Alternative Canned Meats & Fish To Try If You're Worried About The Risks Of Canned Tuna

Well, it's time to dispose of your canned tuna if you purchased Trader Joe's or Genova brand from a number of retailers in over a dozen states (we're sorry to ruin your lunch if you were planning on taking your tuna salad to the next level today). But if the idea of potentially tainted tuna has you feeling kind of queasy, there are actually a number of alternative canned meats and fish that you maybe haven't tried yet — but definitely should.

Tinned and canned fish are having a bit of a moment, with social media content creators doing their part to highlight these somewhat (but not always) higher-end goods. While some are only available in specialty gourmet shops and online, others can be found right on your supermarket shelves. As alternatives to tuna, they are just as flavorful, if not more so, and many are packed with protein and omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, if you don't end up using the entire can or tin, you can repurpose many of the leftovers into a little sea-cuterie board.

Let's start with one of the most widely available, but also widely reviled, canned meats out there: Chicken breast. Okay, yes, it sounds a little strange at first, and people who have never tried it might attempt to put it down, but its versatility is unmatched; it's as delicious in a chicken salad sandwich, as it is at home in an easy casserole or in a comforting bowl of chicken noodle soup.

If you're using it for the former, you might also be able to get your kids on board since it has none of the fishiness of tuna. Just be aware that canned chicken breast tends to be higher in sodium. Just tone down the salt in the rest of your recipe to compensate.

In addition to subbing for canned tuna, smoked canned trout can also substitute for fresh smoked trout anywhere you might want to use it (but especially in sandwiches). It's delectable in place of tuna on a sushi-type bowl; flake it onto a bed of rice and dress it up with condiments like kewpie mayo, soy sauce, and sriracha, as well as toppings like sliced mini-cucumber and pickled onions.

In some cans, too, the oil that the trout comes packed in is also a show-stopper. Use it as a dipping sauce for some crusty bread, drizzle it over a green salad, or even saute your fish in the oil with some fresh vegetables for a quick meal.

Probably the second-most widely available protein on this list, canned salmon is typically located where the tuna and chicken are, but it might never have occurred to you to use it just the same way. If fresh salmon is out of your budget, this sweet and mild alternative is high in omega-3 fatty acids (though not quite as high as the fresh kind).

And an even better bonus? Canned salmon tends to be higher in calcium than both fresh salmon and canned tuna — over 100 milligrams more than the latter in some cases. It tastes delicious in a rice bowl, but you don't even need to cook it — try it in some easy homemade onigiri or tossed into a salad.

Hear us out with sardines. If you're squeamish about seeing those little fish bodies packed into the tin, then flake them up with a fork as soon as you open it and it will look fairly similar to tuna.

They actually tend to be more mildly fishy than tuna, too, and they're also lower in mercury risks. A good way to ease your entry into enjoying sardines is to flake them up and eat as an open-faced sandwich on a toasted bagel with two fried eggs (kind of a deconstructed sardine salad, but for breakfast). Sardines with capers on pizza make a salty, delicious protein boost — just think of them as a nice anchovy swap in a pizza Napoli.

Another milder fish than tuna (noticing a pattern?) — if you buy skinless and boneless mackerel, it tends to look less like, well, a whole tiny fish in a can, which can be a touch unappetizing. Instead, it appears more like a salmon fillet, which makes it a great gateway tinned fish if you're just starting out with a tuna swap.

It's also particularly suited to mackerel patties or melts — just mix it in the same way you'd make tuna patties and heat over a hot pan between two pieces of bread, with your choice of fixins'. Toss it into some pasta or blitz it into a pâté with yogurt or cream cheese, some lemon juice, and your favorite spice blend.