ORTIZ BONITO DEL NORTE TIN

3.95 oz Tin - Spain

This can of albacore tuna is the perfect size for lunch! We love the shape of the can, which fits easily in the palm of your hand. Opening it reminds us of those romantic (fantasy or real) wicker basket picnics in a green field in your locale of choice. A pantry must!

Bonito del Norte is the most oceanic species in the tuna family. These are authentic white tuna; they appear annually in the waters of the Bay of Biscay in the Cantabrian Sea. The large chunks of delicious fish are cooked and packed in olive oil to preserve the tuna's highly prized flavor.



Serving Suggestions:

This terrific tuna makes a beautiful Salade Niçoise - a huge transformation from standard canned tuna. It's pretty tasty right out of the tin, too.

About Ortiz - Growth of a Fifth-Generation Enterprise:

Conservas Ortiz takes painstaking care over the origin and freshness of every fish prepared, and all Bonito del Norte are individually line-caught. Spanning more than a 100 years and five generations - still family-run - Ortiz has perfected the balance between employing modern techniques to achieve greater quality while maintaining a scrupulous respect for tradition - particularly traditional fishing techniques to ensure that the fish are properly handled, improving the flavor and texture of the final product.

Family Ortiz:

Conservas Ortiz dates back to the 19th century. After the death of Lázaro Nafarrate in 1850, his daughter Higinia Nafarrate married Antonio López de Aréchaga, leading to the birth of a child called Petra López de Aréchaga Nafarrate. Years later in 1891, Bernando Ortiz de Zárate, the founder of Conservas Ortiz, married Petra López de Aréchaga Nafarrate; soon, they had a son, José.

Bernardo learned the trade from his brother-in-law and started work in the fish canning industry. He bought anchovies and white tuna - bonito del norte - on the docks from the fishermen, and taking advantage of the possibilities offered by marinating and wooden casks, sold the fish throughout the northern Castile region the following day. In order to make the company as efficient as possible, he invented and created a system of factories that only operated during the fishing season.

Bernardo died when José was still a child, and Petra ran the company for the next few years, when it became known as "Viuda de Ortiz" and then "Viuda de Ortiz e Hijo" (Widow of Ortiz and Son). Canning techniques gradually improved and Conservas Ortiz opened five fixed plants, located along the coast of the Basque Country, Cantabria, and Asturias. In 1942, José Ortiz and his son José Antonio Ortiz created the company that became Conservas Ortiz S.A. in 1956. The fifth generation of the family is currently managing the company.