Bumble Bee Foods Launches New Prime Fillet® Gourmet Flavors

SAN DIEGO, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Bumble Bee Foods, America's leading premium seafood brand, has introduced three new additions to its gourmet-style Prime Fillet^® line. The new Prime Fillet^® Gourmet Flavors are available in three varieties: Chipotle and Olive Oil, Sundried Tomatoes and Olive Oil, and Jalapenos and Olive Oil.

Each of the Gourmet Flavors contains superior-grade albacore tuna in olive oil with chopped chipotles, sundried tomatoes or jalapenos and carefully paired seasonings.

According to Bumble Bee Chief Executive Officer Christopher Lischewski, Bumble Bee was encouraged by the high demand for its premium albacore products in oil, including the brand's popular Prime Fillet^® Tonno.

"Premium tuna in olive oil has been popular among the food elite for years. The new seasoned varieties offered by our Gourmet Flavors bring inspiration from around the globe to help create delicious recipes for any meal occasion," said Lischewski. "All three Gourmet Flavors products combine exotic flavors with a kick of taste that can't be found anywhere else on the market."

Lischewski said that the extension of the Prime Fillet^® line aligns with the brand's "BeeWell for Life^®" mission to provide superior quality, nutritious products that can be incorporated into consumers' everyday lifestyles.

Chef Scott Leibfried, Chef Advisor of Fleetwood's on Front Street in Lahaina, Maui, and best known for his role on FOX's "Hell's Kitchen" and "Kitchen Nightmares," added that the new Gourmet Flavors are great in a variety of recipes. "The new Gourmet Flavors draw on fresh, regional influences so there's a lot you can do to create delicious recipes," said Leibfried. "Whether cooking for two, 10 or a larger party, the new Gourmet Flavors let you be creative in coming up with appetizers, entrees, snacks, entertaining, family dining or summer picnic ideas. The possibilities for recipes are endless!"

Bumble Bee^® Prime Fillet^® Gourmet Flavors are now available in supermarkets nationwide. Suggested retail price is $2.49 per five-ounce can.

Enjoy Prime Fillet^® Gourmet Flavors straight from the can, in salads, pastas, or in delicious internationally inspired recipes such as the following sandwich recipe developed by Chef Scott Leibfried. Additional recipes from Chef Scott Leibfried featuring new Gourmet Flavors varieties can be found at www.bumblebee.com.

Italian Tuna Melt with Provolone and Arugula
Recipe by Chef Scott Leibfried

Ingredients
1 can (5 oz) Bumble Bee^® Prime Fillet^® Gourmet Flavors Albacore Tuna with Sundried Tomatoes and Olive Oil, lightly drain and reserve some of the oil, break up the tuna with a fork
1 (5" x 5") ciabatta sandwich roll (if not available, purchase a full loaf and cut portions)
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
4 slices provolone cheese
2 thin slices red onion
½ cup tight-packed arugula
1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to avoid extra clean up.

Slice the ciabatta in half and place on the baking sheet. Brush the drained oil from the tuna onto both sides of the bread and allow it to soak in.

Evenly spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the bread.

Place cheese and onion slices on each slice of bread, then put in the oven for 5-8 minutes, or until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted. Remove from oven.

Place the tuna on the bottom half of the bread.

Dress the arugula with the white balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and salt. Mix well.

Place the arugula on top of the tuna, and then cover with the top portion of bread.

Slice in half and serve. 

Serves 1.

About Bumble Bee Foods:
Bumble Bee Foods, LLC, headquartered in San Diego, is North America's largest branded shelf-stable seafood company, offering a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardine, and specialty protein products marketed in the U.S. under leading brands including Bumble Bee^®, Brunswick^®, Snow's^® and Beach Cliff^®, and in Canada under the Clover Leaf^® brand. Bumble Bee's mission is to provide healthy and nutritious product and meal solutions that are sourced sustainably. Its BeeWell for Life^® brand philosophy and signature program by the same name encourage consumers to eat healthfully and deliciously while maintaining an active everyday lifestyle.

Bumble Bee is a founding member of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation — a first-of-kind initiative in the U.S. involving a coalition of retailers, non-profit organizations and food and beverage manufacturers with a mission to help reduce obesity, particularly childhood obesity by 2015. The company actively promotes the responsible stewardship of global fisheries resources and is a founding member of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — a global partnership of scientists, tuna processors and WWF, the global conservation organization.

For more information on Bumble Bee Foods and the BeeWell for Life^® program, visit www.BumbleBee.com and www.BeeWellForLife.com. Join fans of Bumble Bee and healthy living at www.facebook.com/BumbleBeeFoods.

SOURCE Bumble Bee Foods