Canned tuna is pretty cheap and you're better off paying a bit more for Tongol. Not all canned tuna is the same. And according to an article on Epicurious.com, "canned tuna meat should be firm and flaky, but never mushy. It should be moist but not watery (and certainly not dry). And it has to look appetizing before it's dressed up with seductive ingredients."
I use no salt added and packed in water for my cooking recipes to have better control over the salt and fat in the dish being prepared. I don't eat canned tuna that often, maybe 2-3 cans a year. That's mostly because I really enjoy raw tuna as sushi or sashimi.
The usual additive options are:
no salt added
salt added
vegetable oil added, usually safflower
olive oil added
The amount of vegetable or olive oil added to a can of tuna is trivial. You're better off buying the tuna that's been canned in water, drain it, and add one teaspoon of olive oil. That's the caloric difference between tuna canned in water vs tuna canned in olive oil. One tablespoon of olive oil has 120 calories, or roughly 40 calories per teaspoon.
Depending on the species, tuna is used in different product forms:
• albacore is primarily sold as white canned tuna
• skipjack is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• tongol is primarily sold as light canned tuna
• yellowfin is sold both as light canned tuna and as ahi
• bigeye is primarily used in sushi/sashimi, but also is sold as canned light
Recipes using canned Tongol:
Tuna Casserole
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Read more:
Seafood Watch: Sourcing Sustainable Canned Tuna
Epicurious Taste Test: Canned Tuna
Download a regional Seafood Watch guide
NRDC List of How Often to Eat Tuna
Showing posts with label tuna. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tuna. Show all posts
Tuna Casserole
The Food Timeline tells us that:
"The word 'casserole' has two meanings: a recipe for a combination of foods cooked together in a slow over and the dish/pot used for cooking it. Casserole, as a cooking method, seems to have derived from the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies are also related, in that pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings. Early 18th century casserole recipes [the word entered the English language in 1708] typically employed rice which was pounded and pressed (similar to the pastry used for pies) to encase fillings. Like their Medieval ancestors, they were both savory and sweet. The casseroles we know today are a relatively modern invention."
The traditional tuna casserole calls for egg noodles, of which I had none on hand. Brown rice fusilli was used instead since this type of noodle can hold up to both boiling and baking in the same recipe. The thought of adding a can of creamed mushroom soup to a casserole is appalling to me. I don't think I've had canned mushroom soup since I was a child and I'm more inclined to make it from scratch if I had to. There are three parts to this recipe: the sauce, the noodles, and the baking. Start by cooking the noodles first since they take the longest to prepare.
You could use any type of mushroom in a casserole. I had dried oyster mushrooms that had been in my pantry for almost a year so I used those. Rehydrated in water and the water (without the mushrooms) added to the pot of water to cook the noodles. The same goes for the shredded cheese. I used mozzarella, but you can easily use cheddar, jack, or colby.
The addition of olive oil to the boiling noodles is an optional step. I had about that much leftover from an appetizer I did earlier in the day. The tuna can is from Trader Joe's and it's tongol in water with no salt added. I didn't think about salt until I tasted the sauce. Hardly any of the ingredients used actually have salt in it, except for the trace amount in the cheese. I sprinklled some sea salt on top of the casserole before adding the last of the cheese.
Ingredients
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
One 6.5 oz can of tuna, drained
One red bell pepper, diced
1 c. oyster mushrooms, chopped
1-2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
sea salt, to taste
1 c. whole organic milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 c. dried fusilli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pot of water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
1. In a pot, add enough water to dried fusilli and boil until noodles are tender. Add olive oil. About 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a 8" skillet, on medium heat, melt butter and fry bellpepper and oyster mushrooms until soft. Add flour and stir until combined. Add milk and stir (or whisk) until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and stir in one cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.
3. In an 8" x 8" baking dish, add cooked fusilli and tuna. Break up the larger chunks of tuna into smaller pieces, if necessary. Add the sauce on top of it and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed.
4. Sprinkle sea salt on top of casserole then add the remaining cheese (up to one cup) on top of the casserole. While it melts and browns, it also makes a tasty crust.
5. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Makes 2-3 servings.
"The word 'casserole' has two meanings: a recipe for a combination of foods cooked together in a slow over and the dish/pot used for cooking it. Casserole, as a cooking method, seems to have derived from the ancient practice of slowly stewing meat in earthenware containers. Medieval pies are also related, in that pastry was used as a receptacle for slowly cooking sweet and savory fillings. Early 18th century casserole recipes [the word entered the English language in 1708] typically employed rice which was pounded and pressed (similar to the pastry used for pies) to encase fillings. Like their Medieval ancestors, they were both savory and sweet. The casseroles we know today are a relatively modern invention."
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| Tuna casserole. There, now I can say I made it. |
The traditional tuna casserole calls for egg noodles, of which I had none on hand. Brown rice fusilli was used instead since this type of noodle can hold up to both boiling and baking in the same recipe. The thought of adding a can of creamed mushroom soup to a casserole is appalling to me. I don't think I've had canned mushroom soup since I was a child and I'm more inclined to make it from scratch if I had to. There are three parts to this recipe: the sauce, the noodles, and the baking. Start by cooking the noodles first since they take the longest to prepare.
You could use any type of mushroom in a casserole. I had dried oyster mushrooms that had been in my pantry for almost a year so I used those. Rehydrated in water and the water (without the mushrooms) added to the pot of water to cook the noodles. The same goes for the shredded cheese. I used mozzarella, but you can easily use cheddar, jack, or colby.
The addition of olive oil to the boiling noodles is an optional step. I had about that much leftover from an appetizer I did earlier in the day. The tuna can is from Trader Joe's and it's tongol in water with no salt added. I didn't think about salt until I tasted the sauce. Hardly any of the ingredients used actually have salt in it, except for the trace amount in the cheese. I sprinklled some sea salt on top of the casserole before adding the last of the cheese.
Ingredients
2 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
One 6.5 oz can of tuna, drained
One red bell pepper, diced
1 c. oyster mushrooms, chopped
1-2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
sea salt, to taste
1 c. whole organic milk
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 c. dried fusilli
1 tbsp olive oil
1 pot of water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
1. In a pot, add enough water to dried fusilli and boil until noodles are tender. Add olive oil. About 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. In a 8" skillet, on medium heat, melt butter and fry bellpepper and oyster mushrooms until soft. Add flour and stir until combined. Add milk and stir (or whisk) until the sauce thickens. Turn off heat and stir in one cup of shredded cheese. Set aside.
3. In an 8" x 8" baking dish, add cooked fusilli and tuna. Break up the larger chunks of tuna into smaller pieces, if necessary. Add the sauce on top of it and stir until the sauce is evenly distributed.
4. Sprinkle sea salt on top of casserole then add the remaining cheese (up to one cup) on top of the casserole. While it melts and browns, it also makes a tasty crust.
5. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Makes 2-3 servings.
Tuna Salad Sandwich
Of all the sandwiches that still taste really good to me as an adult, this is one of them. Egg salad sandwiches are another. And, a simple deli-sliced honey baked ham and cheese sandwich.. golly, I could (and have) eaten that every day for lunch without boredom.
This also pairs really well with flatbread crackers. It's easy to make and a batch of it can make two sandwiches. Strangely, I never thought about making this sandwich from scratch until recently. I like the tang that the pickle brings to the mixture.
Ingredients
6 oz can of chunk light tuna (used Tongol, in water with no salt added)
1 rib celery, finely chopped
3 tbsp organic mayonnaise
one small dill pickle, finely chopped
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and slather on top of toasted wheat bread or crackers. Enjoy.
The only difference between this and the egg salad sandwich is that you omit the tuna for the egg salad sandwich and add instead two hard boiled eggs (unshelled and chopped). Or at least, that's how I make these sandwiches.
This also pairs really well with flatbread crackers. It's easy to make and a batch of it can make two sandwiches. Strangely, I never thought about making this sandwich from scratch until recently. I like the tang that the pickle brings to the mixture.
Ingredients
6 oz can of chunk light tuna (used Tongol, in water with no salt added)
1 rib celery, finely chopped
3 tbsp organic mayonnaise
one small dill pickle, finely chopped
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Mix all ingredients together and slather on top of toasted wheat bread or crackers. Enjoy.
The only difference between this and the egg salad sandwich is that you omit the tuna for the egg salad sandwich and add instead two hard boiled eggs (unshelled and chopped). Or at least, that's how I make these sandwiches.
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