Why I Solely Purchase Oil-Packed Tuna Now—and the 6 Dinners I Make With It

Once I was a child, I hated canned tuna. Or no less than, I assumed I did. The one means I ever encountered it was in sandwiches cloaked in gloppy mayonnaise, pressed between gentle bread, and squishing unpleasantly with each chew. The issue wasn’t the mayonnaise. The actual difficulty was the tuna itself: Dry, chalky flakes from water-packed cans, the stuff wanted to be drowned in mayo simply to be edible.

Quick-forward to my teenage years, once I opened my first can of tuna packed in olive oil. It was a revelation: supple flakes of fish glistening in golden oil, wealthy and meaty with none dryness. All of the sudden, I did not view tuna as a filler for lunchbox sandwiches, however as an inexpensive luxurious I may maintain in my cabinet to show weeknight pantry dinners into one thing particular on a second’s discover. That day, oil-packed tuna grew to become my gold normal for canned tuna.

The Variations Between Oil-Packed and Water-Packed Tuna

That mentioned, I respect that water-packed tuna nonetheless has its time and place for many individuals. It is much less wealthy, milder tasting, and typically precisely what you need. However once I’m cooking, I will take olive oil each time. At first look, the 2 look related—simply tuna sealed in a can. However the distinction in liquid modifications the flavour and texture of the tinned fish significantly.

Water-packed tuna is strictly as marketed: fish canned in water. As a result of water is flavorless and pulls moisture from the fish, these cans typically yield drier, firmer flakes. The upside is that the tuna has a cleaner tuna-only taste profile, with a faint salinity that does not compete with different elements. That is why many individuals—together with our editorial director, Daniel, choose water-packed tuna for mayo-based tuna salads. 

Oil-packed tuna, however, is indulgence in a tin. The tuna is submerged in oil, which locks in moisture and infuses the fish with richness. Throughout canning, the warmth gently poaches the tuna in that oil, creating silky flakes which can be able to eat straight out of the can. The oil itself turns into a bonus flavoring—drizzle it on pasta, bread, or beans for immediate depth.

However not all oil-packed tuna is created equal. Many cheap manufacturers use soybean or vegetable oil, which may style flat or greasy and overwhelm the fish. The good things is packed in olive oil, which lends fruity, peppery notes that complement quite than masks the tuna. Learn the label carefully, and look particularly for tuna packed in olive oil if you need the very best taste and texture.

One of the best oil-packed tuna has simply sufficient oil to make the fish glisten, however not a lot that it leaves a greasy movie in your mouth. It ought to have a balanced taste the place neither the fish nor the oil overwhelms the opposite. As an alternative, the tuna ought to style wealthy and meaty, complemented by refined fruity, peppery notes from the olive oil itself. (You could find our favourite manufacturers in our thorough canned tuna style check, for which we assessed each oil-packed and water-packed tuna.)

If oil-packed tuna is a luxurious, then ventresca is the crown jewel. Minimize from the fatty stomach of the tuna, ventresca is the equal of toro in sushi. It is delicate, buttery, and tender. As an alternative of the agency flakes of normal cans, ventresca arrives in broad, silky fillets that virtually soften. It is pricier than your normal weeknight tin of tuna, however for particular events—or for consuming straight out of the tin with nothing however bread and a glass of wine—it is unbeatable.

My Favourite Makes use of for Oil-Packed Tuna

Oil-packed tuna is a pantry staple that is each sensible and flavorful. It really works for fast weeknight meals however is sweet sufficient to be the centerpiece of a dish. Listed here are my favourite methods to make use of it.

1. Pasta, Pasta, Pasta: There is no higher showcase for oil-packed tuna than pasta. It pairs with boldly flavored elements, corresponding to capers, chili flakes, and lemon, parsley, and/or garlic. Sacha Marx’s pasta al tonno recipe is pantry cooking at its most interesting, turning humble elements right into a weeknight feast. And do not waste that oil from the can, which is infused with tuna taste. Use it to sauté your aromatics to additional enhance the tuna taste of the sauce.

2. Salads That Aren’t Tuna Salad: I am not speaking about mayo-heavy tuna salad right here. I imply a summer time tomato tonnato or crisp, bitter greens like escarole or radicchio tossed with lemony French dressing, beans or potatoes for heft, and massive flakes of oil-packed tuna on high. It is also the tuna I attain for in a basic Niçoise. Daniel’s uncomposed model is great.

3. On Toast: Suppose conserva stylish. Toast, rubbed with garlic, drizzled with a few of that tuna oil, topped with tuna fillets and possibly a success of chile or pickled shallots. It is the quickest ceremonial dinner appetizer you may ever make.

4. Beans and Tuna, Ceaselessly: Oil-packed tuna and white beans are soulmates. A can of cannellini beans, some onion or shallot, olive oil, lemon juice, and tuna, and dinner is prepared. And on par with what you’d discover at an Italian trattoria.

When to Attain for Water-Packed Tuna

Oil-packed tuna is my default, however water-packed is not with out benefit. It is leaner, lighter, and typically precisely what a recipe requires. Here is when it is sensible to succeed in for it:

• Basic mayo tuna salad. When you’re mixing with a lot of dressing and crunchy added greens, the lightness of water-packed tuna is welcome.
• Tuna melts. Once more, the mayo and cheese do the heavy lifting in the case of richness, so leaner tuna balances it out.
• Straightforward tuna noodle casseroles. The creamy sauce does the heavy lifting, so a lighter can of tuna blends in with out weighing the dish down.

The Pantry Staple I will By no means Be With out

Oil-packed tuna will at all times be the star of my pantry. It isn’t only a comfort meals—it is a taste powerhouse that turns pasta, beans, salads, and toasts into meals I get enthusiastic about. 

So when you’ve solely ever recognized the mayo-laden sandwiches of childhood, take into account this your invitation to rediscover canned tuna. Open a tin of oil-packed tuna, drizzle the golden liquid on one thing easy, and style simply how good canned tuna may be.

September 2025