I Asked Starkist Whether Oil-Packed or Water-Packed Tuna Is Better—Here's What I Learned

This has always been a mystery to me. Key Takeaways • Oil-packed tuna offers rich flavor and tender texture, ideal for tossed salads and pasta dishes.• Water-packed tuna has a cleaner taste and firmer bite, great for tuna salad, casseroles, and patties.• The main difference: oil enhances flavor and moisture, water keeps tuna lean and firm. It turns out, tuna salad can be pretty exciting. Or so I realized recently as I've found ways to incorporate canned tuna into meals and snacks. I happily replaced the mayo-heavy tuna salad of my childhood with a no-mayo version and the occasional avocado tuna salad sandwich. The one thing I haven't figured out is which canned tuna to buy. I'm concerned about sustainability, of course, and I want to consider how the tuna was packed: in oil or water. To better understand the difference between oil-packed and water-packed canned tuna, I consulted Laura M. Ali, MS, RDN, a nutrition consultant for StarKist Co.—one of my favorite tuna brands—to get her insight. The Difference Between Oil and Water-Packed Tuna Along with a soft and tender texture, "oil-packed tuna has a richer, more pronounced flavor due to the oil," explains Ali, "which can add a subtle taste depending on the type of oil used." The oil saturates the fish, resulting in these texture and taste differences. On the other hand, "water-packed tuna tends to have a cleaner, more straightforward flavor since it isn't infused with any additional oils or flavors." Also, because it's not soaking up the fat and flavor of the oil, it tends to have a firmer and drier texture, making it "more suitable for certain recipes that require flakier tuna." When To Use One Kind Over the Other Due to its richer flavor, oil-packed tuna is best used for "dishes like salads, antipasti, and pasta, where the oil can also enhance the dressing or sauce," says Ali. "Because it retains moisture well, it's suitable for gourmet sandwiches and is ready to eat straight from the can." Conversely, water-packed tuna is ideal for more traditional applications like tuna salad, casseroles, and the like. Furthermore, Ali explains, "The firmer texture holds up well in dishes such as tuna patties, burgers, and dips." Types of Tuna Packed in Oil and Water "Different species of tuna are chosen for their specific characteristics such as flavor, texture, and fat content," says Ali, "making them more suitable for either oil or water packing." For example, albacore tuna—which is mild, sweet, and firm—is more likely to be water-packed, whereas yellowfin tuna, "with its mild to moderate flavor and firm, lean texture, is usually found in oil-packed forms," says Ali. Skipjack can be found canned both ways. This is not a rule but rather a generality; the different species can usually be found both in water and oil. Read the original article on Simply Recipes