Wednesday, June 24, 2020

My New Favorite Quarantine Discovery


Cooking for one doesn't hold much appeal, so I'm always happy when I find something that makes life easier and leaves more time for writing. If I can order it on Amazon? Even better.

My sister mentioned to me that she uses Starkist Low Sodium Tuna packets.

I'm a traditionalist. I've always gotten Bumble Bee Solid White in a can. It was the brand my husband liked, and that was fine by me.

But when I saw I could order a 24 pack box on Amazon, hey, this old dog can learn some new tricks.




But once the tuna arrived, I had to actually do something with it.

A)  I made tuna scampi.

It was so easy.  I heated some butter, garlic and lemon in a pan, added the tuna and simmered.





B) I liked this one even better!

I heated the tuna in some tomato sauce, added some basil, garlic and oregano, and served it over rice. It was good, but I'd made too much so I tossed it all together and stuck it in the refrigerator.

WOW!  That was the really good part. It chilled perfectly and made a cold tuna rice salad that was perfect for lunch. I added a few blue corn chips for crunch!


Apologies for the pathetic photo. I was halfway through eating it when I thought, THIS goes on the blog.


So what do you do with tuna beyond tuna salad?

12 comments:

  1. The second one sounds amazing! I don't even know if I like tuna and tomatoes together lol. Welcome to the dark side of the tuna world. Once I started with pouch I could never go back. So glad you were able to restock some of your pantry!

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    1. Katie, I put it on a standing order on Amazon. Unfortunately, I've read that due to mercury dangers, you shouldn't have more than a can every 9 days. That's two packets. How disappointing.

      I wasn't sure about the tuna and tomatoes either, but I really liked it.

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    2. You know, I eat tuna at least once/week, my tuna on a toasted bagel with everything seasoning sandwich... it's like one of my favorite suppers. I love it.

      I just plain love tuna!!!!

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  2. Mary Cate, I love tuna packets! I don't even buy cans anymore. No more draining! :)

    My favorite tuna recipe (I think I shared it here before) is to mix it with canned cannallini beans, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and kalamata olives. I sometimes add canned diced tomatoes as well. I eat it over lettuce as a salad. So good!

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    1. That sounds delicious, Missy. Talk about a high protein meal! And anything with olives works for me.

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    2. Now, that sounds good, too. Great ideas here!

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  3. We had tuna for a quick supper last night! Tuna melts for hubby (tuna salad on 1/2 burger bun, topped with cheese, heated under the broiler for a few minutes) and a tuna/apple savory salad for me.

    One thing I love about tuna is how versatile it is. And I love the flavored packets as well as the plain. :-)

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    1. Tuna melts are one of my favorites! I also did a modified version with tuna melt over rice since I didn't have much bread left. And I love the apple/tuna mix. I always put apples in my tuna salad. I remember years ago being at a play group and one of the mothers brought tuna salad with grapes in it.

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    2. Am I the only tuna-in-a-can person left in America? I love the solid white Albacore and the moistness of it.

      Ruthy: Party of One!!!!

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    3. This is solid white Albacore, Ruthy, but it definitely has a different texture from being flattened in the package. I like this box of packets because it's easy storage for pandemic pantries. :) But I will likely go back to the cans when supermarket shopping is a regular thing again.

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    4. You're not the only one, Ruthy! It's tuna in a can for me (solid white Albacore when possible, except when I want the flavored kind. It's very tasty mixed with macaroni and cheese. :-)

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  4. You know, Mary Cate, I'm not a hug tuna fan, so about all I make with it is tuna salad. I don't know if it's the texture or what, but maybe I should give one of your recipes a try.

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