Do You Eat Tuna Packed in Water or Oil?

October 8, 2008

46 Comments

3 years 29 weeks

Most tuna is packed in cottonseed oil. Bleah. I read that packing tuna in oil allows the fish oil to mix with the packing oil easily. So when you drain the oil, you are also draining some of the good oil from the fish. If you eat tuna from a can you should get water packed white (not light) tuna, unless the oil used to pack it in is olive oil or some other oil that is good for you.

jennjennnbubba 4 years 30 weeks

I prefer olive oil... water tastes bland to me

fashionista119 4 years 31 weeks

I'm vegetarian, so no tuna for me, but I always have Tuna packed in Olive Oil at the house because my Husband eats it. I work at a company that sells Gourmet Foods imported from Spain and Latin America, so I buy it through the company. We sell Bonito Tuna which is line and hook-caught from the Bay of Biscane in Northern Spain. It's then hand-cleaned and packed in high quality Spanish Olive Oil, and my Husband says it's the best Tuna he's ever had. He eats it on Savory Tortas (Spanish Flat Bread) with some Manchego Cheese and Olivada (Olive Spread).

ilanac13 4 years 31 weeks

being a vegetarian, i don't eat tuna, but when i was younger, my mom would always buy it packed in oil, and i never knew why. when i got to be in college, i switched to getting it in water and it served the same purpose with my dishes so i'm not sure how either liquid really affects things. i just think that the water version is just a little bit healthier, and personally, looking at all the oil that comes out, i was kind of turned off by the stuff anyway.

ayuninur 4 years 31 weeks

eww..no thanks!

CaterpillarGirl 4 years 31 weeks

I prefer water, it sucks so bad when you grab a can and get home and realized you grabbed the one packed in OIL, i mean i will eat it, but i dont think its better.

LoveSarah 4 years 31 weeks

For sandwiches, tuna in water is the only way to go. A little mayo, some garlic and onion powder. MMM, yum! But, I have made things that call for tuna in oil, so I guess it just depends!

luiyuming 4 years 31 weeks

Yeah I prefer tuna in water because you can decide what you want to do with it. Tuna in oil or mayo don't give you that option.

GlowingMoon 4 years 31 weeks

Neither. I prefer wild salmon.

madball 4 years 31 weeks

Oil is better because the nutrients in the tuna leach out into the water, but not the oil. So when you drain the water, you drain a lot of what's good for you in the tuna. Drain the oil, and use it for your cats' or dogs' food ('cause they love it), and keep all the omega3s to keep you healthy.

dootsie 4 years 31 weeks

Tuna in a packet is the way to go. Even "packed in water", there's barely any liquid around the tuna. It's moist, but not swimming!

digibron 4 years 31 weeks

I use Sirena La Vita Lite tuna in oil in salads/sandwhiches and any brand tuna in springwater for cooking. http://www.sirena.com.au/products.aspx?catNodeId=1096

wackdoodle 4 years 31 weeks

I prefer oil - Olive oil. Tuna picked in water tastes horrible (if it has a taste at all) and the water helps wash away the naturally fat in the tuna, leaving you with a horrible dry lump of yeech. I used to eat tuna straight form the can when I was little. I'd always dried off the excess oil and just grab a fork. Then tuna in water came out and my mom started buying that intermixed with the tuna in oil. I'd open a can of the tuna in water, drain off the fish water and grab a fork. YUCK! Into the trash.

codewhiz 4 years 31 weeks

My husband thinks tuna is too fishy, so instead we have Trader Joe's trout fillets packed in brine.

Mykie7 4 years 31 weeks

I was raised on the tuna with water so I had never tried it in oil. Then about a month ago I bought one in oil by mistake and OMG it was GROSS! If anyone likes it, I've got to ask, how do you get past that slimy feeling of it? Ick!

SusanTeufel 4 years 31 weeks

I've never tried it in oil, but it looked nasty. Though I could go for a tuna salad sandwich right now because of this post, lol.

suziryder 4 years 31 weeks

I've never had it in oil, have no desire to try...

POPSUGAR Food 4 years 31 weeks

I love both! Depends on what I'm eating and my mood. If I'm making something Italian, then it has to be packed in oil, naturally. Water if I'm feeling like I want something light.

partysugar 4 years 31 weeks

Today's San Francisco Chronicle says tuna in oil is the only way to go.

lisabarn 4 years 31 weeks

Usually water because it is healthier (and especially if it is just for sandwiches) But, if it for a recipe then I buy the good stuff.

opisnowpro 4 years 31 weeks

I eat tuna in water but its better in oil....but it has to be a good tuna can not the cheapest!

cageyme 4 years 31 weeks

Whether its packed in oil or water, the dog LOVES it when I drain the can over his food bowl. Of course then ordinary dog breath turns into tuna dog breath.

hippiecowgirl 4 years 31 weeks

I only eat it packed in water. I bought it in oil once by accident and the smell when I opened the can was enough to make me throw it out.

Stupidasscat 4 years 31 weeks

Ditto to mtiger

mtiger 4 years 31 weeks

I buy tuna in water. Once, on accident, I bought tuna in oil. I didn't realize it until I opened the can, and it was so messy and disgusting, I threw it right in the trash.

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