Postcards from the Mediterranean: Destinations That Inspired Our Favorite Dishes

There’s something about the Mediterranean that simply cannot be replicated. The water’s clearer, the sun shines a little brighter, and the food tastes like it couldn’t exist anywhere else. It evokes a feeling of “anything is possible.” As we embrace the summer season, we can’t help but daydream of getting lost in the very region that inspired our own tuna.  

So sit back, relax, and take a trip through four Mediterranean destinations where some of our favorite tuna dishes were born.

Naples, Italy: The Soul of Pasta Puttanesca 

“Quiet” is not in Naples’ vocabulary. This loud and proud southern Italian city is unapologetically itself, with the volcanic landscape looming overhead and fish markets crowding the waterfront at dawn.

Puttanesca, the city’s most famous pasta, carries that same energy. Olives, capers, garlic, tomatoes, white wine, a hit of Calabrian chili. It’s a centuries-old sauce built on intensity. The Pasta Queen’s Tuna Puttanesca replaces the typical anchovies with our Premium Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil, and the result is every bit as bold as the traditional. It has a richness that settles into the spaghetti like it was always meant to be there. 

Nice, France: Land and Sea on a Single Plate

Nice sits at the edge of everything: the Alps above, the Ligurian Sea below, and a cuisine that refuses to pick a side. No dish exemplifies its geography and culinary heritage like a classic Niçoise salad: tender potatoes, green beans blanched to the perfect shade, juicy tomatoes, medium-boiled egg, and tuna, always tuna. After all, in a city like Nice, the sea is considered part of the pantry.

Our Tuna Niçoise Pasta Salad adds an extra layer to the French classic, with whole wheat rotini and Niçoise olives standing in alongside the traditional components. Our Yellowfin Tuna in Extra Virgin Olive Oil ties it together with a clean, savory depth the original demands. This is the kind of dish that’s best enjoyed al fresco, with a glass of rosé and no particular place to be.

Provence, France: Where Nothing Good Gets Wasted

Provence is a town that’s never in a hurry. Time moves to the rhythm of the market stalls, harvest, and sprawling hillsides where thyme and rosemary grow wild between rows of lavender. The local cuisine reflects this pace of life with dishes centered around fresh produce and dressed simply. We have Provence to thank for making the backbone of Mediterranean cooking, an earthy and aromatic seasoning blend called Herbes de Provence.

Our Lemon & Herbes de Provence Tuna, Farro, Red Pepper, and Spinach Salad was made for such slow Provence afternoons. Farro, the ancient grain that has long fed the region, anchors the bowl with a nutty flavor while roasted red pepper, fresh spinach, and lemon bring a bright balance. Our Yellowfin Tuna in Lemon & Herbes de Provence-Infused Olive Oil settles into the salad the way good tuna should: not as a topping, but as the main event. The olive oil from the can becomes part of the dressing, which is the kind of detail Provencal cooks have always understood. Nothing good gets wasted.

The Greek Islands: Beauty in Simplicity

Spend enough time on a Greek island and you’ll soon adopt the Greek notion that nourishment and pleasure go hand-in-hand. In other words, you simply prepare what’s in season, pour the olive oil generously, and stay at the table long after the plates are empty. From Crete to Corfu, the ingredients may shift slightly with the changing landscape, but the philosophy stays the same.

That philosophy lives on in our Mediterranean Tuna, Feta and Dill Salad. No complicated sauce or laundry list of ingredients required. Just arugula, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, crumbled feta, fresh dill, and our Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil, with the reserved oil whisked into a lemon-dill dressing. 

The Mediterranean is more than just natural beauty. It’s a set of values about how food should taste, how it should be enjoyed, and where it should come from. We have adopted this mindset since our founding.