an impression but leaves the mouth quickly. Flesh is mealy. I will say, though: we’re already in the OK zone here. Mouth getting very salty.
Score: 3.8/10
16. Community Co yellowfin tuna in oil (IGA)
$1.50 for 95g
Ooh, a rainbow sheen shimmers o’er the flesh! How spectacular! White-ish-greyish-browny-pink; my favourite Pantone code. That is FIRM – and kind of bitter. Not too fishy, slightly tinny. Quite forgettable but no disaster. Would make a good corporate-catering-company-emergency-team-meeting sandwich.
Score: 4/10
15. Wild Tides responsibly fished tuna olive oil blend 95g (Coles)
$1.70 for 95g
Looks like a strained brain. Very little pink on the top. A dusty, yellowy-greyish-brown. This one is alive and notably more acidic than the rest. A little mushy, a bit tinny, decently salted, rather furry.
Score: 4/10
14. John West yellowfin tuna slices olive oil blend
$3.95 for 125g
Another rectangular tin. I see long, well-presented chunks. Hmm. Dry flesh. Quite fishy. Uniform colouring; a light pink. Quite tinny at the finish. Fine.
Score: 4.4/10
13. Portview chunks tuna in oil 95g (Aldi)
$1.09 for 95g
Darker-hued flesh right throughout. Chunks hold their form when strained. A kind of stony pink. Quite fishy – suspect this is skipjack. Less chicken of the sea, more fish of the sea. Mornay-grade.
Score: 4.5/10
John West yellowfin tuna Italian-style oil
$2.90 for 90g
Starting to feel very … mad. Another dusky hue. Ooh – kind of smoky! Big flavour in this one. Puckering texture. Don’t hate it, but might be a little intense for the yellowfin community.
Score: 4.6/10
11. Walker’s preserved Australian albacore tuna in Australian EVOO by Neil Perry (speciality supermarkets)
$6.49 for 70g
Another pouch. Sigh. At least put a spout on that thing and let me slurp my sodden fish flakes. Fishy, but almost like freshwater fish. *Checks pouch.* Ah! Albacore! There’s a sweetness in the flesh that’s making me hallucinate mayonnaise. I’m learning that albacore is not my favourite species, but if it’s yours and you’re a pouch person, give it a crack.
Score: 5.2/10
Winner: Best albacore
Marlee Yellowfin tuna 95g (speciality supermarkets, selected IGAs)
$2.50 for 95g
Light pink. Not particularly fishy. I probably wouldn’t raw dog it from the tin, but I’d put it in a pasta. Metallic at the end but not overwhelmingly so. Fine.
Score: 5/10
9. Woolworths essentials tuna chunks in oil
$1.70 for 185g
Quiiiiiiite a bit of mush on the top. Looks truly cat foodish. Very strong flavour, but not of fish. I don’t know what that is. Wait … yes I do! It’s turkey! The tuna tastes like turkey! Couldn’t eat that much of this one, but there we are: turkey of the sea.
Score: 5.1
8. Coles Pacific yellowfin tuna with olive oil
$2.70 for 185g
Great savoury opening, big flavour. Salty – *checks tin* – yet far less salted than some others. A light colour overall, but definitely not as uniform as some of the others. A little mealy. It’s got chutzpah, this one.
Score: 5.2/10
Woolworths yellowfin tuna in oil
$1.40 for 95g
A very pale shade of bone. Flesh is soft. Not too oily, some natural bloody spots in there like you might get in a chicken thigh. Good savouriness, a little fishy on the soft palate. I don’t mind it; I appreciate that it’s not super dry.
Score: 5.8/10
6. John West chunk style tuna in olive oil blend
$2.90 for 95g
An interesting mix of brown and pink. Salty, savoury opening, gets a little fishier after the oil dies off. Texture is a little stringy and furry – makes me think of a tannic red wine. Big tannins on this fish. Don’t mind this at all: has the savoury grunt I want. Would sandwich.
Score: 6/10
5. Ocean Rise yellowfin tuna Italian style in oil (Aldi)
$1.29 for 95g
Another light-coloured dusky guy. Tightly packed. Some good chunks. Could do with a bit more salt, and there’s something almost mushroomy in there, flavour-wise. What’s the phantom mushroom funk? Inoffensive, not particularly tinny, and not fishy at all. Chickeny, but in a chicken loaf way. Not bad!
Score: 6.8/10
4. The Stock Merchant Provisions tuna wild caught hand packed in organic EVOO (speciality supermarkets)
$8.49 for 120g
Olive oil very prominent and quite floral – almost potpourri-ish. The tastiest of the rectangular tins. The fish looks great: very neatly packaged; buttercup yellow on top. Quite tasty indeed – would be great in a salad.
Score: 7/10
3. Sirena tuna oil – Italian style
$2.95 for 95g
Another spectacular rainbow sheen! Tightly packed, a very light, dusky blonde-pink. Sweet, savoury flesh. I like it. It’s a pretty clean tasting tin. Slightly bitter finish, but otherwise very solid. Good!
Score: 7.3/10
2. Greenseas tuna in oil extra virgin olive oil blend (Woolworths, IGA)
$2.00 for 95g
OK, this one is prison-grey on the top. Flavour? Excellent! Oil seems like a blend, but it stays out of the way of the flavour of the fish. Very savoury. Doesn’t dissolve to mush on the fork nor tongue, doesn’t overwhelm with fishiness despite being definitively skipjackian. Respect. Would eat again!
Score: 7.8/10
Winner: Best skipjack
WINNER: Sole mare tuna in olive oil (speciality supermarkets, some IGAs)
$2.50-$3.50 for 95g
Yellowy grey. Looks mushy from above. Flesh within is a healthy pink. Oh, man – that’s so good! Salty, savoury – unctuous, if you will. Not fishy in the slightest – a categorical chicken of the sea. Does not taste of the tin at all. Oil is elegant but unintrusive. Would smash direct from the can, would mornay, would pasta, would sandwich. Would recommend!
Score: 8/10
Winner: Best yellowfin
My frontal cortex is humming with omega-3, my heart beats anew like some divine metronome. This has been a thoroughly edifying experiment.
First, I learnt I’m a yellowfin freak, seven days a week. Fresh fish is a magnificent thing, but when it comes to tinned tuna, give me the fish that tastes like bird – heavily salted bird.
Second, the rectangular tin does not improve the fish within; expensive tuna ≠ tasty tuna.
Third, and this might be the mercury talking, I understand the convenience of pouring a sack of fish directly into the gullet – the salad bowl, even – but the concept of pouched food for adults is a Lovecraftian nightmare that should be swallowed by the sea. Avast!
