albacore Archives - Sardeenz!

Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Soy Ginger

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

Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Spanish Lemon

DeenLeave a comment

I picked up this Fishwife Albacore Tuna with Spanish Lemon about four months ago, and never got around to trying it until now. In fact, I had forgotten I had it, and bought another can while it was on sale again at Whole Foods last week.

Initial impression upon opening the can: 4.8/5.

It's one of those stiff cans you have to battle to get the lid off without making a mess. It's a nice, solid chunk of tuna. The initial aroma is of a mild tuna, but nothing lemony coming through. A sip of the oil is similarly neutral, but with perhaps a hint of lemon. A nibble of fish straight from the can at first seems to just have that tuna tanginess. But then it kind of blooms toward citrus-y.

Prying the meat out of the can, there is no physical lemon to be found. The "lemon" in the ingredient list must be juice or some other form of lemon essence. One part of the meat, an area that was at the bottom of the can, had a bit of a discoloration to it. I wondered if it was the result of contact with whatever the source of the lemon flavor was.

As you can see, visually it just looks like a plain tuna. I dumped the entire liquid content of the can over the fish. I wanted to make sure I got the most of whatever lemon flavor there was to be had.

Getting more into it, though, with each bite it became more apparent the tanginess was from the lemon. I did find myself thinking, however, there wasn't anything overtly Spanish about it, and I might have just supplied my own good quality tuna and some lemon.

Once satisfied I had given it a thorough assessment on its own merits, I decided to experiment a bit. I had a new jar of S&B Crunchy Garlic with Chili Oil I wanted to try. As chili crisp type condiments go, it's a little saltier than most, and I did find it actually enhanced the lemon flavor of the tuna.

Final Thoughts

As quality tuna goes, it has a good flavor that the lemon, however it's achieved, improves. Although it did make me consider just trying to replicate it with my own tuna and lemon.
This would be a good choice for a salad topped with tuna.
When on sale, it's a good value for a premium canned tuna.

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

Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off sitewide.

Affiliate link, earns commissions

Fishwife Albacore Tuna in Spicy Olive Oil

DeenLeave a comment

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

See it on Amazon.

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