St. Jude Tuna Wins Good Food Awards

Jalapeno Canned Albacore wins Good Food Award!!

By

 

By Seattle Met

Every year our local-loving, artisan-aficionado state bags more than a few accolades at the Good Food Awards. The San Francisco–born national competition, which whittled down its long list of finalists and announced winners last weekend, celebrates independent food producers—you know, the people making such farmers market fare as shiro plum with mint spoon preserves and locally canned Aussie-style tomato relish. (Yes, those are actual 2019 Washington winners.)

But this year the Evergreen State took home a whopping 19 awards (up from last year which saw 16 wins) across 10 categories. But hey, we’re just glad pickled heirloom blueberries got some national recognition. You can scope out the full list of winners online, and Washington honorees of 2019 below.

Beer

Robust Porter
Reuben’s Brews, Seattle

Pike IPA
Pike Brewing Company, Seattle

Cider

Kingston Black Cider
Dragon’s Head Cider, Vashon

Golden Russet
Finnriver Farm and Cidery, Chimacum

Heirloom Series McIntosh
Liberty Ciderworks, Spokane

Coffee

Ethiopia Limu Organic
Caffe Ladro, Seattle

Confections

Raspberry Sauce
Fran’s Chocolates, Seattle

Elixirs

Lemon Lavender Shrub
Girl Meets Dirt, Eastsound

Cold Pressed Organic Blueberry Juice
Bow Hill Blueberries, Bow

Fish

Tuna with Jalapeno
St. Jude Tuna, Bellevue

Honey

Olympic Mountain Wildflower
Sequim Bee Farm, Port Angeles

Wildflower Spun Honey
Sequim Bee Farm, Port Angeles

Pantry

My Thai Vinaigrette
River Wave Foods, Battle Ground

Uncle Winston’s Tomato Relish
Seattle Canning Company, Vashon

Pickles

Local Kraut-chi
Blue Bus Cultured Foods, White Salmon

Pickled Heirloom Blueberries
Bow Hill Blueberries, Bow

Local Spicy Garlic Sauerkraut
OlyKraut, Olympia

Preserves

Shiro Plum with Mint Spoon Preserves
Girl Meets Dirt, Eastsound

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Awards and Accolades, Good Food Awards, Farmers Markets, Local Food

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In this Article

Fran’s Chocolates

Gourmet Specialty Foods Multiple Locations

Pike Pub and Brewing Co.

Brewery, Editors Pick, Happy Hour, Pub, Recommended Beer Selection 1415 First Ave

Drink Be sure to try the Old Bawdy, a barley wine (the U.K. term for beer with exceptionally high alcohol content) that will knock you right off your bar sto…

Reuben’s Brews

Brewery, Editors Pick 5010 14th Ave NW

Brit-born brewer Adam Robbings quickly built one of the most respected beer operations in town. His ardent followers can congregate in Reuben’s new, larger t…

After an initial patch of rough seas, Fishing Vessel St. Jude is reeling in prized albacore, and accolades

By

Providence Cicero

Photo by Ken Lambert

St. Jude Tuna at Tilth Restaurant

Special to The Seattle Times

ST. JUDE is the patron saint of lost causes. It wasn’t the name Joyce and Joe Malley would have chosen for the spanking-new 95-foot fishing vessel they bought in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1990, but it’s considered bad luck to change a boat’s name. In retrospect, a little heavenly protection might have helped. Buying the St. Jude took all they had, and then some.

The story turned out well in the end for this seagoing couple. Fishing Vessel St. Jude’s albacore tuna loins are on the menu at Seattle restaurants like Tilth, Terra Plata, Matt’s in the Market and Queen City. “In order to make a really good dish, you have to source ingredients that have great flavor,” says chef Maria Hines of Tilth. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Joe’s tuna because he puts so much care and attention into his product. He searches out schools of tuna that have a very high fat content, which is why his tuna is always so melt-in-your-mouth delicious. He also bleeds the fish quickly, so they have a super-clean flavor.”

Many area grocery stores stock St. Jude’s canned albacore (about $9 per 6-ounce can). Recent back-to-back “Good Food Awards” for their Mediterranean tuna packed in Spanish olive oil and their organic jalapeno-spiked tuna (one of several flavored versions) attest to the product’s excellence. The “Tarantella” line uses only luxurious tuna belly. Forget chicken of the sea: St. Jude’s Tarantella packed in Regalis White Truffle Oil (the rare truffle oil not made with synthetic flavoring) is the ocean’s answer to Wagyu. At $8.50 for a 3.5-ounce can, it’s an affordable splurge.

A lot of environmental concerns swirl around tuna. The Malleys care about sustainability. Their tuna is troll-caught, using lures dragged on the surface to selectively catch young, fatty albacore one-by-one. About 5 percent of albacore are troll-caught, according to Joe. Trolling selects for young albacore, 3 to 5 years old, averaging about 15 pounds. “They feed low in the food chain: anchovies, squid and krill. The result is low mercury levels, making them much healthier to consume. It is a much-targeted type of fishing. Bycatch is virtually nil. Any bycatch only makes it as far as our barbecue,” he says.

Joe became a commercial fisherman in 1978, trolling for salmon aboard the 38-foot Tania Dee. Back in those days, the Seattle schooner fleet had its own informal arrangement, he says: “They all agreed the fish could only take so much pressure, so they would all fish for seven days, then take 10 days in town, then fish for seven days. The community of fishermen were really a community bound by realms of the ocean rather than politics.”

Then the federal government instituted quotas. “In a spectacular year, we might have caught 500,000 king salmon. To be reduced to a third of that level and never see another good year again hurt,” says Joe. “Fishermen live for the good years. That’s when you pay your mortgage off, or maybe talk about going to Thailand for a vacation.”

 

smoked spicy tuna sushi bowl By Daniella Modesto @calmeats

 

Sushi in my book is edible art. While I think all cooking is an art form in itself, there’s something remarkable about sushi. The way it is prepared, served and meant to be enjoyed slowly is ceremonious. It’s the kind of food that instantly puts me in a good mood. While the term sushi is ambiguous and somewhat loosely used, for me it encompasses a certain flavor and taste and I take liberties with it.

When the lovely owner of St. Jude Tuna reached out to me about working together again, I was delighted. I don’t believe in product pushing and I’m not interested in just throwing anything at my readers and hoping it sticks. But truthfully when I believe in something, I get pretty excited about it and want to shout it from the roof top or my blog page in this case.

This time the request was for me to create something with their smoked tuna. Wait a minute, what? I’ve had smoked salmon before but honestly never got my hands on canned smoked tuna so this was a new venture. I could sit here and tell you that just simply eating it out of the can would be pretty damn delicious but I wanted to give you something a little more creative.

Recipe testing was adventurous and messy and while I had a vision of what I wanted to make, I had to fine tune it along the way. Before the package even arrived, I was set on some form of spicy tuna sushi roll. The combination of creamy salty, spicy and smokey flavors sounded pretty great.

The caveat with this recipe was that it had to be paleo and Whole 30, which of course works for me. But while paleo is sometimes flexible with rice, Whole 30 is not and grains are strictly off the table. And traditional sushi is well, made with rice. But fear not as in comes cauliflower rice to the rescue. Also, if you’re not whole 30, feel free to use regular sriracha but if you’re strict, you can find Wildbrine sugar free sriracha.

I played around with making a sushi roll with the spicy tuna but frankly I wanted more. My vision was a pile of vegetables and lots of flavor so I decided to scrap the roll and just go with the bowl. This would give me the liberty to create exactly what I envisioned. A tuna sushi bowl makes for a perfect lunch or dinner.

PHOTOS  BY DANIELLA  @calmeats

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This recipe and photo collection is by Daniella Modesto @calmeats.  Beautiful!!!

smoked spicy tuna sushi bowl

• prep time: 15 minutes
• cooking time: none
• yields: 2 servings

Ingredients

For rice

• 1 cup cooked cauliflower rice
• 1/8 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp coconut aminos
• 1/4 tsp toasted sesame seeds

For smoked spicy tuna: 

• 1 can St. Jude’s smoked tuna
• 3 tbsp mayo
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce (Wildbrine makes sugar free)
• 1 tsp coconut aminos

For vegetables

• 1/2 sliced avocado
• 1/4 peeled cucumber cut into slivers
• 1/2 carrot cut into slivers
• 3-4 sliced radishes
• 1/4 red bell pepper sliced
• optional: pickled ginger
• optional: sprouts of your choice
• optional: toasted sesame seeds
• optional: scallions for garnish

For speedy spicy mayo: 

• 4.5 tsp mayo
• 1 tsp sriracha
• 1/2 tsp coconut aminos

Equipment:

• small mixing bowl
• medium mixing bowl

Directions:

For rice: If you’re not whole 30 or paleo, feel free to use regular rice. But otherwise, combine all ingredients under rice and set aside.

For spicy mayo: Combine all ingredients under spicy mayo in a small bowl and set aside.

For smoked spicy tuna: In medium mixing bowl break up the tuna with a fork until flaky. Add the rest of ingredients and mix well.

To assemble: Layer the rice on the bottom of the serving bowl. Add tuna and vegetables in any fashion you wish and drizzle with spicy mayo and top with toasted sesame seeds.

Tuna Cakes with Blackberry and Peach Salsa By Calm Eats

Joe and I have been so fortunate to meet Daniela Modesto with Calm Eats.  She has created a beautiful recipe for our Good Food Award winning Mediterranean canned albacore.  This recipe is Whole 30 and Paleo .

Calm Eats St. Jude  tuna cakes with blackberry and peach salsa.

Picture photographed  by Daniela Modesto  Calm Eats

 

Ingredients: 

For tuna cakes

• 2 6oz cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 2 tbsp almond flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1 tbsp fresh dill
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil for frying

For blackberry peach salsa

• 1 peeled organic peach (look for somewhat firm) chopped
• 6 oz blackberries (one container) cut into 2 or 4 pieces
• 1 tbsp very finely chopped red onion
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 organic red bell pepper chopped
• 1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Equipment: 

• large cast iron frying pan
• large mixing bowl
• medium mixning bowl
• whisk

Directions:

In medium bowl, add lemon juice, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and whisk well until the dressing is thick. Add peach pieces, pepper, onion and cilantro and stir well. Last, add the blackberries but gently toss them around. They will discolor the peaches a bit but don’t stress, it’s supposed to happen. Once all the ingredients are mixed well, cover the bowl and set aside.

Combine all ingredients under tuna cakes in large bowl and form into 6 patties. Preheat frying pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil to pan and slowly add tuna cakes in one layer.

Cook tuna cakes for 3-4 minutes per side until golden.

Once tuna cakes are done, you can let them rest of a paper towel lined plate for a minute then serve with blackberry peach salsa.

 

Tips For Buying Canned Tuna

Seafood Watch evaluated canned tuna on quality and sustainability, and St. Jude Tuna (Bellevue, WA) topped the list for “beat choice”: 

Seafood Watch Buying Tips

 

 

Read more about St. Jude Tuna and its fishing method          St. Jude Tuna

Tuna is the third most popular seafood in the U.S., behind only shrimp and salmon. Most of what we eat being the canned variety. Since all of those cans begin to blur together in store aisles, we’re highlighting a few names and places to make it easier for you to pick an ocean-healthy option off of the shelf.

Look for these Seafood Watch PartnersSt. Jude is rated top with buying canned tuna

Salad Nicoise

Salad Nicoise by Food Network  Salad Nicoise Recipe

#tuesdaymotivation

Spring is coming. Eat some lean protein:
St. Jude Tuna is packed in its own juices or the olive oil pack.
St. Jude Tuna offers a 3.5 oz pop top can http://www.tunatuna.com…
that contains 210 calories, 24.5 grams of protein 12.25 grams of healthy fat. Available without salt!!

St. Jude Tuna trolls for their albacore. 
Common Albacore vs. Troll-Caught Albacore Common canned albacore or “white meat” tuna, the kind found on supermarket shelves, comes from tropical Pacific waters. During processing, nearly all the fat is lost. Common canned albacore is almost fat-free, but has very little omega-3 fatty acids. In contrast, Pacific troll-caught albacore, ST. Jude Albacore are younger fish from colder, northern waters. Troll-caught albacore are handled to retain their fat with all its healthful omega-3s. That’s why troll-caught albacore tastes juicy and rich and has all the health benefits of these special omega-3 fatty acids.

Common Albacore vs. Troll-Caught Albacore Common canned albacore or “white meat” tuna, the kind found on supermarket shelves, comes from tropical Pacific waters. During processing, nearly all the fat is lost. Common canned albacore is almost fat-free, but has very little omega-3 fatty acids. In contrast, Pacific troll-caught albacore are younger fish from colder, northern waters. Troll-caught albacore are handled to retain their fat with all its healthful omega-3s. That’s why troll-caught albacore tastes juicy and rich and has all  of the health benefits of these special omega-3 fatty acids.

Most Canned Albacore in Grocery Store in Longline Caught

It is mystifying how Industrial tuna can present itself as sustainable.  Big industry tuna companies are creating new labels and logos and paying big dollars to be a major player in the sustainable canned albacore market.  Longlining has been a serious threat to the oceans because of the bycatch.

Longlining Quote by WWF

Bycatch

According to the United Nations, longline fishing has one of the highest bycatch rates of any gear used to fish for tuna. The average bycatch rate is more than a quarter (28%) of the total catch. In the Pacific Ocean, for instance, millions of baited hooks are set each year on longlines in order to catch tuna and other fish that swim deeper like swordfish and mahi mahi. However, sharks, marine turtles, billfish, seabirds, dolphins, juvenile fish and other fish species also get hooked. The bycatch problem is perhaps most sensitive for marine turtles, especially the critically endangered Pacific leatherback turtles.

This is a picture of trolling for albacore.

This is how the St. Jude catches its albacore.

Vegetable Panzanella with Tuna Recipe

Vegetable Panzanella with Tuna  Courtesy of  Cooking Light in myrecipes.com

Panzanella [pantsaˈnɛlla] or panmolle [pamˈmɔlle] is a Tuscan salad of bread and tomatoes that is popular in the summer. It includes chunks of soaked stale bread and tomatoes, sometimes also onions and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar. It is also popular in other parts of central Italy.

Ingredients

Vinaigrette:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

Salad:

2 1/2 pounds cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and sliced (about 4 cups)

1 1/4 cups diced zucchini

1 cup diced red bell pepper

3/4 cup halved pitted kalamata olives

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges (about 1 1/2 pounds)

1 6oz. can of St. Jude Mediterranean canned tuna!!

4 cups (1/2-inch) cubed day-old whole-wheat bread (about 13 [1-ounce] slices)

Preparation

To prepare vinaigrette, combine first 6 ingredients; stir with a whisk.

To prepare salad, combine cucumber and next 7 ingredients (cucumber through tuna) in a large bowl. Add bread. Drizzle with vinaigrette; toss gently to combine.

St. Jude Tuna Press Release

Joe Malley                                                                                         FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11/15/2016

FV St Jude Tuna

425-223-7286

tunatunaseattle@gmail.com

 

 

St Jude Tuna Named Good Food Awards Finalist – Fish Category

 

Bellevue Washington:  St Jude Tuna has been named a finalist in the prestigious 2017 Good Food Awards. The awards are designed to represent not just the best of America’s growing food movement, but the best of America.

 

“Being named finalist reconfirms all the hard work that goes into developing a sustainable canned tuna product – and the trust that our customers both in the Seattle area and around the nation place in us,” said Joe Malley, captain of FV St. Jude. “We are proud to be a part of greater Seattle’s vibrant food movement.”

 

The fishing vessel and its crew emphasize sustainability from deck to table. The St. Jude participates exclusively in the troll fishery for albacore, with highly targeted- minimal impact on the ocean’s food chain. None of the fish we catch is wasted. The family-owned company conducts regular testing to monitor mercury levels. The company, based in Bellevue, Washington, has being selling its tuna locally since 1998.

 

Representing 14 categories and 38 states, all finalists rose to the top in a blind tasting of the 2,059 entries from nearly every state and passed a rigorous vetting to confirm they met specific Good Food Awards standards around environmentally sound agriculture practices, good animal husbandry, sourcing transparency and responsible relationships throughout the supply chain. Other Washington State finalists in the fish category include Ekone Oyster Company and Deckhand Seafoods.

 

The Good Food Awards celebrate the kind of food we all want to eat: tasty, authentic and responsible. Now in its seventh year, awards will be given to winners in 14 categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, cider, coffee, confections, fish, honey, oils, pantry, pickles, preserves and spirits. The Good Food Awards Seal, found on winning products, assures consumers they have found something exceptionally delicious that also supports sustainability and social good. Good Food Award Winners will be announced Jan 20, 2017, in San Francisco.

 

The Good Food Awards, organized by the Good Food Foundation 501 (c) 3, are proudly supported by the Good Food Retailers Collaborative, the Presenting Sponsor for three years running. Composed of 21 of the country’s top independently owned retailers from Austin to Oakland to Salt Lake City, they are committed to supporting America’s great food producers in their own communities and across the country.

Read about St Jude Tuna – www.tunatuna.com

Read about the Good Food Awards – http://www.goodfoodawards.org/2017-finalists/

 

 

 

Detox with St. Jude Tuna Salad

Reboot and detox with St. Jude Albacore Tuna Salad  By Rachel O’Regan

Reboot and Detox with St. Jude Albacore in a recipe by By Rachel O’Regan

This is a  simple tuna salad recipe on the blog:  “I Quit Sugar” by Rachel Wilson.

St. Jude Tuna is perfect for getting back on track to a healthy no sugar eating style.

Our albacore tuna is caught off of the Washington Coast and Canned in Washington and/ or Coos Bay Oregon.  It is packed with protein and flavor.  You are eating a fish that is on  the green light “Best Choice” by Monterrey Bay Seafood Watch Program.  We have not killed any sharks or other species of tuna.  We solely catch young fatty albacore.

Please get your updated seafood watch card and find out what the green light for fish is in your area…..http://www.seafoodwatch.org/seafood-recommendations/consumer-guides

Joyce Malley

store at: tunatuna.com