The Canned Tuna Brands This Professional Chef Swears By

Who doesn't love a good Salade Niçoise or a traditional tuna salad sandwich? Just pop open a can of tuna, and you have the makings of a yummy dish. But if you want to upgrade your can of Bumble Bee tuna or Chicken of the Sea, Chef Nicole Brisson, executive chef at Brezza and Bar Zazu in Las Vegas, exclusively shared with Daily Meal that she has two go-to brands for this fish. She said, "I have a few Italian preserved tunas that are my go-to brands: Drago and Testa Conserva from Sicily, and Calipo from Calabria. The flavor, texture, and preservation process are what make these brands shine."

The James Beard semi-finalist culinarian competed against Bobby Flay on "Beat Bobby Flay" and learned alongside some of Italy's most talented chefs after moving to the Mediterranean country upon completing her cooking degrees at Schoharie Vocational School at Johnson & Wales University. So, it's perhaps unsurprising that she has a penchant for Italian tuna. However, she might be on to something. Both of these brands preserve their tuna in jars, and upon close inspection, the tuna pieces in the jars look more appetizing than those that arrive in a can.

Per an interview on Gustiamo, Testa Conserve fishmongers catch and conserve the fish that go into those gourmet jars. Unlike the cans of albacore or yellowfin tuna that line American grocery store shelves, Testa is made with bluefin tuna, which has a distinctive red color, sumptuous taste, and substantial texture. It is packed in extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. And because it is in a jar, you can see just how meaty it is and how it compares to the typical canned albacore tuna, which tends to be mild to the taste buds and soft to the bite. 

Testa Conserve is clearly an expert on tuna, having been at it since the 18th century. That said, the European Union also has some pretty stiff rules for catching Chef Nicole Brisson's go-to tuna brand. Only 21 boats are allowed to catch bluefin tuna, and Testa owns two of them. Still, the E.U. stipulates fishers cannot be at sea fishing for more than 30 days. This helps keep fishing for bluefin sustainable.

A jar of Testa's "Buzzonaglia," filled with meat from around the central spine bone, would taste delicious with angel hair with garlic and lemon-parmesan breadcrumbs if you want to add some darker meat tuna with a bold flavor. Or try the brand's tuna fillets in a salad or on a canned tuna open-faced sandwich.

Drago tuna is an equally impressive brand that has been around since 1929. It has a wide selection of jarred tuna to choose from, including bluefin, and is packaged in either olive oil, soybean oil, or brine to create a truly flavorful fish. If you are wondering if you should use tuna packed in oil or brine, it really depends. Because Drago uses a brine, you don't have to worry about the age-old issue of all the flavor of the tuna being left in the water.

When asked about the pros and cons of using tuna in oil or water, Chef Nicole Brisson explained, "There are definitely pros and cons to using tuna in oil versus tuna in water. You might be pureeing the tuna into a sauce and don't want the oil to throw off the consistency. But then, for example, if you are making a tuna puttanesca, you would want that oil as a base to cook your aromatics in to give even more depth of flavor."