Dropped in to Whole Foods and found this Albacore Tuna in Spicy Olive Oil and other Fishwife products on sale for 20% off for Amazon Prime members, so I took a chance. Premium tuna has been last on my list. One, for the price compared to regular canned tuna. (How much better can it be?) And for two, what am I going to do, make tuna salad with an $8 can of fish? No, it has to be magnificent on its own, would you not think?
Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.9/5.
Man, that's some pretty looking fish, and it's packed in there tight. Solid albacore tuna with no slosh, no headroom. No skin, and no mystery bits. Glistening olive oil tinged red with paprika and cayenne. I tasted a little of the oil on its own, and it packs some serious afterburner heat. Not like in-your-face jalapeno hot, just more like what you'd expect from the combination of hot paprika, cayenne and white pepper. I wasn't really getting any of the garlic, though.
Having tasted fresh-caught tuna and mackerel from the Gulf, I was hoping to come closer that experience than regular canned tuna. But I don't know, it just didn't blow my hair back. I found it a tad dry and maybe a bit metallic (for lack of a better word). Perhaps that's just the nature of the beast. But definitely not what I was expecting from premium albacore. I also bought a can of albacore with the preserved lemon, so I'll have to compare to that at some point to make a final call.
Main Takeaways
- Nice looking, solid tuna
- A little on the dry side
- Will try another can to compare
Brand: Fishwife
Description: Albacore Tuna in Spicy Olive Oil
Species: Albacore tuna
Country of Origin: Spain
Source: FAO27, Northeast Atlantic
Skin/Bones: No/No
Net Wt: 3.2 oz.
Price Range: $8