The Fishiest Kind Of Canned Tuna Might Not Be For Everyone

Canned tuna is a pantry staple for good reason: It's a shelf-stable protein that pleases a lot of eaters. Not all tuna is created equal, however. Just as success when buying fresh tuna comes down to the variety of tuna on offer, the type of canned tuna you pick matters. Albacore, often sold as "white tuna," is a crowd-pleasing option. It's light, fleshy, and mild, with nice saltiness and a "clean" taste that provides a neutral palette for building flavor. On the other hand, skipjack, another tuna variety, has a deep fishiness that can be unpleasant if you aren't the biggest fan of seafood to start with.

In the wild, skipjack tuna gravitate towards warm ocean water. They're considered a sustainable species, so you can feel good about picking this variety. You'll see skipjack on the shelf as "light tuna." In reality, though, skipjack has darker flesh than albacore, or other popular tunas like yellowfin or bonito. Its fishiness has been compared to a strong, lingering metallic taste. Some people hate this — a lot of people, in fact. Detesting "fishiness" is a widespread phenomenon, although scientists disagree on where it originates from. If you're in that category, you might want to skip skipjack.

If you're turned off by skipjack's fishiness, that doesn't have to mean writing it off forever. There are countless ways to upgrade canned tuna, and most of them mask its briniest flavors. Mixing the fish into a nice tuna salad or casserole is your best bet. Before you turn up your nose, know that these humble dishes have come a long way since your mom tortured you with them as a kid. Tuna casserole can be improved in countless ways that will turn it into a weeknight treat, while tuna salad can incorporate all kinds of ingredients you've probably never considered.

As a general rule, any sort of citrus or dairy is going to go a long way towards neutralizing the marine essence of skipjack. The proteins present in milk bind to the fatty acids in tuna and cut the flavor. Likewise, lemon, lime, and even orange have a bright tang sharp enough to disguise fishiness. Another possible solution is to kick up the sweetness: Sugar can cancel out fishy flavor. Half a teaspoon of sugar may do the trick, or even picking a sweet relish for your tuna salad.

At the end of the day, all the tricks in the world may not be enough to tempt you if skipjack's fishy flavor is too much for you to overcome. Luckily, there's more fish in the sea ... literally! A white tuna might be the solution you seek.