Tuna Salad Bean Cups

Featured Ingredient: Canned Tuna

The best thing to happen to the canned food aisle in recent years is the burgeoning number of companies offering up sustainable canned fish that actually tastes good.

Sure, you could spend 89 cents on a tin of soggy chunk light tuna from those mega sized canneries, but here are some really important reasons why you should splurge more often on canned tuna from smaller companies.

1) Better Nutrition: Because companies like Wild Planet only cook their tuna once when already in the can, the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids are preserved. The huge national brands will cook their catch first before canning it so much of the beneficial fats (and flavor) are lost overboard.

2) More Tuna: There is a reason why the big boys packed their tuna in water or low-grade vegetables oils. It lets them pack less fish. Better tuna brands won’t add any oil or water so you actually get more protein.

3) Ocean Friendly: The troll or pole and line methods employed to catch the tuna is considered much more sustainable with less opportunity for unwanted bycatch than the large nets or longlines employed most often by the large national brands. This is an interesting ranking of canned tuna based on sustainability from Greenpeace.  

4) Fewer Toxins: Mercury contamination in tuna has and continues to be a problem. In fact, studies suggest that canned tuna can be a major dietary source of mercury. That is why it helps to source canned tuna from companies which harvest smaller fish which have had less of an opportunity to accumulate mercury.

White bean and tuna salad is a common recipe, so this is my twist on a classic. The white bean cups stuffed with a simple and flavorful Mediterranean style tuna salad makes for a great presentation and fun hand to mouth meal.

And if you want to use the good stuff to try out this recipe, I’ve got good news for you. It’s time for another Muffin Tin Mania giveaway. Wild Planet would like to award one lucky reader with a selection of their tasty tuna. 

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this blog post that says “I go wild for Wild Planet tuna” along with some way of identifying yourself such as your initials or name and I will use this online tool to randomly select a winner. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. I’ll announce the winner next Wednesday August 15^th, so if you entered check back in then for a chance to reel-in your prize.

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. Congrats to Heather760 who was randomly selected as the winner. Heather760 just use the contact button above to send me your shipping details and I will get some of the good stuff from Wild Planet out to you. 

Tuna Salad Bean Cups

Bean cups:

1 15-ounce can white navy beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup flour of choice

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Tuna salad:

2 5-ounce cans albacore tuna
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

2 green onions, green and white parts, thinly sliced

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place beans, flour, parsley, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper and olive oil in a food processor container and blend until a paste forms. Divide mixture among 12 standard sized greased muffin cups and form each into a cup with the bean paste coming up the sides. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cups have set but are still slightly moist. Let cool several minutes before unmolding.

Meanwhile, add tuna to a large bowl and using a fork break it up into small pieces. Toss together with remaining salad ingredients.

To serve, spoon tuna salad into bean bowls.