Why Ortiz Makes the Best Tinned Tuna
by Nicola Lando
When it comes to tinned tuna, one name stands above the rest: Ortiz. For more than a century, this family-run Spanish company has perfected the art of preserving fish, earning a reputation among chefs and home cooks alike for making the best tinned tuna in the world.
Legacy of Spanish Seafood Excellence
Founded in 1891, Ortiz has stayed true to its roots: fishing with respect for the sea and preparing seafood with uncompromising quality. While mass-market brands prioritise volume, Ortiz focuses on craft. Every tin tells the story of skilled fishermen, sustainable practices, and generations of expertise.
Why Ortiz Tuna Tastes Different
The secret lies in the details:
-
Timing the catch – Ortiz only fish when yellowfin tuna weigh 30kg or less, guaranteeing tender, melt-in-the-mouth fillets.
-
Sustainable practices – Ortiz fishing methods minimise marine waste, protecting the ocean for future generations.
-
Hand preparation – Unlike industrial brands, Ortiz tuna is hand-cut and packed, preserving its delicate flavour and texture.
What Makes Ortiz the Best Tinned Tuna?
-
Unmatched flavour – Mild, delicate, and rich without being oily.
-
Provenance you can trust – Every tin comes from carefully chosen fishing grounds in the Bay of Biscay and beyond.
-
Chef-approved – Found in professional kitchens as well as home pantries, Ortiz tuna is considered the gold standard.
Beyond Tuna: The Ortiz Range
While famous for their tuna, Ortiz also produce exceptional anchovies, bonito del norte (white tuna), and other Spanish seafood specialities. Each product carries the same hallmark of care, quality, and sustainability.
How to Enjoy Ortiz Tuna
Ortiz tuna is so good it needs little more than a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. But it also shines in recipes:
-
Roast Pepper, Onion, & Tuna Empanadilla Recipe (Empanadillas de Atún Con Pimientos Rojos y Cebolla Asados)
-
Tuna Peanut Rāyu - 2 Minute Salad Recipe by Michel Roux
-
Lemony Orzo with Tuna, Avocado, Spring Onions and Mint Recipe by Emily Scott
-
Tossed through pasta with capers and piquillo peppers
Which Ortiz Tinned Tuna To Choose?
Ever wondered what the difference is between different tins of Ortiz tune? Here's our guide...
Ortiz Bonito del Norte - white tuna - is often described as the best tinned tuna in the world. The pale fish is line-caught in the Bay of Biscay, Southwest France. The fish are smaller than other tunas, and usually weigh less than 20kg.
These white tuna fillets are tender, flavourful, and hand-packed in smooth olive oil to preserve their quality. And best served simply, in a salad or even straight from the tin.
Ortiz Atún Claro are tinned tender yellowfin tuna fillets, packed by hand and preserved in smooth olive oil for exceptional flavour and texture.
They are a pinkish red colour, well-flavoured, but not too strong. The yellowfin is particularly popular in cooked dishes. Yellowfin tuna is commonly caught off the West Coast of Africa.
Ortiz tuna in escabeche is a Mediterranean classic. Stunning quality tuna is combined with a simple dressing of wine vinegar, olive oil and salt. Instant flavour for your crunchy green salad for lunch - or eat straight from the tin!
Where to Buy Ortiz Tinned Tuna
You can shop the full Ortiz tinned tuna & anchovy collection online at Sous Chef, where every product is handpicked by our team of cooks who value provenance, flavour, and authenticity.
About the author
Nicola Lando is the co-founder and CEO of Sous Chef, where she has spent more than a decade sourcing, tasting and selecting specialist ingredients, cookware and tableware from producers around the world.
She trained at Leiths and later completed a stage at a Michelin-starred London restaurant, experiences that helped shape Sous Chef’s original mission: to give home cooks access to the same exceptional ingredients used by professional chefs.
Today, Nicola leads much of Sous Chef’s product sourcing and ingredient selection, working directly with producers and travelling internationally to food fairs, farms, mills and manufacturers. She tastes thousands of products each year and has built deep expertise across storecupboard ingredients, olive oil, condiments, spices, preserved foods and specialist cooking ingredients.
She holds an olive oil sommelier certification from ESAO in Spain, Imperial Executive Education’s Certificate in Nutrition for Health: Evidence-Based Tools and Strategies certificate; as well as studying Food Safety and Control at University of Greenwich.
Nicola also writes recipes and ingredient guides for Sous Chef, combining practical cooking experience with first-hand knowledge from producers, suppliers and specialist food makers. Her work focuses on helping cooks understand how to choose better ingredients, use them well, and get more flavour from their cooking.
