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 Tuna Fillet In Olive Oil, 250g
Ortiz Bonito Tuna Fillet In Olive Oil, 250g
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 Atun Claro Tuna Fillet In Olive Oil, 250g
Ortiz Atun Claro Tuna Fillet In Olive Oil, 250g
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 Bonito Tuna in Escabeche Sauce, 112g
Ortiz Bonito Tuna in Escabeche Sauce, 112g
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 is co-founder and CEO at Sous Chef. She has worked in food for over ten years.
Nicola first explored cooking as a career when training at Leiths, before spending the next decade in Finance. However... after a stage as a chef at a London Michelin-starred restaurant, Nicola saw the incredible ingredients available only to chefs. And wanted access to them herself. So Sous Chef was born.
Today, Nicola is ingredients buyer and a recipe writer at Sous Chef. She frequently travels internationally to food fairs, and to meet producers. Her cookbook library is vast, and her knowledge of the storecupboard is unrivalled. She tastes thousands of ingredients every year, to select only the best to stock at Sous Chef.
Nicola shares her knowledge of ingredients and writes recipes to showcase those products. Learning from Sous Chef's suppliers and her travels, Nicola writes many of the recipes on the Sous Chef website. Nicola's recipes are big on flavour, where the ingredients truly shine (although that's from someone who cooks for hours each day - so they're rarely tray-bakes!).
