If you’re asking for my person opinion, no, tuna and bacon do not together. If you were to ask another person the exact same question though, they might tell you the complete opposite answer.
However, tuna and bacon is an unusual combination, so we can assume that in the opinion of the majority of people, they don’t go together.
The answer to whether or not tuna and bacon go together is down to personal preference. Why not throw the two ingredients together and make up your own mind? Trying new things is the only way to find out if you like them.
What Can You Make with Tuna and Bacon Together?
There are plenty of recipes that can combine tuna and bacon, including:
- Pasta dishes
- Pizzas
- Potato gratin-style dishes
- Rice dishes
- Casseroles
- Pasta salads, such as Tuscan pasta salad
- Melted/toasted sandwiches and flatbreads
- Cold sandwiches and wraps
- Bagels
- Curries
- Pies
- Stuffed tomatoes or peppers
- Burgers
- Soups
- And many more
There are more recipes calling for tuna and bacon together on the internet than I expected to find, some of which I would even try… despite my aversion to tuna and bacon together!
This means that, to some people, tuna and bacon work together just fine. It is another perfectly normal food combination to them, like spaghetti and meatballs, or fish and chips, or chicken and bacon.
Surf ‘n Turf – Combining Seafood with Red Meat
We must also bear in mind that a favourite dish on many a restaurant menu is fondly referred to as “surf n’ turf”, or “reef n’ beef” in Australia, a dish that was first believed to have become popular during the 1920s, in the United States.
Surf (or reef) is in reference to sea animals, usually shrimp, scallops, prawns, and/or lobster.
Turf (or beef) is in reference to land animals, usually some sort of beef steak.
A high-quality example of surf n’ turf would be lobster tail (surf) with filet mignon (turf).
When you get down to the sheer basics of the dish, tuna is essentially the surf, and bacon is the turf.
What Is Tuna and Bacon Together Like?
Bacon can add extra crunch and added texture to any dish, especially when it is grilled or fried until crispy and then sprinkled on the top when serving.
You can add it hot, to pasta dishes for example; or you could add it cold, to salads and cold sandwiches.
The different flavours of bacon and tuna can also provide an interesting and unique twist, and one that certainly has its fans, if the internet is anything to go by.
Some fans even refer to it as “merman”, making a play on words in much the same way as the classic dish “surf n’ turf”—you have both the land and sea animal in the same dish.
If you are going to use tuna that has been in oil, such as sunflower oil, you will need to consider how oily the dish will be overall, especially once you add in the bacon.
This is even more so the case if you lightly cook the bacon, rather than cooking it for longer, until crispy.
Kim is a writer with more than a decade of experience, and a food enthusiast. When she’s not spending her time writing about her favourite dishes, you can find her in the cake aisle of her local supermarket, or making a mess in the kitchen.
