Tuna takes an honorable place among fish and seafood as it has a high content of healthy fats, easily digestible protein, vitamins, potassium, and iron, combined with a low-calorie content. Tuna is a great option for a quick and tasty lunch or dinner. It can be added to salad, pasta, or soup, or you can enjoy a juicy and filling tuna steak. Tuna is delicious itself, but what should you do if you want to make tuna taste even better?

What can I add to tuna for flavor? To give tuna more flavor, add tomatoes, ripe avocado, scallions, and grated carrot, and season it with rice vinegar and sesame oil. Scallions and carrots will make a mild tuna taste more pronounced and sharp. Avocado and sesame oil will add creaminess and savory notes.

There are hundreds of different tuna recipes that will make its flavor sharper and creamier. Let’s dive into our ultimate guide on how to make tuna taste nicer and the examples of food it goes well with.

Making Tuna Taste Better — How to Make Tuna Taste Good?

Tuna dishes can be found in many restaurants around the world. Tuna can be eaten raw, fried, grilled, or canned. The largest volumes of this fish are consumed by the Japanese. Tuna is rich in protein and healthy omega fats, and micronutrients. Tuna is a valuable source of protein and is actively used in cooking. It is included in the diet for prophylactic purposes against cancer. Tuna normalizes the work of the heart, kidneys, lowers blood pressure, strengthens the immune system, and is a dietary product (only 139 calories per 100 grams).

Here are some ideas on how to make tuna taste good:

• Bake tuna on a piece of bread with cheese and herbs.
• Make tuna patties with onions.
• Bake in the oven with mayonnaise and cheese with tomatoes.
• Add to fresh salad with capers, olives, and egg.
• Bake on a wire rack, drizzle with teriyaki, and season with sesame seeds.
• Make a casserole with fish, mushrooms, and noodles.
• Make an Italian mozzarella pizza with tuna.
• Make cream soup with tuna.
• Prepare soufflé with tuna, eggs, spices, and flour.

How to Make Tuna Taste Good Healthy?

To make tuna taste good and healthy and without adding calories, try Greek yogurt with salt, pepper, parsley, onion, and dill. A healthy substitute for tuna instead of mayo will be sesame or olive oil and lemon juice, or dijon mustard. Add red onion and celery to make tuna juicier without mayonnaise. 

See also: Beef from the Sea —What Does Tuna Taste Like?

Healthy Alternatives to Mayo for Tuna Recipes

Tuna Salad with Green Beans

Tuna green beans salad is delicious and nutritious and can be served as a light dinner or as a side dish.

Green beans – 200 g
Tuna, canned – 180 g
Quail eggs – 8 pcs. or small chicken eggs – 4 pcs.
Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp. spoons
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper – to taste
Dill – to taste

Tuna Salad with Vegetables

Canned tuna in pieces – 200 g
Fresh tomatoes – 4 pcs.
Fresh cucumber – 1 pc.
Red onion – 1 pc;
Bell pepper – 1 pc;
Spinach leaves – 150 g
Salt to taste
Lime – 1 pc. or a quarter of a lemon;
Any vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.

Low-Calorie Tuna Salad with Corn and Cream cheese

This fancy tuna, corn, bell pepper salad can be made very quickly.

Canned corn – 200 g
Canned tuna – 200 g
Bell pepper – 1 pc.
Cream cheese – 100 g
Pitted olives for decoration.

What Does Tuna Go With?

What foods go well with tuna? Here is a list of foods that go well with tuna:

• Dairy Products: Cheese (Cheddar, Edam, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Goat, Feta), milk, cream, eggs.
• Sauces: mayonnaise, teriyaki, soy, salsa.
• Herbs: parsley, onion, celery, lettuce, dill, green beans, coriander, mint, nori.
• Spices and seasonings: ginger, sesame, rosemary, thyme, ground pepper, basil, olives, caraway seeds, mustard.
• Vegetables: capers, tomatoes, peas, potatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini.
• Oil: olive, sesame.
• Fruits: avocado, pineapple, citrus.
• Alcohol: white wine.

See also: Why Is Bluefin Tuna So Expensive and Special?

Can I Eat Tuna by Itself?

Tuna tastes good raw or canned and can be eaten by itself. However, tuna will taste better if you add avocado, bell pepper, tomatoes, cream cheese, or corn to it. Red onion, celery, and lettuce will add juiciness to tuna and make it creamier and more flavorful. 

Canned tuna is cooked during processing, while fresh tuna is often served lightly cooked or raw. Raw tuna is a common ingredient in sushi and sashimi, which are Japanese dishes made with rice, raw fish, vegetables, and seaweed. Tuna has been used for food from ancient times to the present day. It is widely used in both European and Asian cuisines. It is eaten raw as a carpaccio, a gourmet snack made from thinly sliced meat sprinkled with olive oil and lemon juice.

Raw tuna is generally safe when stored and frozen properly to kill parasites. Tuna is very nutritious, but due to the high levels of mercury in some species, it is best to eat raw tuna in moderation. Pregnant and lactating women, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems should avoid raw tuna.

What is the healthiest way to eat tuna? The healthiest way to eat tuna is in a salad with avocado, red onion, bell pepper, cream cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. Omega-3 fatty acids in tuna remove bad cholesterol, avocado is good for weight loss, red onion protects from ulcers and cancer, and olive oil has anti-inflammatory properties.

Tuna meat is very popular all over the world, as it is very refined and delicate in taste. The French call it “sea veal” because of its atypical taste for fish. Tuna is popular in the USA and accounts for 50% of all industrial fishing. Tuna is equally healthy both canned and fresh, but nothing beats the taste of well-cooked fish, which definitely has more benefits than canned fish.

It is recommended to buy fish in its own juice, as tuna in oil contains a large amount of fat, which has nothing to do with omega-3 fatty acids. The production of canned tuna is gaining momentum and although its capture is controlled by the governments of all countries where this fish is caught, today, the tuna population is under threat, which makes this product even more valuable.

What Can I Mix with Canned Tuna

What to add to canned tuna? Canned tuna can be eaten by itself, on a sandwich, in soups, pies, pancakes, casseroles, salads, pizza, pasta, and risotto. Try adding eggs, beans, onions, garlic, quinoa, pasta, rice, avocado, vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, carrots, potatoes), lettuce, basil, and spinach, or make tuna patties for a burger!

Canned tuna in its own juice is inexpensive and sold in any store. You can cook yummy salads and soups with canned tuna. Tuna can be used for pies, pasta, pizza, and even to make patties!

Tuna Health Benefits

Thanks to the vitamin, mineral, amino acid, and fatty acid composition of tuna, your health improves, and can withstand many diseases and external irritants. Tuna has a beneficial effect on almost all systems and organs.

Vitamin A

It is a natural antioxidant. The main function of the substance is to protect against infections and viruses. Vitamin A (or retinol) fights bacteria and improves eyesight.

Vitamin B

Vitamins of group B have a complex effect on the body as a whole. They are especially important for the immune, circulatory and nervous systems. These substances improve metabolism, affect mental activity, activate the brain, speed up metabolism. For example, vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is essential for the normal functioning of the nervous system.

The lack of this substance is fraught with negative consequences – mental disorder, the development of multiple sclerosis. It is the B vitamins that gives us energy and improves the physical and mental state.

Vitamin D

Calciferol is a complex of nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular, immune, and endocrine systems. Vitamin D takes part in the work of the intestines and kidneys, contributes to the stable state of the muscular system. Diabetes, atherosclerosis, and cancer can be prevented with vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E affects the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. Thanks to vitamin E, blood clotting improves, and blood vessels expand. Tocopherol improves the skin, rejuvenating and restoring it.

Macronutrients

They are important for the full functioning of the body. For example, potassium in tuna improves memory and brain function, stabilizes blood pressure, and strengthens the heart muscle. Potassium and phosphorus affect the functioning of the intestines, bone tissue, and kidneys. Phosphorus separately influences the teeth, strengthening them. Calcium and sulfur are needed for healthy hair, nails, and bones. Sulfur removes free radicals from the body and improves blood sugar levels.

Microelements

Tuna has a lot of chromium, selenium, and cobalt. Cobalt takes part in hematopoiesis, cell renewal, elimination of bad cholesterol, and slows down skin aging. Thanks to cobalt, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates are synthesized faster, and the endocrine system works smoothly.

Chromium breaks down harmful cholesterol and promotes the synthesis of useful cholesterol, which positively affects the heart and blood vessels. Chromium is a trace element that maintains the integrity of DNA, that is, it has a positive effect on heredity. The viruses of hepatitis, herpes, and tuberculosis are resisted by selenium. It also slows down the onset of menopause for women.

Amino Acids

Amino acids in tuna help vitamins and minerals to be better absorbed and perform their strengthening, antiviral, restorative, and other functions. Amino acids are essential for bones, nails, hair, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Thanks to these substances, heavy metals and radionuclides are removed from the body.

Fatty acids

Fatty acids in tuna are necessary as they act as a prophylactic agent against cancer of the stomach, intestines, mouth, breast, and ovaries, as well as against Alzheimer’s disease, and senile dementia. Fatty acids are beneficial for the brain and heart. These substances improve mood, reduce fatigue, and promote the production of serotonin.