If tuna salad isn't the definition of easy, I don't know what is. Pop open up a can, mix in some mayo (and if you're feeling fancy, chopped apple, green onions, celery, and walnuts), plop it over some greens, and you're done! I do love tuna salad (and chicken salad, and egg salad...you get the picture), but until recently, hadn't had it in a couple of years, since finding out that I have impaired detoxification due to the MTHFR gene mutation. You see, tuna is typically a food that is higher in mercury, and with impaired detox capabilities, that is the last thing I want building up in my body!
Enter: Safe Catch. I met the Safe Catch team at PaleoFX a couple of months ago and was thrilled to learn about the way that they process their tuna! Not only is it sustainably caught (in partnership with the Monterrey Aquarium), they also test every single fish for the level of mercury that it contains! Safe Catch is currently the only company that I've found that has such rigorous quality testing. In general, only one in three fish that they test meets their standards. You can see an explanation on their site, here!
I wanted to learn a bit more about their "low mercury" claims, so I reached out to the team with some specific questions. In our conversation I learned that their testing technology is proprietary, but that they do send product for independent third party testing every couple of months. In addition, they perform in house testing on EVERY batch of finished product, and their standards are 10x tighter than the FDA limit for mercury! Safe Catch is also the only brand that meets Consumer Reports "Low Mercury" Criteria for children and pregnant women! As a dietitian, this is something that I want to be certain of, not only for myself, but also for my clients.
But what about taste? After all, a product can be top quality, but flavor is equally important. As expected, quality and flavor tend to go hand in hand, and Safe Catch has some of the best tuna I've ever had! I had previously used some of their original Elite tuna in a tuna casserole that I made (which turned out INCREDIBLE), and recently also got to try out their new seasoned variety pack. They have 6 flavors: Garlic Herb, Cajun, Habanero Mint, Citrus Pepper, Chili Lime, and Tandoori. The taste is bold and fresh, and in terms of convenience, these seasoned cans really can't be beat...skip the celery, fruit, and nuts; all you need is mayo! (Or for a shelf stable option, I add in mashed avocado instead!)
Garlic Herb Seasoned Tuna with Primal Kitchens Original Mayo, Green Onions, and Pecans
I should also mention that not only is the tuna top notch, but so are the rest of the ingredients. You won't find any corn, soy, or gluten in these products! (Surprisingly, these are not uncommon ingredients in a lot of brands.) Furthermore, the tuna is packed raw in BPA-free cans, sealed, and then cooked. This process allows the tuna to retain all of the nutrients and healthy fats that might otherwise be lost if it was canned after cooking. Lastly, four of the six flavors are 21 Day Sugar Detox and Whole 30 compliant! (The other two contain a small amount of coconut sugar.)
My favorite way to use these seasoned cans of tuna is simply to mash them up, juices and all, with some mayo or avocado. In addition to eating them in tuna salad form, I also played around with using the seasoned cans in a simple recipe: Sweet Potato Tuna Bites. Usually I make them into patties, but I used my cookie scoop and just left it at that this time!
Spicy Citrus Tuna Bites
Spicy Citrus Tuna Bites:
-1 can of Citrus Pepper Safe Catch Elite Tuna, drained and mashed
-1 can of Chili Lime Safe Catch Elite Tuna, drained and mashed
-1 egg
-1 heaping cup of mashed cooked sweet potato
-2 tbsp Primal Kitchens Avocado Oil
-1/2 tsp Redmond Real Salt
-1/2 cup chopped green onions
Simply mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, scoop 2 oz portions onto a parchment lined cookie sheet (I use my cookie scoop), and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes!
These make a perfectly balanced snack and a portable all-in-one meal. They also freeze and de-frost very well, and in my opinion, are good both hot and cold! Using the seasoned tuna really took the flavor over the top with no additional work!
You can find Safe Catch on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter, as well as in many stores across the country. Lastly, don't forget to enter my Instagram giveaway, which will be live through Sunday July 9th, 2017!
I am so glad to have discovered a tuna that I feel good about eating because of the rigorous quality standards that the company upholds, and their seasoned line has made my #nocook life just that much easier! I hope you give them a try!