The Canned Seafood To Try For An Underrated But Super Easy Stir Fry

Stir fry is one of those go-to meals that can be adapted for all occasions — be it a weeknight staple, an office lunchtime workhorse, or an elaborate dinner party centerpiece. It's quick to prepare and often makes good use of leftover ingredients while still being satisfying and impressive. Sometimes though, even stir-frying needs to be simplified, and there's a game-changing everyday ingredient that is not only inexpensive and easy, but also totally delicious — canned tuna.

You may be accustomed to using this stuff in cold mayo-based salads and on sandwiches, but in this recipe your can of tuna gets the heat treatment, tossed in with all those chopped up veggies as the protein-rich piece de resistance. Using tuna in your stir-fry ensures you can add both substance and major flavor to your dish without a major investment of effort, time, or cash. While there are a lot of ways to upgrade canned tuna, when you have a craving for stir-fry, this is a power move.

Choosing your tuna can be a head-scratching decision given the breadth of styles on the shelf, but opting for an oil-packed option gives you a leg-up since you can use that liquid in the cooking process (bonus points for olive over other oils; this will add that distinctively delicious flavor, too). About 2 cans will get the job done for a four-serving stir-fry formula, but instead of draining and dumping the packing liquid, pour it into your wok, skillet, or nonstick pan.

From there you can get to work building your stir-fry according to your favorite recipe, cooking your aromatics, layering in veggies and sauce, along with spicy peppers if you're using them. Finally, you'll add this secret ingredient. Since tuna is a pre-cooked product, you won't need to worry about taking its temperature, just make sure it's heated through, and voila — an umami-rich, supremely craveable stir-fry ready for service.

Tuna goes so well with so many classic stir-fry ingredients and flavors, from ginger to cilantro, soy to miso, and peppers to rice wine, so you can get super creative with this preparation, too. If tuna isn't your thing, though, salmon or other canned options work just as well. Swap in this seafood when you use your shrimp and eggplant stir-fry recipe. Pair with your favorite fried rice (which you can make unforgettable with one extra ingredient). Regardless of how you serve it, this seafood stir-fry may become one of your favorite recipes.