Why is it that we only grab canned tuna when it's sandwich time?
Posts with tag tuna
Sushi Trivia
Are you a sushi fact whiz? Test your food trivia smarts with this fun sushi trivia and facts quiz.
Sushi Trivia
Sushi was first served in which century?
- 1600s
- 1700s
- 1800s
- 1900s
Omakase is:
- Fish wrapped in radish
- An apprentice sushi chef
- A
Simple Spicy Tuna
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| The Skinny Chef's Spicy Tuna Cups. Photo: Jennifer Iserloh |
These nibbles are made from sushi grade tuna that I buy at The Lobster Place in the Chelsea Market in New York City. But if you don't have a great purveyor locally and aren't a fan of raw fish, you can always use the same amount of baked salmon. It works just as well in my recipe, although the texture will be firmer
So what's the deal with mercury?
Learn more about tuna and mercury and get Jennifer's Spicy Tuna recipe after the jump.
Is the FDA protecting us from toxic tuna?
It is no longer news that Tuna is dangerously high in mercury. But, what's worth remarking is that tuna has remained off consumer watch lists for mercury toxicity due to the influence of the tuna industry on the FDA. The eco-blog Treehugger just commented on an article from Mother Jones uncovering why toxic tuna is still legal.
The article explains that tuna is a huge business in the U.S., and that it's the country's second most popular seafood. The FDA and US Department of Agriculture actually encourage school lunch programs and the federal food program for poor women and children to eat cans of tuna. They promote the fact that it's low in fat, high in protein, and contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids. If some canned tuna receives the American Heart Association seal of approval, can the fact that it has high levels of mercury be so bad?
The issue is that the doctors who flaunt the health benefits of tuna work within the industry. And, the truth is that the health benefits can not outweigh the health hazards of mercury, which over the long-term include damage to the heart, nervous system, and kidneys. The Mother Jones article tells the story of Deborah Landvik-Fellner, a woman who had been eating a can of albacore tuna for 12 years and ended up with shaky hands and a staggering gait. The scary thing about her lawsuit is that the FDA posed the biggest obstacle. After not eating tuna for a year, her symptons went away.
Pot au feu and The Perfect Tuna: The Boston Globe in 60 seconds
- What's the secret to cooking the perfect tuna?
- Cognac is back.
- Pot au feu.
- Mmmm...cloned meat.
- Do you stay in for dinner on Sunday or do you go out?
- These guys want to get rid of paper cups.
- Restaurant reviews: Mangia, Owen and Ollie's, and Pie Bakery & Cafe.
- More recipes: Soupa Avgolemono, Linzer Torte, and Indian Pudding.
Burgers, Blueberries, and BBQ: Food & Wine in 60 seconds
Here's an interesting idea: let's get rid of restaurant menus! - The Best New Wine Lists of 2007.
- A list of products and trends you'll see in the kitchen in the next few years.
- Three interesting burgers to try this July 4th.
- Speaking of the 4th, a French chef shows you how to grill a steak.
- Heading to Richmond, VA? Check out this guide to the city.
- If you're not going to Richmond, how about Paris?
- How to preserve summer flavors.
- This month's recipes: Blueberry-Lemon Parfait, Summer Melon with Crab, Potato Salad with Bacon and BBQ Sauce, Tuna with Provencal Vegetables, Almond Ice Milk, and Cucumber-Basil Martini.
The twisted world of suicide food
I've always thought it was weird and creepy that food mascots tell you to eat the food that they are representing. Animated chickens tell you to eat chicken, Charlie The Tuna wants you to buy Starkist Tuna, and that annoying talking Mini-Wheats guy helps you with your spelling and wants you to eat him and his friends. Gah.
Suicide Food is a blog that keeps track of all these mascots, and the world of that sort of advertising in general. The site describes itself as "any depiction of animals that act as though they wish to be consumed. Suicide Food actively participates in or celebrates its own demise. Suicide Food identifies with the oppressor. Suicide Food is a bellwether of our decadent society. Suicide Food says, "Hey! Come on! Eating meat is without any ethical ramifications! See, Mr. Greenjeans? The animals aren't complaining! So what's your problem?" Suicide Food is not funny."
Need more healthy omega-3's? Try canned fish
We've all heard about eating fish to get more Omega-3's fatty acids in our diet. I was browsing through CNN.com and ran across an article on omega-3 in canned fish. Of the types of canned fish discussed the focus was on tuna and salmon. Tuna varieties have varying amounts amounts of omega-3's. Albacore, also called "white meat tuna," has the most with a four-ounce serving packed in water having 1.06 grams. You get 0.5 grams from a four ounce serving of albacore packed in oil. I thought this was interesting that the water pack is better for you having more omega-3's. The article says, "Since omega-3s are oils, they don't disperse when the fish is packed in water, and draining the water allows most of these beneficial fatty acids to remain in the fish. But tuna packed in oil provides an environment where the fish's natural oils intermingle with the packing oil, so when the can is drained, some of the omega-3 oils are lost."
I didn't realize that canned salmon has even more omega-3's than tuna, with a four ounce serving having 2.2 grams. Unlike tuna, the omega-3 levels among salmon varieties are basically the same.
Continue reading Need more healthy omega-3's? Try canned fish
Guide to sustainable seafood
While there are worries about mercury and other toxins in seafood, fish is still a healthy source of protein, high in omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins and minerals, that people love to eat. But adding one more negative strike to seafood is the issue of sustainability. Some species are over-fished and others are simply discarded when caught due to a lack of demand. Farming can be a solution in some instances, but not all, and keeping track of what types of fish are the safest and most environmentally friendly can be a challenge.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a Seafood Watch (SFW) program that is designed to help make seafood consumers' lives easier. Their website aims to provide enough information to help people learn more about sustainable seafood and make more environmentally sound choices. They provide a printable guide that gives you an idea of the good and bad choices in different areas of the country, or you can browse the guide online, if you don't need to take it along with you.
Oily fish for arrhythmia?
A Harvard-based study suggests that eating oily fish high in omega-3 fatty acids may lower the risk of arrhythmia by improving the electrical signals that keep the heart beating regularly. The study also linked diets high in oily fish to lower resting heart rates, which are generally regarded as less of a risk than high resting heart rates, Food Production Daily reported. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, was based on dietary data collected from more than 5,000 people in the U.S. in 1989 and 1990. Researchers of course noted that further studies are needed to explore and confirm the results.More Top Tuna
Funny how things come in groups. Just yesterday I mentioned the top tinned tuna recommendations from the Times and today in the Observer Food Monthly more tuna. As part of their store cupbaords taste test OFM recommends the folllowing. But who would pay 5 pence short of twelve quid for 210g of bottled tuna??
- Sangiolaro Tuna (210g £11.95 Harrods) "Strong flavour buit nice. I like the long cuts of the fillets"
- Waitrose Ventresca (120g £3.99 Waitrose) "Really good. Nice big chunks and perfect seasoning. I can eat this on its own"
- Ortiz (220g £6.50 Fortnum and Mason) "Very natural and not too salty"
- M&S Tuna (150g 89p Marks and Spencer) "Very bog standard. FIne for a sandwich, It's got that typical tinned tuna taste"
- Fish 4ever (120g £2.79) "Extremely bland. It just doesn't taste of anything at all"
Best Tinned Tuna
Tinned Tuna is tinned tuna right? It comes in a tin with either oil, spring water or brine. Not by a long shot people. You can get the cheap stuff full of skin, reconstituted bone scrapings or, at the other end of the scale, the choicest, firmest flakes. A little taste test in todays Times slates Waitrose own and others but recommends -
Ortiz Bonito del Norte En Aceite de Oliva (220g £4.95) "nice and chunky.... tastes as tuna ought to"
John Nest Selected Light Tuna Slices in Sunflower oil (120g £1.09) "Not bad at all. It's never going to be as tasty as tuna steak, but these pink fillets are not overly processed"
Charles Basset Thon Blanc À l'Huile d'Olives (£1/69 80g) "Lots of olive oil here but at least its decent quality and stops the meat being too dry"
Tuna in pouches vs. cans
Cook's Country had an interesting taste test in this month's issue. They pitted canned tunas against the newer pouch-packaged tunas. The pouch tunas claim to be fresher and less processed, though in all likelihood, the amount of processing that goes into each product is probably similar. Pouches may take up less room in the lunch bag, but cans also have the advantage of being recyclable. With plusses and minuses on both sides, Cook's Country looked for the brand that tasted the best.
Eight brands of solid white albacore packed in water, the most popular tuna variety, were sampled and canned tuna took four of the five top spots. The primary reason was that canned tuna offered bigger and meatier chunks of fish, while the smaller and less-supportive pouches offered a mushier, less appealing, texture. In general, tasters preferred tuna with a mild flavor, too, and their preference reflects in the rankings:
Top Picks
- Chicken of the Sea, canned
- Starkist, canned
Runners-Up
- Starkist, pouch
- Geisha, canned
- Diamonds, canned
- Chicken of the Sea, pouch
Don't Bother
- Bumble Bee, canned
- Bumble Bee, pouch
Consumer Reports finds high levels of mercury in canned light tuna
The big hullabaloo about mercury levels in tuna didn't really include canned light tuna, because, presumably, it has always had a much lower mercury content than white tuna. However, Consumer Reports analyzed the FDA data of canned light tuna and found that some canned light tunas do indeed have at least as much mercury as the regular white tuna.
While most canned light tunas have only about 1/3 the mercury of regular albacore tuna, 6% of the CR's samples had the higher levels, which could pose a health threat to pregnant women and developing fetuses. The FDA has not warned consumers about this potential risk because they do not see it as a problem.
Consumer Reports answers ten crucial questions regarding the mercury levels in canned tuna, and also offer some fish alternatives that have little to no mercury risk.
No mercury warning on canned tuna
The warnings abour high levels of mercury in fish such as tuna have been hitting the foodie airwaves for a few months now, even affecting sushi consumption in local restaurants. However, the warning about mercury levels won't appear on canned tuna after Judge Robert L. Dondero of the San Francisco Superior Court ruled in favor of the tuna canners - mercury levels are not high enough to to require printed health warnings on the product. Furthermore, tuna is exempt from such health warnings because mercury is naturally occurring in fish.
State Attorney General Bill Lockyer and Deputy State Attorney General Susan Fiering say that the ruling is dangerous because poorer women who don't know about the FDA Advisory warning about mercury and who do not have access to information via the Internet will not be aware of the mercury danger.
The tuna companies, however, believe that the ruling favors consumers because such a warning might scare consumers away from a "healthy, economical food."
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