The occasional serving of canned tuna should not be a problem

Tag : canned tuna

Even the late, great James Beard himself was a fan of canned tuna.But he never called it "tuna fish." As in "I'll make tuna fishsalad." You wouldn't say you were having salmon fish for dinner,would you? Or red snapper fish. Or perch fish.
It's tuna, just tuna. So please mind your superfluous nouns.
Tuna is high in protein and low in calories. Only the egg cancompete with it on equal terms. But, pound for pound while eggs winon cost, they lose on cholesterol levels. Let's call it a draw.
But, hey, didn't we just read a recent news controversy about highmercury levels in some fish, especially blue-fin tuna? That's the kind that often is used for sushi. Unless you are pregnant or havespecial dietary restrictions, the occasional serving of canned tunashould not be a problem. Your call, however.
Canned tuna comes in a variety of textures: solid pack, which isusually a single piece of meat; chunk, which is made up of largepieces of meat; flake, smaller and less desirable pieces of meat;and grated, which is mushy and useful only where the end use is anunrecognizable mixture such as a pate or sauce.
Canned tuna also comes in different packing media: olive oil,vegetable oil, brine and water. Technically, they areinterchangeable in recipes, but olive oil will give the bestflavor. And with apologies to Charlie the Tuna, all of our testedrecipes were made with Italian-olive-oil-packed tuna. Life isshort. Eat the best.
We say 6-ounce cans here, but if you have a 6.5- or 7-ounce can, itshould work fine.
Mayonnaise seems to figure into many tuna recipes. Hellman's ispreferred. For a tuna salad sandwich, though, nothing beats thezest of Miracle Whip. But if you have a food processor or ablender, it's easy to make your own mayo.
Here are 20 things to make with canned tuna:
1. Instant Tuna Salad Plate
For each serving, use one small can of oil-packed tuna. Open thecan, drain it and arrange the tuna in one piece, as it comes fromthe can, in the center of a bed of greens. Garnish with any or someof the following: sliced avocado, quarters of hard-cooked egg,cucumber slices or sticks, cherry tomatoes, strips of red or greenpepper, ripe olives, strips of pimiento, anchovy fillets, artichokehearts, cooked asparagus spears, tiny new potatoes, cooked andtossed with vinaigrette dressing. A mound of mayo is a welcomeaddition.
2. Simple Salad Nicoise
To serve 4, open two large cans of tuna and drain off the oil.Place the tuna in the center of a large platter covered withgreens. Pat the contents of a can of anchovies to rid excess oiland arrange them around the edge of the tuna. Arrange fourtomatoes, quartered; four hard-cooked eggs, halved; either cookedand chilled green beans or asparagus, both dressed withvinaigrette; cold cooked tiny new potatoes; and red pepper stripsfor color. If you think of it, add artichoke hearts. Serve with atoasted baguette.
3. Tuna-Stuffed Eggs
Hard cook six eggs, cool and cut in half. Flip the yolks out into asmall bowl. Add 1/4 cup mashed or flaked tuna, 1 teaspoon Dijonmustard, 2 tablespoons butter at room temperature, minced garlic(1/2 garlic clove pushed through a press and minced), 1 tablespoonmayonnaise. Mix well. Season with fresh lemon juice and a few dropsof red pepper sauce. Spoon back into the egg white halves, moundingthe stuffing. Top each egg half with a caper.
4. Tuna-Stuffed Cold Tomatoes
Cut out the core of six tomatoes, and use a small sharp knife orscoop to remove the pulp and seeds. Sprinkle the interior of thetomatoes with salt and invert on a rack to drain. Mash a 6-ouncecan of tuna. Add two hard-cooked eggs, chopped; 2 tablespoonscapers; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; 1 teaspoon finelychopped chives or scallions; two anchovies, mashed; and 2tablespoons mayonnaise. Use the tuna mixture to stuff the tomatoes,piling it high. Serve on salad greens with warmed pita bread on theside. Makes 6 servings.
5. Tuna-Stuffed Baked Tomatoes
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the tops from four to sixtomatoes and discard. Scoop out the pulp, mince it and reserve.Invert the tomatoes to drain. To the tomato pulp, add 2 slicescrumbled sliced bread, crusts removed; 6-ounce can tuna; sixanchovies, chopped; one small clove garlic, minced; and 1tablespoon chopped basil. Mix well. Sprinkle salt on the inside ofthe tomato cups and fill them with the mixture. Sprinkle 6tablespoons grated cheese over the tops of the tomatoes and drizzlewith 3 tablespoons of butter. Place the tomatoes in a baking dishspritzed with cooking spray. Bake about 20 minutes.
6. Tuscan Tuna and White Bean Salad Vinaigrette
Drain a 6-ounce can of tuna and a 14-ounce can of cannelloni beansand combine in a bowl. Add five scallions, chopped; 1/4 cup oliveoil; and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar. Allow to stand for about anhour for the flavors to mingle. Season with salt and pepper. Justbefore serving, stir in about 1/2 cup chopped parsley.
7. Tonnato Sauce
You might think cold sliced roast of veal napped with tuna sauce isone strange combo. But then you'd be wrong. The classiccombination, Vitello Tonnato, is glorious, and it is a perfectlyelegant choice to be the star of a summer buffet. The sauce is alsowonderful with turkey or as a dip for vegetables. Sauce: Into theblender container, place 1 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup olive oil, a6-ounce can of tuna (drained), three anchovy fillets, 2 tablespoonsfresh lemon juice and 3 tablespoons drained capers. Whirl untilsmooth. Makes about 2 cups.
8. Tuna Panzanella
This is a summer classic salad that uses up stale bread. When youadd tuna, you ramp up the protein and make it a meal. Cut thecrusts from 4 to 6 slices of rustic bread and tear into chunks.Sprinkle with just enough water to moisten. Allow to rest for fiveminutes. Squeeze out any excess water and mix with one large onion,finely chopped; one or two tomatoes, chopped; 6-ounce can of tuna,drained; one small green or red pepper, chopped; two scallions,sliced; and one small cucumber, peeled and diced. Add olive oil andwine vinegar to taste, along with salt and pepper. Chill, sprinklewith parsley or any other herb and serve. Makes about 4 servings.
9. Tuna, Spaghetti and Lemon
Wing this one. Cook maybe 1/2 pound of pasta and drain. While thepasta cooks, sizzle a minced clove of garlic in olive oil. Add theoil and garlic to the cooked and drained pasta along with a 6-ouncecan of tuna, drained, some chopped parsley and the juice of alemon. Add a big lump of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Somepeople like grated cheese with this.
10. Grilled Tuna Sandwiches
Cousin to grilled cheese, and technically not grilled at all, butgriddled. To make three sandwiches, preheat the griddle or a largeblack iron skillet. In a medium bowl, combine 1 6-ounce can tuna,drained and flaked, with 1/4 cup coarsely chopped olives, 1/4 cupchopped celery, 1/3 cup mayonnaise, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemonjuice. Toss until well mixed. Spread the filling on three breadslices and top with the three other slices. In a small bowl,gradually add 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice to 1/4 cup very softbutter. Spread the lemon butter on both sides of the sandwiches.Grill sandwiches about 5 minutes or until nicely browned onunderside. Turn, and grill until browned on the other side.
11. Tuna Melt Sandwich
From the time-honored tradition of melted cheese on toast, we addtuna for a "melt." Butter bread on one side. Place butter side downin a medium-hot skillet. Top with a slice of good melting cheese,add about 1/4 cup tuna salad and cover it with another slice ofcheese. Top with a slice of bread and butter it. When the bottomside is brown, flip the sandwich and brown the second side. Cut inhalf or quarters and think about coming home for lunch inelementary school.
12. Tuna Melt, open-face
Same idea, but split and toast an English muffin. Spread bothpieces with tuna salad and top with a big slice of American orcheddar cheese. Run under the broiler until the cheese bubbles.
13. Tuna Without Mayo
This low-fat alternative to a tuna sandwich has a lot going for it.You can just make it up as you go. Mix drained tuna with the juiceof a lime, minced scallion, lots of minced cilantro leaves, salt,freshly ground pepper and hot pepper sauce. Spread the tuna mixtureon a flour tortilla, pita bread, or your choice of sliced bread.Add a couple of lettuce leaves and sliced tomato. If you're notkissing anyone any time soon, add a thick slice of red onion.
14. Tuna Pate
This is good spread on crackers. Add a few black olives and smallradishes or cherry tomatoes on the side for a quick lunch. Into thecontainer of a blender put 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 small onion, 1/2teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon Worcestershiresauce, 1 6-ounce can of tuna, drained, one stalk celery (cut inpieces), and one small carrot (cut in pieces). Cover and blend onhigh speed for 30 seconds. Chill. Makes 1 3/4 cups.
15. Tuna Pate, Second Version
Into the container of a blender put 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1tablespoon lemon juice, few drops Tabasco, one slice small onion,one small stalk celery, cut in pieces and a 6-ounce can tuna,drained. Cover and blend on high speed for 20 seconds, stopping tostir down if necessary. Spoon into a plastic- wrap-lined, straightsided dish. Chill. When ready to serve, turn out onto a dish andpeel off the wrap. Makes 1 1/4 cups.
16. Baked Tuna Noodle Casserole
Is there a single community cookbook in the entire world thatdoesn't pay homage to this classic from the 1950s? Go all the wayback down memory lane and serve it with a bowl of canned tomatosoup. Cook 4 ounces macaroni or penne pasta and drain thoroughly.Place the cooked pasta in a greased casserole dish and toss with alittle oil or melted butter. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in aheavy-bottomed saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons chopped onion and twostalks chopped celery and cook until tender. Add one can cream ofmushroom soup and 1/2 cup milk and 4 ounces American cheese. Heatuntil the cheese is melted. Stir in the contents of a 6-ounce canof tuna, drained. Pour the tuna sauce over the pasta and mix well.Now, here's the best part. Sprinkle the top with crushed potatochips, about one cup. Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes untilheated through and browned on top. Makes about 4 servings. Just forfun, try barbecue or sour cream and chive potato chips.
17. Oriental Tuna Mushroom Casserole
A bit of spin from the Far East. Combine two large cans tuna,drained, with 1 cup button mushrooms that have been lightly sauteedin a bit of butter, one can cream of mushroom soup, 1/4 cup water,six scallions, chopped, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Stir and ladleinto a greased casserole dish. Scatter a can of Chinese noodlesover the top and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Servewith a dish of cold canned mandarin oranges.
18. Caraway Noodle Ring with Tuna
An old New York Times cookbook includes this recipe, which isprinted below. The tuna-noodle casserole gets a spin from carawayseeds and a homemade sauce.
19. Tuna Salad in Avocado Halves
Drain oil from a 6-ounce can of tuna and place just the oil in abowl, adding 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper totaste to the oil. In another bowl, combine the tuna with half ofthe dressing, keeping tuna in large hunks. Halve and pit an avocadoand season with salt and pepper. Fill avocado halves with the tunaand drizzle with the remaining dressing. Garnish with cherry tomatohalves. Makes 2 servings.
20. Lunch Box Tuna Salad
Oh, come on!
Do you really need a recipe for this? Here's one way to do it. Dumpa 6-ounce can of tuna into a medium bowl. Add finely chopped onionand celery. Add enough mayonnaise to make the mixture holdtogether. Add salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce if you like. Spreadbetween slices of bread, a bun or pita bread.
Caraway Noodle Ring With Tuna
Ingredients:
1/2 pound freshly cooked noodles, drained
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
5 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 6-ounce cans tuna fish
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne
Freshly ground pepper
Directions:
Put the noodles into a bowl. Add the caraway seeds and 2tablespoons of the butter. Toss lightly and turn into a buttered1-1/2-quart ring mold. Set the mold into a pan of hot water to keepwarm.
Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Addthe milk, stirring with a wire whisk. When the mixture is thickenedand smooth, add the cream. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirringoccasionally.
Drain the tuna and flake it. Add it to the sauce. Add theseasonings and mix well. Turn out the noodle ring on a hot platterand fill the center with tuna and sauce.
Makes 6 servings.
-- "The New York Times Cookbook" by Craig Claiborne (Harper & Row,1990)