Tuna Archives - Sardeenz!

Genova Yellowfin Tuna with Calabrian Chili

This Genova Yellowfin Tuna with Calabrian Chili came from Walmart, where I also purchased the lemon and herbes de Provence version. I remember liking that one, and hoped this one would be similarly satisfying.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Similar to the lemon version, it appears to be nice, thick chunks of tuna. The oil is tinged red from the Calabrian chili, and also paprika extract further down the ingredient list. The aroma is not too fishy, a good sign. A sip of the liquid isn't too revealing, but there is a subtle heat to it. As with the lemon version, no physical spices are visible.

Let's Dig In

This time, I just dumped everything straight from the can over rice. You can see the thickness of the chunks is equal to the depth of the tin.

Initial bites are promising. The chili heat is subtle but pervasive and has saturated the meat nicely. Continuing on, the chili flavor maintains a steady, well-balanced undertone of spice. I thought it complemented the flavor of the tuna well.

The label describes the seasoning as "Calabrian chili flavor infused olive oil", but again, as with the lemon version, this should not be construed to mean the packing liquid is totally olive oil.

Sodium is again 500mg, but it doesn't taste that salty. I thought the salt level was OK.

As with the other, I found the tuna a little dry, but not terribly so. My previous experience with chili seasoned tuna was a Korean offering that also had potato mixed in, and I found I preferred this one by a substantial margin.

Main Takeaways

Good quality yellowfin tuna
Chili heat well-balanced

Brand: Genova Seafood
Description: Yellowfin tuna with Calabrian chili
Species: Yellowfin tuna
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO71, Western Central Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 5 oz.
Price Range: $3

Natural Catch Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Filets

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Caught these Natural Catch Spicy Yellowfin Tuna Filets, new and on sale at Whole Foods. Regular $5.49 marked down to $3.77 for Amazon Prime members. One of a few cans of various premium tuna I've acquired recently to try.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.5/5.

Nice presentation with the pepper visible. Packed reasonably full of layers of yellowfin tuna filet. Ingredients list vegetable broth in addition to organic EVOO and spices. A nice, warm heat from the seasoning, not overpowering. No dry mouth feel like some tuna, and a nice, fresh tuna taste.

Natural Catch is an up-and-comer in the premium tuna arena. Based upon this can, I'd say they will be a contender. Recommended.

Update

I had another can in my stash for several months now, and decided to revisit and update this year-old review. Very early reviews here were not as in-depth as they have come to be, and this was one in need of revisiting.

I had been critical in the past about Natural Catch marketing. For a time, they mounted an aggressive social media campaign showing how their tuna consisted of premium filets. I noted, in both individual cans I had tried after the first one, and in the advertising, that the filets comprised only the top third of the can contents, and what was underneath was largely a mass of chunk tuna.

This most recent tin had a little more in the way of filets, approximately 50%, with an additional filet piece below the photogenic ones normally covering the top.

The flavor was consistent with my previous assessment, and I still recommend it, especially if it can be had at the sale price at which Whole Foods periodically offers it.

See it at Amazon.

Brand: Natural Catch
Description: Yellowfin Tuna in Spicy EVOO
Species: Yellowfin tuna
Country of Origin: Viet Nam
Source: FAO71, Western Central Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.4 oz.
Price Range: $5-6

Genova Yellowfin Tuna with Lemon & Herbes de Provence

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This Genova Yellowfin Tuna with Lemon & Herbes de Provence came from Walmart. Yellowfin is my preferred canned tuna, and the label says "solid light", which is a plus. Let's see how it tastes.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

Nice looking, solid tuna. The aroma from the can is fresh, not fishy. A sip of the liquid is promising, tasting of fresh lemon. I don't see evidence of any of the other seasonings.

Let's Eat

Lifting the meat out of the can, it stays mostly in sizeable chunks. What you see in the photo above are solid pieces which are as thick as the can is deep.

I poured all of the remaining packing liquid out over the fish and rice. Once again, it appears olive oil is not the main packing liquid, and, to be fair, the can does not state or really imply that it is. It does say "lemon & herbes de provence flavor infused olive oil". Olive oil precedes lemon juice and water in the ingredients list.

I still don't see any of the aforementioned herbes, so I must assume they've been reduced to a flavoring. They appear last on the list, and in tasting, I find their contribution to be little to none.

The lemon, however, is another story, lending a bright, fresh acidity. Sodium is listed at 500mg. but it tastes nowhere near that salty.

I found the tuna itself a tad dry, but not a deal breaker. It had a good, mild flavor that the lemon only improved. It's a shame the Herbes de Provence were underrepresented. At $2.97 for a 5oz. can, though, I didn't feel cheated.

Main Takeaways

Good quality yellowfin tuna
Bright, fresh lemon flavor
Promised spices kind of MIA

Brand: Genova Seafood
Description: Yellowfin tuna with lemon and Herbes de Provence
Species: Yellowfin tuna
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO71, Western Central Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 5 oz.
Price Range: $3

El Manar Light Tuna Flakes with Harissa

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This El Manar Light Tuna Flakes with Harissa came from that Middle-Eastern market I go to to look for new sardines. I hadn't seen this tin there before, and was a bit curious as to why tins dated from 2024 suddenly showed up in 2026, but the best by date was 2027, so I took a chance. I was hoping to see the El Manar Sardines in Harissa I knew they'd had before back in stock, but no luck. This can seemed like a good opportunity to see what their harissa sauce was like. At $4.29, I hoped for the best.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.6/5.

Looks a bit mushy. Described as tuna flakes, I wasn't expecting filets, but I'm hoping that digging in will reveal something more appealing. The aroma is as expected, tuna-fishy. Not really getting a sense of the harissa.

Time To Eat

OK, out of the can things are improved. It's what I'd call a chunk light tuna. I can't find anything on the company website that says what kind, though. An Amazon listing says bluefin, but I'm skeptical as it's not a Mediterranean species typically seen canned.

What you see is about three fourths of the can, which is a generous 5.71oz. It says two servings, but I may just finish it all if it's good.

A taste of the tuna is encouraging. The heat of the sauce hits just right, complementing but not overpowering the tuna flavor. Whatever kind it is, I find it satisfyingly flavorful.

The harissa is sunflower oil-based and includes red hot peppers, garlic, coriander, caraway and citric acid. The heat is steady but moderate, the spices well-balanced and the citric acid brings a welcome note of bright tanginess. The salt level is just right at 355mg.

I did end up finishing the whole can, if that tells you anything. This tuna is about $3.50 a can in quantity on Amazon, and, honestly, I could see myself pulling the trigger on a 10 count.

Main Takeaways

Moist, flavorful tuna
Well-balanced application of harissa
Generous portion

Brand: ManarThon-Zarzis / El Manar
Description: Light tuna flakes with harissa
Species: Bluefin?
Country of Origin: Tunisia
Source: FAO37, Mediterranean Sea
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 5.71 oz.
Price Range: $3-4

Wild Planet Skipjack Tuna with Dill Pickle

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I got this Wild Planet Skipjack Tuna with Dill Pickle at Whole Foods about three months ago. It was on sale and inexpensive enough to spend the just over $2 to see what it was about.

It's a small can, 3 ounces and only about 2-1/2" across. It has the foil top with a pull tab, so no fiddling with a pull ring and sharp edges. I had a big bowl of noodles and chili oil for lunch, but was still craving a little protein, and this seemed like it would fill the bill.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

Looks like some typical canned tuna. The aroma is a little fresher, not as fishy as one would expect as with a supermarket variety canned tuna. I also get a whiff of the pickle, of which only small specks can be seen.

I just ate it right from the can. As I dug down, there were some larger pieces of pickle. The pickle is not too acidic and is just a little sweet, not overshadowing the tuna flavor. But what it does do is offset the inherent tuna "tang".

It's packed in water, but not an excessive amount, so you're basically paying for tuna and pickle, not a bunch of liquid to just drain off. And I didn't feel compelled to drain anything. There's just enough liquid to keep things from feeling dry on the palate.

I could see this being a convenient way to make a quick tuna salad sandwich. Some toast, a little mayo. Maybe a dash of hot sauce. You could make it up right there on the bread.

Main Takeaways

Tasty skipjack tuna
Good balance of pickle and flavor
No-drain contents

Brand: Wild Planet
Description: Skipjack tuna with dill pickle
Species: Katsuwonus pelamis
Country of Origin: Thailand
Source: FAO61, Northwest Pacific
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3 oz.
Price Range: $2-3

bettergoods Smoked Tuna with Rosemary

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This new bettergoods Smoked Tuna with Rosemary was purchased at Walmart at the same time as the new smoked rainbow trout. That one was very good, and I hoped this one would be as well. Same $4.97 price point and 4.41oz. portion.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.

The initial appearance isn't as appealing as the trout, bit I will give it points for being a solid hunk of tuna. The carton calls it "steak cut style", but the grain appears to be running contrary to that of a typical tuna steak. Nonetheless, it is a single, thick piece of tuna (take note, Natural Catch) with nothing hiding underneath.

The aroma is subtly smoky, as is a sip of the olive oil it's packed in. I don't see any rosemary leaves in the tin, and I don't get much of an impression of it from either the aroma or the taste of the oil. I would have expected it to be prominent.

Let's Eat

I was able to lift the "steak" from the tin intact. It is a firm piece of meat. After a nibble of the fish, I decided it would be prudent to pour most of the remaining oil over the fish, in hopes of maximizing any flavor of the seasonings. White pepper, black pepper, garlic, salt and "citric acid anhydrous" round out the ingredient list. Although it doesn't taste that salty, sodium is a whopping 920mg.

The meat is quite firm and resists being divided by a piercing fork. It does, however, flake when the fork hits the right places. It also feels a little dry, but I chalk that up to being smoked over actual hardwood, which has the same effect on much fattier salmon. Here, the meat is leaner to begin with, so pouring that packing oil over it was helpful.

Although not overstated, the smoke is the majority of what I'm getting. That and a note of tuna "tang". The tuna is yellowfin, so I'm not sure if that tang isn't really coming from the citric acid powder.

Once again, the carton says "naturally smoked with oakwood, and finished with rosemary for a fresh, herbaceous twist". I perceived a contribution from the trout's juniper berry, but here the rosemary seems lost under the smoke.

Main Takeaways

Nice solid chunk of tuna
Smoke not overpowering but dominates
Rosemary lost in the smoke

I had hoped this one would be as good as the trout, but it wasn't quite. Kudos, though, for it being solid tuna and MSC certified sustainable.

Brand: Walmart / bettergoods
Description: Smoked tuna with rosemary
Species: Yellowfin
Country of Origin: Turkey
Source: FAO51
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 4.41 oz.
Price Range: $5

Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger

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This Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger is a new item at Whole Foods, so new in fact, the master carton hadn't even been opened to put it out onto the shelf yet. It's been a while since I tried a variety of Fishwife tuna, so this was an exciting opportunity to get back into it. Let's see how it goes.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

I don't know what I was expecting, visually. For all the ingredients listed, it looks pretty much like a can of plain tuna. Some broth, a few droplets of oil. Barely any color to the liquid. There's no real aroma that shouts soy sauce, ginger, mirin, leek or garlic (full ingredient list below). A sip of the broth reveals only the most subtle notes of the seasonings. I note dashi on the list as well, and conclude the sensibility here is intended to be decidedly Japanese.

Let's Eat

A nibble of the fish affirms the seasonings have permeated the meat, and perhaps have either masked or neutralized the inherent tuna "tang". A plus for me. The fish extracts from the can in large chunks, with little debris hiding underneath.

The appearance of the liquid remaining in the tin was slightly sauce-like and hinted that it might contain flavor worth not letting go to waste. I poured it all over the fish and rice.

As I ate, I debated repeatedly whether or not to spice this up with something, anything. Furikake, taberu rayu? But I ultimately decided to let it stand on its own. I didn't find it salty at all, despite the 420mg. sodium.

Main Takeaways

Good quality albacore
Delicate seasoning

Ingredients: Albacore Tuna (Fish), Dashi (Tuna, Water), Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (Soy Beans, Salt, Alcohol Vinegar), Olive Oil, Fresh Ginger, Mirin (Glucose, Dextrose, Alcohol, Rice, Koji), Leek, Fresh Garlic, Potato Starch, Sesame Oil (Sesame), Brown Cane Sugar, White Pepper

This tuna wasn't what I expected. And that's not to say it didn't live up to expectations, only that it was something quite different from what I assumed it would be. Given the ingredient list, I kind of assumed an umami bomb, more akin to the Fishwife Smoked Salmon with Sichuan Chili Crisp. In retrospect, however, I think that type of treatment would be overkill on a mild-flavored fish like tuna.

While I won't be sprinting back to the store for another can, I might be tempted if I see it on sale in the future.

Brand: Fishwife
Description: Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger
Species: Albacore tuna
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $8