‘Pungent and mealy’: the best (and worst) supermarket tuna, tasted and rated

Eaten straight from the tin, without seasoning, lemon, olive oil or mayonnaise, canned tuna is pretty gruelling stuff, not least because it’s pungent, mealy and hard to swallow. Testing tuna in this way demonstrates the overall poor quality of the product and why certain brands and species are revered for their superior texture and flavour. That said, a tuna mayo sandwich is one of my go-to lunches, so long as the fish is sustainably sourced (so as not to leave a bad taste in the mouth) and there’s enough pepper to balance out its flavour.

Skipjack is a fast-growing species with a softer, flakier texture and fishier flavour than some others. Albacore tuna, meanwhile, is a larger, slower-growing fish, which makes it more sensitive to overfishing. Its flesh is much paler and more delicately flavoured, with large, meaty flakes.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is an independent registered environmental charity that uses scientific evidence to rate the sustainability of seafood. Its Good Fish Guide uses a traffic-light system from green (best choice) to red (fish to avoid). Both skipjack and albacore have green-rated options available. However, fish sustainability is complicated and depends on the catch method, region and species.

The Good Fish Guide rates pole and line as the best catch method, and recommends fish certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Hook and line is an umbrella term that includes less sustainable fishing methods such as longline fishing, which involves hundreds or thousands of baited hooks and is associated with much higher by-catch, including sharks, turtles and seabirds. However, hook and line combined with an MSC certification is a more sustainable choice because the catch method is specified. Purse seine fishing that avoids using a fish aggregating device (FAD) to attract more fish, meanwhile, has a much lower by-catch than standard purse seine, which attracts and traps other marine life alongside the tuna. So look out for “pole and line” or “hooks and lines” on the label, in combination with an MSC certification; failing that, “FAD-free purse seine” means you’re making a slightly more sustainable choice.

Seafood sustainability has been at the core of my campaign work for the past 15 years, and although there’s still a long way to go, it’s been a pleasure to see the industry take note of the public’s interest in it. This wasn’t the most enjoyable category to taste, but it was one of the most enjoyable to write.

The best supermarket tuna in brine or water

Best overall:
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference albacore tuna steak in spring water

£2.55 for 160g at Sainsbury’s (£2.13/100g drained weight)

★★★★☆

A classic, pale albacore tuna. Well-formed large, flaky steaks. A sweet aroma and taste, with a mild and well-balanced flavour. Caught by pole and line in the north-east Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean, and MSC-certified.

Best bargain:
Co-op responsibly sourced tuna chunks in brine

£2.70 for 3 x 145g at Co-op (88p/100g drained)

★★★☆☆

Skipjack steaks with a sweet aroma and taste and a firm texture, albeit with some more mushy pieces in the can. Caught by pole and line in the Pacific, which, as a more sustainable catch method, bumps this one up to this week’s best bargain.

And the rest …

Ocado tuna chunks in brine

£4.20 for 4 x 145g at Ocado (£1.03/100g drained)

★★★☆☆

Skipjack with a saline, fishy aroma, quite a flaky texture, and noticeably sweet and pleasant flavour. Caught by FAD-free purse seine in the western central Pacific and MSC-certified.

Waitrose No 1 albacore tuna in spring water

£4.25 for 220g at Waitrose (£2.83/100g drained)

★★★☆☆

Beautiful, hand-prepared, large pieces of jarred albacore steak with a pungent, slightly sulphurous aroma and a mealy texture. Sweet, fishy taste with a hint of bitterness. Caught by hook and line in the north-east and south-east Atlantic, and MSC-certified.

Lidl Nixe tuna chunks in spring water

£2.49 for 4 x 145g at Lidl (61p/100g drained), in store only

★★☆☆☆

Large, flaky pieces of skipjack. Sweet at first, but with a slightly bitter aftertaste. Caught by purse seine in the eastern central Pacific or south-east Pacific. MSC-certified and very nearly my best bargain.

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John West no-drain tuna chunks with a little spring water

£3.75 for 3 x 100g at Morrisons (£1.25/100g drained)£4 for 3 x 100g at Tesco (£1.33/100g drained)

★★☆☆☆
Strong, fishy but not unpleasant skipjack tuna. Small, flaky pieces with a rich, classic sweet taste. MSC-certified.

Tesco tuna chunks in brine

£2.49 for 4 x 145g at Tesco (61p/100g drained)

★★☆☆☆

A mixture of firm, large chunks and mushy, flaky skipjack with a pungent, fishy aroma and a classic sweet flavour. Caught by FAD-free purse seine in the Pacific, and MSC-certified.

Asda tuna chunks in brine

65p for 145g at Asda (64p/100g drained)

★☆☆☆☆

Mushy, pink skipjack with a strong, fishy aroma, watery texture and metallic taste. Caught in the Indian Ocean, but catch method not disclosed, though Asda claims it’s “responsibly sourced”.

Minerva tuna steak in spring water

£2.25 for 200g at Waitrose (£1.50/100g drained)

★☆☆☆☆

Loosely packed small skipjack flakes with a slight yellow discoloration. An earthy, fishy aroma, a firm, chewy bite and a sweet taste. Caught by purse seine nets in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans, and MSC-certified.

Morrisons tuna steak in spring water

£1.40 for 110g at Morrisons (£1.27/100g drained)

★☆☆☆☆

Large, meaty skipjack chunks with a strong, metallic aroma, a firm texture and slightly bitter, fishy taste. Caught by pole and line in the eastern central, south-west and south-east Atlantic.

For more, read the best supermarket sushi and the best supermarket tinned sardines

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