An extensive taste test found enormous differences inside one of America’s most familiar pantry staples. The results also revealed why flavor is only the beginning of a responsible tuna purchase.
By Karla Alvarado
NEW YORK | Published at 10:14 a.m. EDT
There are easier ways to spend an afternoon than opening, draining and tasting nearly 40 cans of tuna. By the final sample, the differences between rosy albacore, gray skipjack, spring water and olive oil could reasonably begin to feel like an endurance sport.
Yet a new Wirecutter evaluation suggests that the exercise was worthwhile. Food writer Antara Sinha and the testing team examined 37 canned tuna products, ranging from inexpensive chunk light fish intended for sandwiches to carefully packed fillets that would look at home on a restaurant plate. Their conclusion was not that all canned tuna tastes essentially alike. It was almost the opposite.
The standout was Conservas Ortiz White Tuna in Olive Oil, a Spanish product made with albacore, also known as bonito del norte. Wirecutter described the fish as neatly packed, rosy pink, balanced in flavor and satisfyingly meaty. It became the near-unanimous favorite among the tasting panel.
That finding gives canned tuna a small image problem, in the best possible sense. For generations of American shoppers, tuna has represented thrift, convenience and the dependable center of a mayonnaise-heavy lunch. The Ortiz tin belongs to another category. It is the sort of fish that can be served directly from its oil with bread, tomatoes, peppers or beans.
The test also delivered a more practical lesson. There is no single perfect tuna for every shopper or every meal. A premium olive-oil-packed albacore may be delicious by itself, but using it in a heavily dressed casserole could erase the qualities that justify its price. A less expensive chunk light tuna can be exactly right when mayonnaise, celery, mustard and pickles are doing much of the work.
The best purchase, in other words, is not necessarily the most expensive can. It is the can whose species, packing liquid, texture, safety profile and fishing method suit the person opening it.
What 37 cans can actually tell us
Taste testing becomes useful when products are compared under consistent conditions. Brand reputation, label design and price can influence expectations before food reaches the tongue. A blind or controlled tasting helps reduce those effects and focuses attention on what is actually in the bowl.
Sinha’s August 14 report placed flavor and texture at the center of the evaluation. The team considered canned tuna across familiar supermarket and premium categories, including water-packed fish and tuna preserved in olive oil.
The distinction matters because packing liquid changes the experience. Water-packed tuna is often leaner in sensation and easier to combine with mayonnaise or dressing. It can also become dry, chalky or stringy when overprocessed. Oil-packed tuna tends to feel richer and may carry flavor more effectively, but poor oil or excessive salt can overwhelm the fish.
Texture separated the better cans from the merely acceptable ones. Large, intact flakes create a sense of substance. Mushy tuna can disappear into a paste before a cook has added anything. Extremely dry tuna demands enough mayonnaise to rescue it, which can defeat the point of buying a carefully sourced fish.
The Ortiz selection succeeded because it reportedly balanced these characteristics. Its pieces looked deliberate rather than compressed, its olive oil supported the fish and its flavor did not need the camouflage of a sandwich filling.
The recognition should still be read for what it is: an editorial taste judgment, not a universal scientific ranking. Palates differ. Some shoppers want a mild fish that stays in the background. Others prefer a pronounced ocean flavor. Salt sensitivity, recipe choice and price tolerance can change the verdict.
A rigorous tasting can identify patterns and exceptional products. It cannot make personal preference disappear.
The humble can now spans two food cultures
Canned tuna occupies an unusual place in the modern grocery store. One shelf may hold low-cost multipacks marketed as everyday protein. A nearby section may feature imported tins with elaborate packaging and prices closer to those of prepared meals.
Both approaches have legitimate uses.
Budget chunk light tuna is commonly made with skipjack, a smaller species with darker meat and a more assertive flavor than albacore. Solid white tuna generally refers to albacore, which is paler and firmer. Yellowfin appears in both water-packed and oil-packed products and can range from ordinary flakes to carefully arranged fillets.
These labels are more than marketing language. They help predict what will happen when the can is opened.
Chunk light tuna generally works well in salads, melts and casseroles. Albacore can provide larger flakes and a cleaner presentation. High-quality yellowfin or bonito packed in olive oil may be best treated as a finished ingredient rather than raw material for a thick dressing.
The renewed enthusiasm for tinned seafood has encouraged consumers to view a can as a composed product, not simply an emergency ingredient. Attractive imported tins, serving boards and social media tastings have helped transform some preserved fish into affordable luxury.
Wirecutter’s result fits that movement, but it also exposes its limit. Premium packaging does not guarantee premium fish. A beautiful label cannot correct a mushy texture, stale oil or harsh salt level. Opening and tasting remain the final test.
Taste does not answer the mercury question
No tasting panel can detect methylmercury by flavor, smell or appearance. Consumers therefore need to separate the question “Does this taste good?” from “How frequently is this appropriate for me or my family?”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency classify canned light tuna as a “Best Choice” for people who are pregnant, might become pregnant, are breastfeeding or are feeding children. Albacore, or white tuna, and yellowfin are classified as “Good Choices.” Under the agencies’ framework, the latter category should generally be limited to one serving during a week for the populations covered by the advice.
The FDA explains that albacore typically contains about three times as much mercury as canned light tuna. Bigeye tuna sits in the “Choices to Avoid” category for the groups addressed by the guidance.
This does not mean adults must fear every albacore tin. Fish supplies protein and important nutrients, and federal guidance encourages eating lower-mercury seafood as part of a healthy diet. The practical point is variety and frequency.
A household that eats tuna several times each week may benefit from using canned light tuna more often and treating albacore as an occasional choice. Parents and pregnant consumers should consult the federal serving chart, especially because serving sizes differ for children.
Species labeling therefore matters even when two cans appear interchangeable. “White” and “light” describe different purchasing decisions, not simply different colors.
A recalled can cannot be cleared by a taste test
Food safety presents another boundary. In January 2026, Tri-Union Seafoods identified additional quantities of previously recalled Genova tuna that had been inadvertently distributed to limited retailers. The original recall involved selected Genova, Van Camp’s, H-E-B and Trader Joe’s products with an easy-open lid defect that could compromise the seal and permit contamination with Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium associated with botulism.
The FDA’s recall notice advised consumers not to use affected products even if a can looked or smelled normal. The warning is crucial because botulinum toxin cannot be reliably identified through an informal inspection or tasting.
The recall concerned specified products and lot information, not canned tuna as an entire category. Consumers should check the FDA notice for exact codes rather than discard unrelated cans based only on a brand name.
The broader lesson is simple. Editorial rankings evaluate eating quality. Regulators track hazards and affected production lots. One process cannot replace the other.
Before opening an older can, shoppers should inspect it for swelling, leakage, severe dents along seams or other damage and check active recall notices. A suspicious or recalled can should never be tasted as a test of whether it is safe.
Sustainability requires more than a green label
The environmental question is nearly as complicated as the flavor contest. Tuna species migrate across enormous areas, and a single product can involve vessels, processors and regulators in several countries. Fishing method, ocean region, stock condition and bycatch practices all matter.
NOAA Fisheries reported in its July 2026 update that U.S. wild-caught Pacific skipjack is not overfished and is not subject to overfishing. The agency describes it as a smart seafood choice under U.S. management. NOAA offers a similar favorable assessment of U.S. wild-caught North Atlantic albacore.
Those findings are encouraging, but they do not establish that every global skipjack or albacore fishery has the same conditions. A species can be healthy in one managed stock and under greater pressure somewhere else.
Gear also changes the impact. Pole-and-line and troll fisheries catch tuna individually or in relatively selective operations. Purse seines capture schools with large nets. Longlines extend many baited hooks through the water. Each method brings different tradeoffs involving bycatch, scale, labor and fuel use.
Consumers should look for labels that identify the tuna species, fishing area and capture method. Independent certification can add information, but no single logo should end the inquiry. Vague phrases such as “responsibly caught” are less useful when a company does not explain what responsibility means.
Traceability is especially valuable. A company that identifies species, region and gear gives customers facts that can be checked against current fishery assessments.
The real winner depends on the recipe
The Wirecutter favorite makes the strongest case when the tuna remains visible and central. Drain it lightly, if at all. Serve it with white beans, sliced tomato, roasted peppers, lemon, herbs or crusty bread. The olive oil is part of the product and can become part of the dressing.
For tuna salad, a moderately priced water-packed or lightly oiled product may offer better value. The cook can control richness with mayonnaise, yogurt or olive oil. Acid from lemon juice or vinegar supplies brightness. Celery, onion and pickles add crunch that even the most elegant tuna cannot provide alone.
For pasta, oil-packed fish has an advantage because its packing liquid can join garlic, capers and chili in the sauce. For casseroles, melts and patties, chunk light tuna is often the sensible choice because other ingredients reshape both flavor and texture.
Consumers should also compare drained weight rather than can size alone. Two packages with similar dimensions can deliver different amounts of fish. Price per ounce of tuna provides a fairer comparison than the shelf price.
Sodium deserves attention as well. Some cans taste vivid because they contain more salt, while no-salt-added products give cooks greater control. Nutrition labels make that tradeoff visible.
What the tasting ultimately proved
After 37 cans, the most useful finding is not that every shopper should buy one Spanish brand. It is that canned tuna deserves to be chosen with the same care applied to coffee, olive oil or cheese.
The category contains genuinely different products. Species influences flavor and mercury exposure. Packing liquid changes richness and cooking use. Processing determines whether the fish arrives in graceful flakes or exhausted shreds. Fishing location and gear affect the environmental story. Lot codes can become vital when a recall occurs.
Conservas Ortiz White Tuna in Olive Oil earned the tasting panel’s strongest praise because it reportedly delivered a premium experience without needing to be disguised. That makes it an appealing choice for a composed lunch or appetizer. It does not make inexpensive tuna obsolete, and it does not override federal health guidance.
The smartest pantry may contain more than one kind: canned light tuna for frequent, practical meals and a carefully selected oil-packed albacore or yellowfin for occasions when the fish itself is the point.
The experts survived their 37-can assignment. Consumers benefit because their verdict turns a crowded shelf into a more intelligible set of choices. The best can is the one that tastes right, fits the recipe, carries transparent sourcing and is eaten with an understanding of what the label can, and cannot, promise.
Reporting and interview provenance
This article draws on Wirecutter’s August 2026 taste test, federal food-safety and fish-consumption guidance, and current NOAA fishery assessments.
Product descriptions and rankings are identified as that outlet’s findings. Safety, mercury and sustainability conclusions were independently checked against the government sources listed below.
Sources
- Wirecutter: The Best Canned Tuna, August 14, 2026.
- FDA and EPA: Advice About Eating Fish.
- FDA: Questions and Answers About Fish Consumption Advice.
- FDA: January 2026 Genova Tuna Recall Update.
- NOAA Fisheries: Pacific Skipjack Tuna, updated July 2, 2026.
- NOAA Fisheries: North Atlantic Albacore Tuna, updated in 2026.