Lucía Mora, Chef and Expert, Issues a Warning About Lidl's Tuna: 'Not Even...'

Canned tuna is one of the most consumed products in Spain thanks to its versatility in the kitchen. It is used in a variety of dishes, from salads to sandwiches, being an accessible source of protein and Omega 3. The canned tuna offerings from supermarkets like Lidl, Carrefour, or Mercadona have become very popular for their quality-price ratio.

Chef Lucía Mora, an expert in seafood products and owner of El Tarantín de Lucía, conducted a blind test of various canned tunas from different brands. In an interview for El Español, Mora analyzed not only the taste but also aspects like texture and saltiness. However, her most forceful criticism was for Lidl's tuna, which failed to convince her due to a particular flaw.

Lidl's Tuna: An Unexpected Flavor

Lucía Mora did not hesitate to point out that the private label Nixe tuna from Lidl was one of the worst in her tasting. Although she noted that the product has a good texture, similar to a block of tuna, and its salty taste was balanced, there was an issue that the chef did not overlook. "This tuna has picked up the can flavor, maybe it only happened with this batch, but it tastes like the metal of the can," stated Chef Mora.

This metallic taste affected the quality, which otherwise seemed promising due to its low price of €1.49 and the information about its origin, coming from the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Despite its clear traceability, the bad taste led Mora to place Lidl's tuna in the last positions of her ranking, noting that "not even the good compact texture could save it" from its low score.

Other Tunas Evaluated

Carrefour's tuna was another product tested. With a price of €1.99 for the pack of three cans, the French chain's tuna presented a more compact texture than Lidl's, although still flaky. In terms of taste, Lucía highlighted that the tuna was "good," but she considered it saltier than other competitors.

Despite this, the lack of information about its origin was a downside, as it did not specify where it came from. Regarding texture, Lucía Mora emphasized that Carrefour's product was much better than Lidl's, but it still showed a high water content.

On the other hand, Dia's tuna stood out for its balance of flavor and good compact texture. Lucía Mora considered that this product, at €2.20 for the pack of three cans, had adequate saltiness and good raw material. Although traceability was not specified, the chef classified it as the best of all tested, for its flavor and texture.

Mercadona's tuna, under its Hacendado brand, was presented as another standout product in the tasting. With a price of €1.90 for the pack of three cans, it was noted that this tuna had a pleasant texture, somewhat more compact and less flaky than others. However, in terms of flavor, the chef found that the tuna was a bit "oilier" than those from other supermarkets.

Alcampo presented a tuna with good traceability, as it was specified that the fish came from the Atlantic, Indian, or Pacific Oceans. Additionally, its price is €1.59 for the pack of three cans. However, its flaky texture and excess water made Lucía Mora not rate it as positively as other products.

In general, the tasting conducted by Mora revealed that Dia's tuna was the best for its balance in terms of texture, flavor, and amount of water in the can. Alcampo's tuna came in second place due to its good quality, although its flaky texture slightly harmed it. Carrefour ranked third for its good taste, but with the disadvantage of excess salt, while Lidl's and Mercadona's occupied the last positions.