The Best Canned Tuna According to a Seafood Expert (It's Under $4)

If you’ve shopped for canned tuna recently, you know that the options are overwhelming. There are cans and pouches and jars to choose from made by well-known brands, as well as store brands and some indie producers.

While I love treating myself to a really high-quality tuna, a $12 can of albacore in olive oil would be a luxury wasted on my son’s lunchtime tuna salad sandwich. Instead of panicking in the grocery aisle every time I want to restock the tuna in my pantry, I reached out to an expert to find the best, readily available canned tuna that wouldn’t bust my budget.

Here’s what they suggested and what I’ll be buying from now on.

Why a Seafood Expert Recommends Wild Planet’s Skipjack Tuna

“My ride-or-die everyday tuna is Wild Planet's Skipjack Wild Tuna. It hovers right around $3 at my grocery store and punches way above its weight class flavor-wise,” says Christina Jolam of Weekday Pescatarian. Jolam is an expert in helping families adapt to a pescatarian diet, specifically the sourcing and cooking of seafood, so her canned favorite fits her parameters of deliciousness and budget-consciousness, while also being sustainable.

Wild Planet’s seafood is all either pole-and-line or troll caught—practices endorsed by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch because they’re safer for other forms of marine life.

Albacore, yellow tail, and skipjack are the three most common varieties of tuna that you’ll find in the supermarket. Most “white” tuna is albacore, while “light white” tuna can contain a mixture of different varieties. Generally speaking, albacore varieties have a more mild or “light flavor,” while skipjack can have a stronger flavor.

Jolam’s pick is rich but not overly fishy, and unlike most tuna, which is packed in vegetable oil, olive oil, or water, it is minimally processed. While Wild Planet includes salt in the packing and cooking process, nothing more than skipjack and salt are in the can, making it a blank canvas for your favorite recipes.

“This skipjack is packed into the can and cooked just once. There’s no extra water or oil added—just the natural juices of the tuna steak,” Jolam told me via email. “It's literally big chunks of tuna steak,  and the flavor is clean without overwhelming whatever you pair it with.”

Jolam keeps Wild Planet’s Skipjack on hand for weeknight dinners and desk lunches alike. “I keep it in regular rotation as part of my mostly pescatarian pantry. My favorite way to use it is in a Mediterranean-style tuna salad with a zingy mustard vinaigrette, briny olives, and handfuls of fresh herbs.”

Personally, I’ve been buying it to have on hand for simple tuna salad or my son’s favorite tuna patties. More than anything, talking with Jolam helped me feel more confident in knowing what to reach for when I am staring down the cans in the tuna aisle.