Canned skipjack — 'light' tuna — is the cheap, shelf-stable, lower-mercury tuna. A pantry protein with omega-3s that stretches a food budget hard.
Canned tuna is true commissary and corner-store protein — shelf-stable, cheap, and available where fresh fish is not. In food deserts and on tight budgets, it is one of the most accessible omega-3 proteins a family can buy.
Canned light tuna is made mostly from skipjack, a small, fast-growing tuna that accumulates far LESS mercury than albacore ('white') or fresh big-eye and yellowfin tuna — a distinction that matters enormously for pregnancy. The FDA lists canned light tuna as a 'Best Choice' low-mercury fish (about 2-3 servings per week safe in pregnancy), while limiting albacore and avoiding large predator tuna. It delivers cheap complete protein, selenium, B12, and modest omega-3s. Choose tuna packed in water (lower calorie) or olive oil (better fat); rinse to cut sodium. This is core commissary and SNAP budget-protein intelligence.
Drain (and rinse to lower sodium). Mix with a little olive oil, mustard, onion, celery, and lemon for a lighter tuna salad than mayo-heavy versions; fold into pasta, rice, or greens; or make tuna patties/croquettes bound with egg and cornmeal. A can is a full protein serving for pennies.
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