Saturday, November 26, 2016

StarKist Flavor Fresh Pouch® innovates shelf-stable, healthy meals


Since 1961, StarKist Co. has been a household name along with the brand’s icon, Charlie the Tuna®. They have always been focused on healthy, shelf-stable seafood products in the United States. In 2015, StarKist became the first brand to introduce Flavor Fresh Pouch, a single-serve pouch, for products including Tuna Creations®, Salmon Creations®, and Kids Creations™.

Here is a look at some of the products along with dishes that you can make with these innovative flavors.

Tuna Creations Hot Buffalo Style is select cuts of premium tuna with aged cayenne peppers for an authentic Buffalo Sauce taste. It contains 15 grams of protein and only 70 calories per single-serve pouch. The Buffalo flavor adds a nice tanginess to the tuna. Rating: 4/5

The recipe I used is Hungry Girl’s Buffalo Tuna Taquitos. Ingredients are Tuna Creations Hot Buffalo, light spreadable swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese, carrots, celery, and corn tortillas. If you didn’t know it was tuna, it tastes like shredded buffalo chicken inside of the taquito. I would also cut down the spreadable Swiss to 2 wedges and cook for another 5 minutes to make a crispier tortilla. If you’re not watching your calories, these can also be done in the deep-fryer. You can serve with hot sauce, but if you want to do it true Buffalo-style, serve it with bleu cheese dressing for dipping. Rating: 4/5

Salmon Creations Mango Chipotle is premium skinless, boneless, and 100% wild caught pink salmon seasoned with mango and chipotle pepper for a sweet flavor with just a little kick. It contains 13 grams of protein and only 80 calories per single-serve pouch. The mango flavor works well with the salmon. The chipotle is a bit subtle and could be a little more forward. Rating: 4.8/5

The recipe I used is Mango Chipotle Salmon Spinach Salad. Ingredients are Salmon Creations Mango Chipotle, baby spinach, green onions, red onion, avocado, pumpkin seeds (pepitas), cilantro, lime juice, and vegetable oil. The salmon is a great protein to add to this salad. It works well with the greenness of the spinach, zing of the red and green onions, refreshing cilantro, and crunchy pepitas. I would also double the amount of both the lime juice and oil (and use olive oil instead of vegetable oil), and add diced pepperoncini for acidity and a little spicy kick. Rating: 4.3/5

Salmon Creations Lemon Dill is premium skinless, boneless, and 100% wild caught pink salmon seasoned with a classic combination of lemon juice and dill for a light, fresh flavor. It contains 14 grams of protein and 90 calories per single-serve pouch. The lemon and dill are definitely flavor-forward. Rating: 4.5/5

A recipe to use this flavor in is the Pesto Panini Sandwich. Ingredients are Salmon Creations Lemon Dill, Italian bread, extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), prepared pesto, roasted red pepper, tomato, and provolone cheese. The recipe calls for albacore but substituting the Salmon Creations Lemon Dill works as well. Using a panini press, you can get the crust golden brown and it adds a crispy texture to contrast the gooey cheese and salmon. The tomato plus the roasted red pepper adds a little too much sweetness. Using one or the other would be best. Some added ingredients could be sliced red onion, arugula, and/or cucumber. Rating: 4.4/5

Kid’s Creations Bacon Ranch is a combination of ranch dressing with smoky bacon flavor mixed into high quality tuna. It contains 14 grams of protein and 110 calories per single-serve pouch. The ranch and slight bacon flavors are experienced. The ranch adds a sweetness to the tuna and seems to the make the tuna fishier in flavor and aroma. I’m not sure if kids would like this. Rating: 3/5

The recipe I used is BLT & T. Ingredients are Kid’s Creations Bacon Ranch, white bread, green lettuce, tomato, and bacon. The recipe calls for Tuna Creations Ranch but I substituted the Kid’s Creations Ranch Bacon to tie in with the bacon on the sandwich. I think the dark tuna didn’t work so well as it rendered a very fishy flavor which overpowered all the other ingredients. This might be better with albacore, especially for the kiddies. For adults, it was palatable but would have also preferred albacore. Some additional ingredients to try could be mustard, cheese, more ranch dressing, hard-boiled egg, relish, and/or mayonnaise. Rating: 2.8/5

Kid’s Creations Honey BBQ has the sweetness of honey and zestiness of the barbeque pairing perfectly with the tuna. If you didn’t know it was tuna, it tastes like BBQ pulled pork. Rating: 4/5

The recipe I used is Barbeque Cheddar Crescent Roll Ups. Ingredients are Kid’s Creations Honey Barbeque, crescent roll dough, and cheddar cheese. This recipe is awesome and definitely a keeper for a quick appetizer for parties and even potlucks. It is so easy! The crescent roll is golden brown and crispy on the outside. The honey BBQ tuna inside tastes like BBQ pulled pork. You can’t even tell it is tuna. The cheddar cheese is gooey and works well with the tuna. Rating: 4.5/5

If you’re in a meal rut, pick up StarKist Tuna Creations, Salmon Creations, and Kid’s Creations!

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