Don't Throw Away Canned Tuna Oil, Save It For Cooking Instead

Canned tuna comes in a number of different varieties, but the two main categories it falls into are water-packed and oil-packed. (Here's how we ranked 13 different brands.) While the water-packed kind tends to have fewer calories, less fat, and be lower in sodium, the oil-packed kind has slightly more protein and is (oddly enough) lower in cholesterol. Oil-packed tuna may also be more flavorful, which is why many people prefer to use it for their tuna sandwiches. (Even water-packed tuna salads, however, can be made tastier with the addition of crunchy ingredients.) If you do opt for oil-packed canned tuna, don't make the mistake of draining the can.

One thing you can do with the oil from the tuna can has the Martha Stewart seal of approval: Pour it into your tuna salad where it can take the place of some of the mayonnaise. Martha buys the kind that comes in olive oil, which means she thinks it's alright. Even if it isn't olive oil, though, the oil will have absorbed some of the vitamins and minerals from the fish so it'll still give the salad a nutrient boost.  If you're not making tuna salad (yes, there are other things you can do with canned tuna), you should still hold onto the oil. Other recipes can put that tuna oil to good use.

One thing you can always do with tuna oil is use it in salad dressing. Yes, it will retain a slight air du poisson, but seeing as Caesar dressing is traditionally made with anchovies, fishy flavor need not be a deal breaker. Tuna oil can also make up part of the dressing for a pasta salad or other mayonnaise-based salad such as egg or potato. If the salad has a lot of other flavors in the mix like chopped onions or pickles, the tuna taste will likely fade into the background and add just a subtle umami note.

Tuna oil can be used for frying eggs, sautéing onions, or in any other recipe where you only need a small amount of oil to cover the bottom of the pan. While we wouldn't advise using it to grease a cookie sheet or cake pan, it could be used to keep your cornbread from sticking or to coat your air-fried potatoes. If you really can't think of a recipe where you wouldn't mind an added hint of fish, though, you can always drizzle the oil over your pet's food as a healthy flavor booster.