The Best Canned Tuna On Shelves, According To Chef David Chang

Canned tuna is the second most popular type of seafood in the U.S. after shrimp (according to the National Fisheries Institute). Naturally, then, there are more varieties out there than you can shake a stick at, from light tuna to albacore to tuna packed in water to tuna packed in oil with carrots and peas. But the best canned tuna out there, at least according to celebrity chef David Chang, is from the company Dongwon, specifically its Tuna with Hot Pepper Sauce.

Chang, founder of the Momofuku restaurant group, winner of multiple James Beard Awards, and one of the richest celebrity chefs in the world, posted a sneak peek of this Korean canned tuna on Facebook and shared a review on his Instagram, both in 2020. "It's outrageously good," he said in his Facebook video. "You may not know what you're missing." Chang described that this tuna has two special ingredients: chili and gochujang. Gochujang is a fermented chili paste popular in Korean food, typically made with glutinous rice, red pepper, soybeans, and other ingredients. Chang also shouted out the brand's Double Hot Pepper Sauce Tuna in his Instagram video, saying both products are delicious served over rice.

Dongwon's Tuna with Hot Pepper Sauce contains, of course, tuna in a hot pepper sauce made from tomato paste, sugar, hot pepper powder, garlic, soybeans, and other ingredients. The can also contains chunks of potatoes and carrots. What's really unique about this tuna, though, is that — unlike canned tunas that taste better in a basic tuna salad recipe with mayo, yogurt, soy sauce, or other seasonings — Dongwon's tuna, according to David Chang, is good all on its own. According to folks on Reddit, the umami of the hot pepper sauce shines through the tuna's sweet and savory flavors and is backed by a lightly spicy kick. The incorporated carrots and potatoes no doubt giving the tuna a depth of flavor and texture that doesn't need additional help — it's ready to go right out of the can.

People seem to agree that this Dongwon tuna just hits different. Besides people raving about its unique flavors on Reddit, most Amazon reviewers also say it's delicious, with one person calling it "the upper echelon of tuna." If you want to find out for yourself, you can snag four cans on Amazon for just under $20 as of this writing. Alternatively, check out your nearest H-Mart (or another local Asian supermarket) to pick up a can for your own taste test.