# I'm done with tuna sandwiches **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 23, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728 "2020-10-23T22:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mike\_Mabes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mike_mabes/32/1782_2.png) [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/1 "2020-10-23T22:47:43Z")
Just had a tuna melt from a local sub shop as I wanted something instead of the usual cheesesteak. It was very good for a tuna melt, but halfway through eating it I wished I had ordered something else. Which reminded me that this has happened the last couple of times. I just don’t love tuna sandwiches, melted or otherwise. I do however like a good tuna pasta. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/2 "2020-10-23T22:51:42Z")
I don’t love it either and I hate to make it, but I guess it’s nice to have in the house. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/3 "2020-10-23T23:03:09Z")
Love tuna melts. But once every other month or so is plenty. Tuna pasta is an affront. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/4 "2020-10-23T23:12:54Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Tuna pasta is an affront. My late mother-in-law used to tell the story of how one time when she made tuna casserole, it came out noticeably better than ever, which was puzzling, since it was the standard recipe from the red plaid Better Homes & Garden cookbook she always used. The whole family told her how good it was. After dinner, as she was cleaning up, she found unopened the can of tuna fish she’d forgotten to add to the mixture. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/5 "2020-10-23T23:30:34Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > My late mother-in-law used to tell the story of how one time when she made tuna casserole, it came out noticeably better than ever, which was puzzling, since it was the standard recipe from the red plaid Better Homes & Garden cookbook she always used. The whole family told her how good it was. After dinner, as she was cleaning up, she found unopened the can of tuna fish she’d forgotten to add to the mixture. That’s pretty funny! 😄 Tuna casserole is one of those dishes that I always think I’m going to like more than I do. After every bite I mentally wrestle with whether to eat another bite or throw the rest of my serving out. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/6 "2020-10-23T23:33:19Z")
Fine. Don’t eat it. But no jell-o for dessert. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/7 "2020-10-23T23:35:52Z")
> [@Mike\_Mabes](#): > > I just don’t love tuna sandwiches, melted or otherwise. I do however like a good tuna pasta. I’ve had a life long aversion to canned tuna. I’m happy with sushi grade tuna, but that stuff that comes out of a can I cannot eat. My otherwise sweet grandmother and I had some terrible conflicts about that in the late 60s, but I never gave in. ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/8 "2020-10-23T23:37:51Z")
I love tuna casserole. So far as tuna sandwiches w/onion, I like them on wheat bread, but really like them on toasted bread. ---
**Author:** ![Hatchie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hatchie/32/3983_2.png) [@Hatchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hatchie)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/9 "2020-10-23T23:39:39Z")
I used to like tuna salad (usually with mayonnaise, diced celery bits and optional paprika for appearance more than flavor) sandwiches but a few years ago I burned out on it and never eat it now. Go figure. Also, certain kinds of tuna give a squeaky sensation on my teeth - hate that. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/10 "2020-10-23T23:49:12Z")
Tuna salad was my favorite sandwich as a kid, and is still something I’m happy to eat. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/11 "2020-10-24T00:09:37Z")
What you do is, you mix it up with bread crumbs, mustard, chives, an egg, and liquid from the can, then fry in a pan… Mmm tuna fish cakes! Garnish with lime juice. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/12 "2020-10-24T00:19:29Z")
Decades ago (I’m going to guess circa 1970s, but I can’t say for sure), James Beard said that there was one (maybe two but I forget the other) food that was better from a can than fresh, and that was tuna. I believe he later recanted. But it’s the sort of viewpoint you can imagine holding sway before good-quality fresh tuna became more widely available. If you grow up on canned tuna, it’s not that bad. I don’t generally keep canned tuna in the house, but that’s more because I feel silly buying it in Hawai’i than because I have any real objection to it. As a quick source of tasty, not-too-caloric protein (esp packed in water not oil) there is no reason for it not to be a go-to food. Now I’m thinking maybe I should stock up a little. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/13 "2020-10-24T00:24:14Z")
If you’re willing to try a different take on tuna salad, here’s something I make on occasion: -Can of drained tuna -Olive oil -Minced garlic -Cayenne -Curry powder -Salt The spices are key. It makes a bizarrely delicious tuna melt, too. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/14 "2020-10-24T00:25:57Z")
I feel terrible about all the times I sent the kids to school with tuna sandwiches. There’s nothing nastier than soggy tuna bread. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/15 "2020-10-24T00:47:02Z")
There’s nothing that can be done with tuna that can’t be done healthier and tastier with sardines. I get the ones packed in olive oil, but you can choose the ones you like best. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/16 "2020-10-24T01:10:50Z")
I love good tuna sandwiches (by which I mean tuna salad sandwiches), but there is a vast difference between mediocre and great tuna salad. When I have the really good stuff, there’s nothing I love more than a simple sandwich consisting of great tuna salad on buttered white bread, with Hellman’s mayo on one slice. There’s something about the flavor and texture that is just perfect. I’ve tried adding sliced tomato, lettuce, and other things, and it just doesn’t work for me. Great tuna salad must stand on its own! I know that white bread isn’t considered healthy and is getting rather unfashionable, and I make most of my sandwiches with various kinds of buns. But white bread is _de rigueur_ for tuna salad sandwiches! It’s just about all I ever use it for. A typical excellent accompaniment is a good soup. One could have vast culinary discussions about what kind of soups are most compatible with heavenly tuna salad sandwiches! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/17 "2020-10-24T01:30:48Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > There’s nothing that can be done with tuna that can’t be done healthier and tastier with sardines Healthier? Mostly, yes - small oily fish are good for you, as long as they aren’t sequestering mercury or something. Taste? No, not for me. It’s sadly an age thing. I liked sardines as a kid and my palate has largely expanded as I’ve gotten older to encompass more bitter, sour, sweet mixed with savory, very spicy and other flavors profiles I once avoided. But not fishy - I’ve gotten more and more adverse to it. I still like fresh, firm, white-fleshed fishes like flatfishes or most local CA rockfish. But strong, oily fishes are right out. Mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, nasty-ass bonita (I believe that is the official name) and most of their assorted kin are no longer in my wheelhouse. I’m not even particularly fond of salmon, though I’ll choke it down to be polite. Even with canned tuna I’m pretty much straight canned-in-water albacore these days, after decades of preferring the slightly cheaper versions. But that I still like 🙂 . I enjoy tuna salad sandwiches and I still make the occasional tuna casserole. I pretty much always have a backup can of tuna in the cupboard. I don’t eat it often, but I enjoy going back to it every once in awhile. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/18 "2020-10-24T01:41:04Z")
My favorite versions of tuna are smoked albacore and maguro. Smoked albacore is great in tuna sandwiches – maguro, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/19 "2020-10-24T01:42:42Z")
My tuna salad consists of tuna, chopped onion, chopped hard boiled egg, and just enough Kraft Sandwich Spread to hold it together. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2020, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728/20 "2020-10-24T01:46:53Z")
Less mayo, more horseradish mustard! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-done-with-tuna-sandwiches/923728.md?page=2)