Expert: Greg Shreenan - 10/16/2008

Question
Mr. Shreenan,

I used to eat regular canned tuna.  But when I got married, I started eating only albacore, because that is what my husband prefers.  Now, when I eat regular tuna, it seems to have a "dirty" taste.  Is the tuna different than it was several years ago, or is there another reason for the taste change?

Thank you,
Sarah from Michigan

Answer
Sarah, thanks for your excellent question.

Once you eat clean white albacore you can never go back. I had the same experience. Growing up my mom made tuna sandwiches from chunk light tuna so that is all I knew.  Then I had albacore.  The taste is so much cleaner and less fishy using albacore.

The difference Sarah, comes from the fish obviously.  Yellow fin tuna for the canned market is yellow fin tuna that has been caught in big nets with hundreds if not thousands of other tuna thrashing around in big fishing nets. This fish is not suitable to be served any other way than canned. Yellow fin tuna is a dark meat fish with a stronger taste than albacore.

Albacore for canning is caught the same way except that it is white meat and has a much milder flavor.

To conclude albacore just taste better in a tuna salad or a tuna sandwich than "chunk light" or yellow fin tuna.  Chunk Light is yellow fin tuna and albacore is "solid white".

I hope this helps.

Thanks Sarah for your great question.  Best one I have had in a while :)

Your friend, the fish guy,

Greg