Choose tinned tuna when dinner needs a ready-to-use ingredient for a pasta bake, jacket potato, sandwich or salad; compare drained weight and servings rather than counting tins alone. Choose frozen tuna steaks when the fish will be the cooked centre of the meal and you have freezer space and time to follow the pack’s preparation instructions. The NHS says fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish, so tuna does not provide the oily-fish portion in its weekly fish guidance.
The useful distinction is whether tuna is an ingredient to add to dinner or a raw fish portion to cook as the main dish.
Tinned tuna can be added to pasta bakes, jacket-potato fillings, sandwiches or salads without preparing a raw fish portion. Check the drained weight against the recipe, particularly when feeding several people.
Frozen steaks or fillets suit a meal built around individual fish portions. Allow for freezer storage and the exact product’s instructions for cooking from frozen or defrosting before cooking.
If an oily-fish portion is part of the week’s plan, account for it separately: the NHS does not classify fresh or canned tuna as oily fish. For sourcing preferences, check the species, fishing-method and certification statements on the particular product.
Choose it when: Tuna needs to be ready to add to a shared dish, filling or salad.
Allow for: Packing liquid affects the amount of tuna after draining, and leftovers need refrigeration once the tin is opened.
Choose them when: Each steak will be cooked as the main element of dinner.
Allow for: Freezer space and preparation time; cooking and defrosting directions differ between products.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Meal format | Decide whether the recipe calls for ready-to-use tinned tuna or a raw steak to cook. For frozen fish, check whether the exact pack permits cooking from frozen. | For a quick pasta bake or jacket-potato filling, I want tuna I can add to the dish. If fish is the centre of dinner, I can set aside time to cook steaks. |
| Quantity | For tins, compare drained weight and the labelled serving guide, not just can size or pack count. For steaks, check the number and weight of portions against the people eating. | I need enough tuna for the recipe and everyone at the table; a multipack count alone will not tell me the drained amount. |
| Storage and handling | Follow the particular tin’s post-opening refrigeration period. Check frozen storage temperature, defrosting directions and any warning against refreezing after thawing. | Is there room in my freezer, or would unopened tins fit the meal plan better? I also need a plan for any leftovers. |
| Pack information | Compare nutrition figures on the same labelled basis, such as per 100g drained for tinned products. Check the packing medium, fish allergen declaration and any bone warning on the pack. | If salt or another label value matters for our meal, I want to compare like with like. I will check the fish declaration and handling warnings for anyone eating it. |
| Fish choices | The NHS recommends two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish, and says fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish. Check sourcing statements on the specific tuna product if those affect your choice. | When planning several fish meals, I want to keep the oily-fish portion separate from tuna and check any fishing-method or certification claim on the pack I buy. |
Packing liquid means a can’s stated weight is not necessarily the amount of tuna available for a shared recipe.
Use drained weight and the product’s serving guide to work out how much the meal needs. Compare nutrition figures on the same drained-weight basis where labels provide it.
Frozen steaks are a raw fish product requiring cooking. ASDA’s frozen tuna steak instructions, for example, say not to eat the steaks raw and to cook them until piping hot.
Follow the cooking and defrosting directions on the exact pack; do not use a timing intended for a different tuna product.
The NHS says fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish in its fish-intake guidance.
If you are planning meals around the NHS recommendation, include a separate oily-fish choice rather than treating a tuna dinner as that portion.
Opened tins have product-specific refrigeration periods. Tesco’s frozen tuna steak instructions say not to refreeze the steaks after defrosting; some tuna listings also warn that bones may remain.
Read the physical pack before preparation, store leftovers for only its stated period and check fish carefully when serving children.
These examples describe particular tuna products or ranges; check the label of the item you choose rather than applying one product’s details to every item from a brand.
A spring-water tinned option for shoppers looking for an MSC-labelled product.
Offers tinned tuna in several meal formats, including chunks and other tuna products.
Provides examples of both tinned tuna and frozen steaks for comparing the two dinner formats.
Its own-label spring-water chunks provide a labelled example for planning a shared recipe.
Its frozen tuna steaks are an example of the cook-at-home route rather than a ready-to-use filling.
Lists both tinned tuna steak and frozen yellowfin steaks, with different preparation needs.
These options include tinned tuna for adding to family meals and frozen steaks for a cooked fish main. Check each pack’s quantity and preparation instructions against your dinner plan.
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Spring-water chunks in a six-can pack offer tins for tuna-based meals on different days. Check the drained weight needed for a shared recipe; refrigerate unused tuna after opening and follow the pack’s two-day instruction.
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A multipack of spring-water chunks for meals such as pasta or sandwiches. Use the pack’s drained-weight information to plan the amount for dinner, and refrigerate unused tuna after opening as instructed.
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No Drain chunks are an option when you want to add tuna to a meal without a separate draining step. Check the physical pack’s quantity and serving information for your recipe, and follow its instructions for any unused tuna.
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This brine-packed tin is a ready-to-use tuna option for a pasta bake, sandwich or salad. Check its drained weight for the recipe; the product information warns that bones may remain and instructs refrigeration of unused contents after opening.
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Two 130g steaks suit a dinner planned around cooked fish portions; check whether that quantity works for everyone eating. Keep frozen at −18°C or colder, follow the product’s defrosting and cooking directions, and do not refreeze after thawing. The listing declares fish and possible traces of crustaceans and molluscs.
Choose tinned tuna when cooked fish needs to be added to a dish quickly. Frozen steaks need cooking and suit a meal planned around fish portions; check the exact pack to see whether they can be cooked from frozen or require defrosting first.
No. The NHS says fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish. Its general guidance recommends two fish portions a week, including one oily-fish portion, so account for that portion separately when planning meals.
Follow the particular product’s label because instructions differ. Sainsbury’s says to transfer unused tuna from its 145g spring-water can to a non-metallic container, refrigerate it and use it within one day; M&S gives a two-day refrigerated period for its named tinned tuna steak.
Check the exact pack rather than assuming they can. Tesco Groceries instructs shoppers not to refreeze its frozen tuna steaks once defrosted and to follow its stated frozen-storage and preparation directions.
For women who are pregnant or trying to conceive, UK advice cited in the Committee on Toxicity’s December 2025 statement limits tuna steaks to no more than two portions a week. That statement specifically addresses tuna steaks; consult current NHS or maternity guidance for other dietary questions.