Growing up, canned tuna was always present in my mom’s pantry and it most often showed up in the form of a sandwich in my brown-bag school lunch. Nowadays, I generally avoid canned products, preferring fresh and local foods, but I have recently found myself scouring grocery shelves for canned tuna. What gives? Well, this summer I’ve been focusing on Mediterranean inspired salads and light dinners and I have been surprised to find many of my favorite cookbook authors calling for canned tuna. Hence my return to the canned tuna aisle in the grocery store.

Of course, these recipes weren’t just calling for any canned tuna. They were pointing to premium canned tuna, imported from the Mediterranean and packed in olive oil that preserves the tuna and seals in the flavor. With prices ranging from a couple of bucks to fourteen dollars, I knew that I needed to do a bit more research to figure out which brand offered the best canned tuna - and the quest for the best was born.

Whenever I have a food or restaurant-related question my first stop on the web is Chowhound, a group of like-minded individuals who like to share, obsess and sometimes argue over foodie details. I posted a thread asking for recommendations on the best canned tuna and received multiple responses within minutes - not bad! With these recs in hand, I bounced around the various groceries of Berkeley, compiling a group of fifteen different canned tunas that would compete in the challenge.

After getting my cans together, it was time to thin out the crowd. All of the tuna I collected were either packed in olive oil or cooked in their own juices. From what I read these are the two best preservation techniques and yield the best flavor. I had to dismiss a couple of the common grocery store brands as they were packed in a mixture of vegetable oils (best to check the ingredient list when you are in the store). There were quite a few other brands mentioned on Chowhound that didn’t make the cut, mainly because they weren’t available in Berkeley, CA - those are listed at the bottom of this page.

The next step was forming the taste-testing team, bringing together the top palates in my life and basically the only friends who would participate in a tuna taste-off (thanks, Tricia, Dara & Britt!) We tasted the tuna blindly and took meticulous notes. The winners are listed below.

Quest for the Best Canned Tuna Champion: Ortiz Bonito del Norte

(Purchased at The Pasta Shop or on Amazon)

The Ortiz Bonito del Norte (albacore) packed in olive oil was the undisputed champion of the challenge. Line caught off the coast of Spain, this tuna is so tasty it can be eaten directly out of the jar. All of the testers commented on it’s delicate/flaky texture and appealing tuna flavor. At $2.06/ounce ($12.99 for 5.3 ounce jar) it was by far one of the most expensive tuna in the challenge - at least it lived up to it’s hefty price tag.

Quest for the Best Canned Tuna Runner-Up: Ortiz Atun Claro

(Purchased at The Pasta Shop or on Amazon)

Ortiz’s Atun Claro (yellowfin) took the silver medal with notes of a clean, flaky texture and a delicate but present tuna flavor. Like the Ortiz bonito del Norte, this tuna tested well enough to be eaten right out of the jar. At the same price point as the Ortiz Bonito del Norte ($2.06/ounce) this is a tuna you would want to save for special recipes that highlight the tuna flavor (not drown it in mayonnaise).

Quest for the Best Canned Tuna Challenge - United States: American Tuna

(Purchased at Whole Foods)

Unlike most of the imports we tested, which were mostly packed in oil, American Tuna is cooked directly in the can (after it is line caught, hand filleted, and hand packed) so all of its juices remain intact and they advise against draining. American Tuna offers a clean tuna taste with a nice firm texture, perfect for practically any recipe calling for tuna. At $0.83 cents/ounce ($4.99 - 6 ounce can) the tuna was a good value, especially when considering that they are a U.S.-based family business that practices sustainable fishing. American Tuna is also listed in the Heritage Foods Guide and is a favorite of celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

Quest for the Best Canned Tuna Challenge - U.S. Runner-Up: Dave’s Albacore

(Purchased at Whole Foods)

American Tuna narrowly edged out Dave’s in the taste & value factors, but there were a lot of similarities between the two (line caught, hand filleted and packed, cooked in the can). The real drawback of Dave’s Tuna when compared to American Tuna was the price-tag. At $1.33/ounce ($7.99 for a 6 ounce can) for Dave’s Albacore, American Tuna seemed to be a better value. Check out Dave’s website for great details on products and canning methods.

*Looking at the retail portion of Dave’s website, it appears that the tuna is priced less than the Whole Foods Market Price - a smaller price tag would put it right in the same ballpark as American Tuna.

Quest for the Best Canned Tuna Challenge - Value: Genova

(purchased Genova at Costco, Trader Joe’s, most grocery stores)

.At .33 cents/ounce (1.99 for a 6 ounce can - even better deals in bulk at Costco), Genova (yellowfin) was the cheapest in this test and scored in the middle of the pack with some points deducted for texture and a saltier taste. Genova is a member of the Chicken of the Sea corporation, and according to their website they source their tuna from around the world but process the tuna domestically. All of their products are listed as dolphin safe. Genova is a good choice when you are looking for the best value and is perfect for tuna salads and sandwiches.

*I should note that this same can of tuna cost $3.99 at Whole Foods which would make it not-so-good in the value department - best to shop around.

Quest for the Best Canned Tuna Challenge: Not the Best

The other brands that were tested all scored in the bottom of the pack - and none were seen as a good value. Interestingly, all of the testers scored the Italian imports rather low and all of the notes complained of too much salt. Other issues with the not-top scorers were mainly textural (some like dog food) and smell (fishy in a not-pleasing way).

Here is a list of Chowhound Recommendations that were not tested because they weren’t readily available:

Henry & Lisa’s Ventresca Tuna Guys Oregon’s Choice Fishing Vessel St Jude Cento

The Quest Continues…

Check back later this week for canned tuna recipes and information on tuna sustainability and health issues.