The tuna full of oil changes the game – there are 6 ways to transform it into dinner

When I was a child, I hated canned tuna. Or at least, I thought I did it. The only way I met was in sandwiches camouflaged in Gloppy mayonnaise, pressed between soft bread and unpleasantly crush each bite. The problem was not mayonnaise. The real problem was the tuna itself: the dry and chalky flakes of the cans wrapped in the water, things had to be drowned in Mayo just to be edible.

Quick advance for my adolescence, when I opened my first tuna box filled with olive oil. It was a revelation: flexible flakes of sparkling fish in golden, rich and fleshy oil without drought. Suddenly, I did not consider the tuna as a filling for sandwiches with a lunch box, but as an affordable luxury, I could keep in my closet to transform the pantry dinners during the week in something special in a moment. On that day, the tuna full of oil became my golden stallion for canned tuna.

The differences between tuna full of oil and tuna full of water

That said, I respect that the tuna full of water always has its time and its place for many people. It’s less rich, softer tasting, and sometimes exactly what you want. But when I cook, I take olive oil every time. At first glance, the two look like a tuna sealed in a box. But the difference in liquid considerably changes the flavor and texture of the canned fish.

Tuna full of water is exactly as announced: canned fish in the water. Because the water is flavorless and pulls the humidity from the fish, these cans often give drier and firmer flakes. The advantage is that the tuna has a cleaner tuna flavor profile, with a weak salinity that does not compete with other ingredients. This is why many people – including our editorial director, Daniel, prefer tuna full of water for mayonnaise tuna salads.

Tuna full of oil, on the other hand, is an indulgence in a box. The tuna is immersed in the oil, which locks the humidity and infuses the fish with richness. During the canned, the heat gently pokes the tuna in this oil, creating silky flakes which are ready to eat directly out of the box. The oil itself becomes a bonus aroma – watering on pasta, bread or beans for an instant depth.

But all the tuna full of oil is not created equal. Many inexpensive brands use soy or vegetable oil, which can have a flat or oily taste and overwhelm the fish. Good things are packed in olive oil, which lends fruity and peppery notes which complete rather than hide the tuna. Read the label closely and specifically look for the tuna packed in olive oil if you want the best flavor and the best texture.

The best tuna full of oil has just enough oil to make the fish shine, but not so much that it leaves a fatty film in the mouth. It should have a balanced flavor where neither the fish nor the oil overwhelm the other. Instead, tuna must have a rich and fleshy taste, supplemented by fruity fruity and peppery notes of olive oil itself. (You can find our favorite brands in our full -canned tuna taste test, for which we have evaluated both the tuna full of oil and the tuna filled with water.)

If the tuna filled with oil is a luxury, then Ventresca is the jewel of the crown. Cut of the fatty belly of the tuna, ventresca is the equivalent of Toro in sushi. It is delicate, buttered and tender. Instead of the firm flakes of standard can, Sellresca arrives in large silky nets that practically melt. It is more expensive than your tuna box during the standard week, but for special occasions – or to eat straight out of the tin with nothing other than bread and a glass of wine – it’s unbeatable.

My favorite uses for tuna full of oil

The tuna full of oil is a must of pantry that is both practical and tasty. It works for fast night meals, but it is good enough to be the centerpiece of a dish. Here are my favorite ways to use it.

1. Pasta, pasta, pasta: There is no better window for tuna full of oil than pasta. It goes with daringly flavored ingredients, such as capers, chili flakes and lemon, parsley and / or garlic. Sacha Marx’s pasta recipe is the pantry kitchen to its best humble ingredients in a week’s party. And do not waste this oil from the box, which is infused with a tuna flavor. Use it to bring your aromatics back to further increase the tuna flavor of the sauce.

2. Salads that are not tuna salad: I’m not talking about the tuna salad in Mayo here. I mean a summer tomato tonnato or crisp green vegetables, such as the snail or the radicchio thrown with lemon vinegots, beans or potatoes for weight, and large tuna flocks full of oil on the top. It is also the tuna that I reach in a classic Niçoise. Daniel’s unpaid version is excellent.

3. On toast: Think of Conva Chic. Toast, rubbed with garlic, sprinkled with a part of this tuna oil, garnished with tuna nets and perhaps a stroke of chilian or marinated shallots. This is the fastest dinner aperitif that you will never do.

4. Bean and tuna, forever: Tuna full of oil and white beans are soul mate. A box of cannellini beans, onion or shallot, olive oil, lemon juice and tuna and dinner is ready. And tied with what you will find in an Italian trattoria.

When to reach the tuna full of water

The tuna full of oil is my fault, but the leap is not baseless. It is leaner, lighter and sometimes exactly what a recipe requires. Here is when it is logical to reach it:

• Classic Mayo tuna salad. If you mix with a lot of vinaigrette and crunchy added vegetables, the lightness of the tuna full of water is welcome.
• The tuna melts. Again, mayonnaise and cheese make the big lifting in terms of wealth, so leaner tuna balances.
• Easy tuna noodles pans. The creamy sauce makes the heavy uprising, so a lighter tuna box gets married without weighing down the dish.

The basic food of the pantry I will never be without

The tuna full of oil will always be the star of my pantry. It is not only a food of convenience – it is a flavor power that transforms pasta, beans, salads and toasts in meals that fascinate me.

So, if you only know the sandwiches in charge of Mayo of childhood, consider this your invitation to rediscover the canned tuna. Open a tuna box full of oil, sprinkle the golden liquid on something simple and taste how good the tuna can be good.