Ina Garten's Go-To Canned Tuna For Unbeatable Sandwiches

Ina Garten's choices for canned tuna for her famous sandwiches get straight to the heart of two of her most important cooking philosophies. The first philosophy revolves around making simple foods taste extraordinary by using stellar ingredients. For her tuna sandwiches, this translates into buying Spanish or Italian tuna to make her sandwiches with. Preferably, it's tuna in a jar, though canned doesn't appear to be a dealbreaker in some cases. Her second cooking philosophy grew out of what she learned when she owned the deli that gave her the Barefoot Contessa namesake: Cook food that people like to eat at home.

As it turns out, one of the things that a good number of Americans like to make at home is tuna sandwiches. About Seafood reports that one in four people consume tuna at least once a week. Of those, 40% do so at least twice, but sometimes, it's even three or more times per month. For 52% of those tuna eaters, the recipe of preference is just a plain ol' tuna salad on a sandwich.

By opting for high-quality imported tuna for her recipes, Ina Garten gives people a way to upgrade their canned tuna without complicating things. Here's what you need to know about the Spanish and Italian tuna packed in oil that she prefers, and why you might want to make your next tuna melt with one of these types of fish, just like Barefoot Contessa does.

When the Barefood Contessa makes her signature tuna melts, she has said that they're like a tuna sandwich, except the volume is "turned way up." Some of that extra "volume" comes from the Spanish or Italian tuna she chooses. Spanish tuna packed in oil is "absolutely delicious," according to the Barefoot Contessa, because of its big chunks of moist fish. More specifically, tuna packed in olive oil usually tastes stronger than its water-packed counterpart because fish immersed in oil keeps the flavor in the meat. On the other hand, the water, and not the tuna, retains the flavor of the fish in water-packed tuna.

Although Spanish tuna is packed in olive oil, the flavor of this fish is mild, largely due to the quality of this ingredient. Its flavor isn't overpowered by the oil it's immersed in. As for Italian tuna, it takes two months to marinate it, cook it, and prep it, which allows the flavors to develop. Additionally, tuna eaters who are concerned with the fish's mercury content will appreciate Italian tuna. It typically consists of yellowfin or skipjack tuna, which contains less mercury than albacore tuna. Incidentally, swapping out your albacore tuna salad for Italian tuna brings on some extra taste benefits. Skipjack tuna boasts a strong fish flavor, with plenty of salty overtones. Yellowfin is mild and sweet, yet meaty. Both are sure to satisfy your tastebuds and your tummy.

Jarred tuna is moister than its canned or pouched counterpart. It also comes with big chunks of tuna, unlike canned, which tends to feature small chunks. Additionally, buying jarred tuna comes with additional advantage. You can see exactly what you're getting. With traditional canned tuna, you can't.

However, tuna packed in jars often costs more than canned or pouched tuna, (though all of these types of processed fish remain shelf stable for three to five years, provided that they're unopened). The glass jars cost more to produce and distribute, a cost which gets passed on to you, the consumer. Additionally, imported tuna often costs between $6 and $10 per jar, according to the Washington Post, because of import taxes. However, in the case of Spanish tuna, it's probably worth the extra cost. The tradition of canning tuna goes back a long time in Spain, and the country is the world's largest olive oil producer. In other words, as a country Spain has positioned itself to make great oil-packed tuna.

Finally, it's also worth mentioning that even the Barefoot Contessa will use good canned tuna. The oil-packed Italian tuna she uses to make her tuna salad and hummus sandwiches comes in a can.