This Employee Video Shows How Subway's Tuna Is Really Made
For years, Subway's tuna has been the subject of many controversies. First, there was the class-action lawsuit claiming the restaurant's tuna has no actual tuna in it. Then, there was the infamous Jessica Simpson tweet — "It's OK @SUBWAY. It IS confusing" — and the whole Twitter storm aftermath. So, now, many are asking, what is Subway's tuna, if not tuna?
Some minds went straight to cat food, while others held out for a possible tilapia (or some other cheaper fish) explanation. Ultimately, Subway claimed the rumors were false, but as we all know, once the Twitterverse casts you off as doomed, there's little to no hope of recovery. Unless, of course, you've got the video proof.
Subway's proof arrived via YouTube last May, when one employee took to showing the world exactly how the tuna salad was made in a step-by-step video. And let us just say, if you weren't skeptical of the restaurant's tuna before, you will be after watching this video.
Be thankful for dolphin-free tuna
The video begins with an empty metal bowl. The Subway employee slips on a flimsy pair of plastic gloves and picks up a package of Subway's preferred tuna, flaked in brine. She makes careful note to point out that, according to the package, there were no dolphins harmed in the making of this package of tuna. She cuts into the tuna package and dumps it into the metal bowl, and then does the same thing with a second tuna package (also dolphin-friendly, apparently).
So far, things are looking pretty normal. Canned or packaged tuna is, to say the least, not always the most appetizing of ingredients, but as far as packaged tuna goes, Subway's is looking pretty standard. You might even think the sandwich chain is on its way to vindication for all tuna scandals. But then, just as we were starting to feel a little bit better about the quality of Subway's tuna salad, we get a nice big dose of the second ingredient: mayo.
Mayo with a side of tuna
We have nothing against mayo. In fact, we love it. We love it on sandwiches, in potato salads, and mixed with herbs into a creamy dressing. Mayo is an undoubtedly important and versatile kitchen ingredient. The problem in the Subway employee's tuna video is not the presence of mayonnaise, it's the quantity of it.
The employee picks up a package of light mayonnaise, about the same size as one package of tuna, snips the corner of the package, and squeezes the entire thing into the bowl. At this point, we're thinking that's a lot of mayo. But for tuna salad, a 2 to 1 ratio is acceptable — maybe a bit excessive, but acceptable nonetheless. Then, just as we assume she's going to start mixing the tuna and mayo together, the employee picks up a second package of light mayo. She opens it and dumps the entire second helping of mayo into the bowl, bringing Subway's tuna salad to equal parts tuna and mayo.
That right there is enough to make us question ever eating a Subway tuna sandwich ever again. Even if you're a lover of mayonnaise, this is a lot of mayonnaise. We prefer our mayo to have more of a supporting actor role in our recipes, rather than steal the show.
You really don't want handmade tuna
But the real crime in Subway's tuna salad takes place after the mayo has been dumped into the bowl, when the employee proceeds to combine the mixture using — you guessed it — her hands.
Granted, her hands are protected by plastic gloves (as flimsy as they may be). And for a few seconds, you think the whole mixing process might run smoothly. But quickly, the employee begins to realize that her plastic gloves are no match for the sticky, squishy powers of the tuna and mayo duo. As it turns out, while she folds the tuna and mayo into one another, the mixture has begun to seep into her gloves and has gotten all over her hands.
Eventually, she takes the gloves off and puts on a new pair, but not before enough tuna salad has made her hands sticky with fishy, goopy slop. Eventually, she finishes mixing and tips the bowl toward the camera as if to say, "voilà!" Then she dumps the whole mixture into a new container and calls it a day.
So, there you have it. Subway's "special" tuna salad consists of just two ingredients: packaged, dolphin-free tuna and mayonnaise.