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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