Product Review: Golden Taste Tuna Deluxe

It may seem strange to start a review about tuna salad (a classic mayonnaise-drenched food), by expressing my dislike of mayonnaise…but I am going to anyway. Mayonnaise is a disgusting looking food product (I won’t even call it food). Growing up, I hated looking at it, smelling it, or touching it…let alone eating it. Despite my repulsion at the viscous condiment, I did eat the occasional potato salad, cole slaw, or egg salad…I guess I pretended that it was not mayonnaise holding the vegetables or eggs together. I also enjoyed tuna fish sandwiches but made my mom promise to use “as little mayonnaise as possible” to make the chunks of white albacore stick together. Plus, no matter how little she used, it was still “too much.” When I made tuna for myself, it was essentially dry flakes of tuna, with the occasional, barely discernible, white glob.  In college, I was even more scared of tuna, as it was a lumpy mess in a tub and looked like it had been sitting in the deli section all day…which it had.

Then, during my junior year of college, I ended up in a supermarket at lunchtime and decided to try a container of tuna salad…the first tuna I can remember having outside of my house. (I have never ordered it at a restaurant.) Despite my reluctance at eating the squishy, mayonnaise-filled tuna, I absolutely loved it.

In fact, I loved it so much that when Passover rolled around senior year, and I was in that store looking for food that I could store in my mini dorm fridge, I was excited to see that this tuna was kosher for Passover. I ate it every non-Seder night, and still could have kept eating it. I even made sure to have it again prior to graduation because I feared never having it again once I left the area (I had never seen this brand outside of the local supermarket chain near my college).

Post graduation, now much less afraid of mayonnaise, I tried to make my own by mashing it up very small,sometimes in a small food processor, humorously (to me) called “the chopster.” Although a decent substitute, it could not compare to my beloved college tuna.

Fast forward about ten years to Passover 2015. My parents went to Costco to buy Passover food, knowing that the Dedham store always has a good selection.  They saw that the same brand that makes the potato salad and cole slaw they like also made tuna salad-all kosher for Passover. Knowing that I don’t eat much meat, they figured it was worth a try.

It tasted very similar to what I remembered from college and I was thrilled to see that they continued to carry it even after the holiday (although only in Dedham, not Waltham). As good as the Kirkland white albacore tuna in cans is, (I will review it soon), this tuna was a real treat.

This tuna really doesn’t look or sound like anything special. There is nothing “unusual” in the ingredient list that would account for its delicious flavor. And, I admit that, not being familiar with restaurant tuna, I do not have much basis for comparison, but I do know that this tuna salad has emerged as one of my favorite meals.

The tuna is a light tan/cream color, with a well mashed appearance. The consistency is soft and mostly smooth, with the occasional larger chunk of tuna, making for a nice contrast every few bites. The taste is strong, definitelty tuna but not overly “fishy tasting,” and the mayonnaise is not gloppy or gelatinous, as it is fully mixed with the fish.

A fourth of the container is a good portion for me, along with a side dish with a relatively neutral or slightly sweet flavor, such as potato or zucchini pancakes, vegetable soufflé, rice, or a potato, and a salad. I tend to eat it for dinner, but it also makes a great sandwich, especially on an eggy challah roll.

Given that I get four meals out of the container and generally eat it a few times each week, one container lasts me two weeks. Although it stays fresh, towards the end of the second week, the edges tend to dry out a bit, forming a slight crust (because the plastic inside seal has been opened). The taste is not bad, but is not quite as (golden?…couldn’t resist…) tasty as upon first opening.

Although more expensive than making my own canned tuna salad, I find the extra cost (and special trips to Dedham…which are of course combined with filling up the gas tank) to be worth it, as I really look forward to my tuna meals.