Go to almost any grocery store today, get down on your knees (it’s always on the lower shelves) and scan your eyes in all directions for a single can of tuna fish in oil. You may – just may – find one or two cans. Everything else is packed in water. Water is good for tuna fish when they swim, but it takes all the flavor away when the fish are packed in it.
Vegetable oil, better yet, olive oil makes for far better tasting tuna, and it’s healthy. Olive oil is one of those necessary oils in our diets.
A week or so back, I was in the mood for some tuna salad and I had prepared myself for the inevitable – buying tuna in canned water – when I saw it. It was a product called Genova Albacore Packed in Olive Oil. I quickly scarfed up three cans and later made some of the best tuna salad I have ever put in my mouth. The secret? Olive oil and albacore tuna.
Fishermen are well aware of albacore – or Fat Alberts, as they are sometimes described. They will pound a fly and put a serious bend in a long rod. The albacore is the smallest of the Bluefin tuna species, reaching a maximum of about 3 feet, while some bluefins can exceed 1,000 pounds. The albacore are longer and more streamlined in their bodies and the flesh is firm and pinkish white.
Regular cans of tuna, that cost 70 and 80 cents, look like cat food; sort of flaky and in small pieces. This Genova Albacore (about $2 a can) is chunky, firm and delicious. Packed in olive oil, it’s a rich source of essential omega-3 fatty acids and nutrients, with less fat than either meat or poultry.
There are many recipes for tuna salad, but here’s mine, and the most important ingredient, of course, is the Genova Tuna Packed in Olive Oil. Find that and it’s hard to go wrong.
World’s Greatest Tuna Salad
3 Cans Genova Albacore Packed in Olive Oil
1 stalk of fresh chopped celery
2 T dill relish
½ c finely chopped Vidalia onion
2 diced hard-boiled eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
1 C Dukes mayonnaise
Pour off the small amount of excess olive oil from the cans and mix the tuna with the celery, onion, diced eggs, dill relish, salt and pepper and mayo. Allow to chill and age in the fridge for at least an hour. Serve on white Texas toast with a piece of crisp lettuce and enjoy, and it’s even better the second day.