Quick-supper makers
If you need to assemble supper without thawing fish, ready-to-use tinned tuna offers chunks, tinned steaks and no-drain formats. Check what you can store at home before the next late night.
Who each format suits
Whole-fillet cooks
If the tuna steak is the centre of the meal, a frozen or previously frozen fillet may suit you when you can follow its cooking and, where required, refrigerator-defrosting directions.
Label-led shoppers
If ingredients, packing medium, sourcing statements or leftover handling shape your choice, compare the individual labels. NHS tuna guidance also matters to people who are pregnant or trying for a baby.
What matters when choosing
For a late-night supper, decide whether the fish needs to be usable straight away or whether you can prepare a raw steak; then consider portions and the details on each pack.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Minimal preparation | Check whether the tuna is ready to use and whether the tin is a no-drain format. | When supper cannot wait for thawing, I need an ingredient I can add to a meal now. About 36% of consumers put immediate use first. |
| A cooked whole fillet | Check whether the steak can be cooked from frozen using your chosen method or needs refrigerator defrosting first. | If I want a whole tuna steak as the main part of supper, I can allow time to prepare and cook it. A cooked fillet comes first for about 29% of consumers. |
| Portions and leftovers | Compare pack size with the portions you need, and read the opened-pack storage directions. | Keeping tuna for several late suppers matters less if an opened pack leaves more than I can use in time. About 21% of consumers primarily want manageable portions. |
| On-pack information | Compare ingredients and values per 100g; check applicable pregnancy guidance or a specific sourcing statement. | Before choosing, I need to know what is in this particular product and whether its guidance applies to me. Label checks are the primary concern for about 14% of consumers. |
Buying pitfalls
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Assuming every frozen steak can be pan-fried straight away
Cooking methods can have different preparation requirements. Tesco Groceries gives oven- and grill-from-frozen directions for its cited tuna steaks, but specifies at least 8 hours of refrigerator defrosting before shallow frying them.
Read the cooking panel for the steak you intend to buy. If supper cannot wait for its required preparation, choose a ready-to-use option instead.
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Treating packing liquids as interchangeable
The packing medium affects the ingredients and nutrition label. Joybuy’s cited John West No Drain spring-water and sunflower-oil multipacks list 0.9g and 6.9g fat per 100g respectively; those figures describe those products, not every tuna in water or oil.
Compare the exact products on the same per-100g basis, including their ingredients, fat and salt values.
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Leaving opened tuna in the cupboard
The cited John West No Drain products direct shoppers to refrigerate opened tuna and consume it within 2 days. Marks & Spencer’s cited tinned tuna steak also specifies a non-metallic container for unused contents.
Choose a portion you can use and follow the storage period printed on its own pack.
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Applying a sourcing claim to every product in a range
Species, fishing-method information and certification can differ between individual tuna products. Princes’ Caught With Care messaging is a brand statement, not a substitute for checking a particular can.
If sourcing affects your choice, look for the relevant statement or certification on the item itself.
Brands to consider
John West
Relevant to quick cupboard meals through its cited No Drain tuna chunks in spring water and sunflower oil.
- The cited Joybuy listings identify the packing medium and give nutrition values per 100g.
- Their opened-tin refrigeration and two-day use directions still need following.
Princes
Offers tinned-tuna formats relevant to a ready-to-use supper; its spring-water chunks list tuna and spring water as ingredients.
- The spring-water chunks provide a specific ingredient list to compare with other packs.
- Check the species, packing medium and any sourcing statement on the individual product rather than applying Princes’ brand messaging to every can.
Tesco
Its cited range makes the distinction between ready-to-use tinned tuna and raw frozen tuna steaks relevant to this supper decision.
- The cited frozen-steak directions distinguish cooking from frozen from a method requiring refrigerator defrosting.
- Follow the directions for the exact frozen product and cooking method you choose.
M&S
Its cited products include tinned tuna steak and raw yellowfin steaks that have previously been frozen.
- The cited tinned steak gives instructions for refrigerating unused contents; the raw yellowfin product gives its own preparation directions.
- Those storage and cooking directions are product-specific. Treat M&S sourcing descriptions as retailer claims and check the item label.
Tuna options on Joybuy
These selections include tinned and jarred tuna for quick suppers, alongside a frozen tuna-steak pack for a cooked whole-fillet meal.
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John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 3 × 100g
A no-drain tinned option for a supper that does not allow time to thaw fish. Joybuy’s listing says to refrigerate after opening and consume within 2 days.
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John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil, 3 × 100g
A no-drain alternative when you prefer tuna packed in sunflower oil. Compare its label with the spring-water variant; Joybuy’s listing says to refrigerate after opening and consume within 2 days.
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Tropical Sun Tuna Steaks in Sunflower Oil
For shoppers who want tuna sold as steaks in a ready-to-use preserved format rather than a raw frozen fillet. Check the pack’s portion and opened-tin directions before planning leftovers.
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Super Frozen Tuna Steaks, 2 steaks, 260g
A frozen whole-steak option when you have time to prepare and cook fish for supper. The pack contains two steaks; check its defrosting, cooking and freezer-handling directions before relying on it for a particular night.
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Rio Mare Tuna Fillets in Olive Oil, 180g jar
A jarred fillet option for a quick supper when you prefer olive oil to the other packing media shown here. If you expect leftovers, check the jar label for its opened-product storage directions.
Common questions
Which tuna format is more practical when supper is needed now?
Ready-to-use tinned tuna avoids the cooking or thawing needed for a raw frozen steak. Choose a frozen steak when you want a cooked whole fillet and can follow that product’s preparation directions.
Can I pan-fry a frozen tuna steak without thawing it?
Check the directions for that steak and cooking method rather than assuming you can. Tesco Groceries specifies at least 8 hours of refrigerator defrosting before shallow frying its cited frozen tuna steaks, although it also gives oven- and grill-from-frozen methods.
What should I do with leftover tinned tuna?
Refrigerate it and follow the period on its own label. The cited John West No Drain products say to consume opened tuna within 2 days; Marks & Spencer’s cited tinned steak also directs shoppers to move unused contents to a non-metallic container.
Does pregnancy change how much tuna I should choose?
Yes. For people who are pregnant or trying for a baby, the NHS advises no more than four cans of tuna a week or two tuna steaks a week because of mercury in tuna. This guidance applies to that group, rather than being a general restriction on buying tuna.