One canned food that always made it to my shopping cart on a weekly basis, is tuna flakes in oil. Its a versatile ingredient for sandwiches, omelettes, pasta, salads and whenever we want a change of pace from meats.
The children will happily substitute canned tuna for recipes calling for meat. And for a very long while, I too felt it was healthier, considering that tuna is an excellent source of Omega 3 which is good cholesterol. I was serving these several times per week, until I found USFDA and Oceana reports of tuna canners mislabeling and using cheaper and more readily available fish, other than tuna. This includes, among others; dolphins, halibut, snapper, salmon, cod, sole and grouper. If that was not enough, related reports also reveal dangerous levels of Mercury in canned tuna products in certain areas. If you want to read the entire article and its supporting studies, read the report here.
Instead of acting defeated, and banning canned tuna from the dinner table altogether, I simply scoured the internet for a recipe for making healthy homemade canned tuna. This should be good, because I can make sure my family is getting the REAL thing plus, I can get the freshest catch and make more, for a fraction of the cost.
So, go to the market and seek out the freshest tuna with the brightest of eyes, reddest of gills and firmest of flesh and have the vendor slice you a juicy piece so you can make a good 3 weeks supply of healthy tuna.
INGREDIENTS:
500 g. fresh tuna, dark meat removed
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 pc. bay leaf
1 T. sliced ginger or lemon zest
1 tsp. peppercorns
1 tsp. salt
Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cover
PROCEDURE:
1. Wash tuna well, pat dry with paper towel. Slice into pieces 1/4 inch thick.
2. Arrange in a pot and add the remaining ingredients. Pour enough EVOO to cover.
3. Turn on the heat to low, and slowly bring to a bubbly froth ( not really a boil, and definitely not deep frying!). for a good 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Oil and broth will have separated.
5. Carefully transfer chunks to prepared, sterilized bottles and add the oil and broth, leaving out the spices. If you desire to have flakes, transfer the chunks to a plate, and carefully flake with two forks. Spoon it back in the bottles.
NOTE: The ginger or lemon zest removes the fishy smell. The tuna may be eaten straight from the bottle. Keep the rest in the refrigerator. It is lightly salted so that additional spices and or seasonings may be added to it for other recipes. Yield: 750 g or the equivalent content of 6 small cans.
Tuna flakes in oil is my kids' favorite for Carbonara and omelette, it's a lot healthier and packed with body-building protein unlike the unhealthy, heart clogging fat from bacon. And because it's homemade, I can have the peace of mind that my family is not chomping on some trusting, friendly but unfortunate dolphin.
Do take the time to read the report by Oceana and the USFDA. I find useful information and no-holds-barred health news from naturalnews.com on an almost daily basis.
Do it yourself cooking always outweighs the convenience of ready to eat grocery food by a wide mile. Working moms should find this recipe so easy to put together, and they will be thanking themselves to have something to pull out of the fridge, on the laziest of days.
I'm still trying to break the code for Corned Tuna, the latest canned tuna game changer. When I do, I will be making quadruple the recipe all at once, and you will, of course learn how to make them too.
Happy Sunday everyone!
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