Bigeye Tuna

Bigeye Tuna Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

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Bigeye Tuna Flavor Profile

Bigeye Tuna are prized for sashimi.  They have a moderately pronounced flavor, a high fat content with marbling near the skin and a richer flavor than Yellowfin.  Like other tuna, the texture is firm and "meaty" with large flakes.  It is best served as sushi or cooked rare to medium-rare. Over-cooked tuna is "dog food"...tough and tasteless like eating cardboard.

Tuna Grading is as follows: No. 1 "Sashimi-grade" is the best, being the freshest and having the highest fat content.  No. 2 "Grill-grade" is next best.  No. 3 and No. 4 are lesser quality.

Typical Cooking Methods

Alternate Names

Ahi (Hawaiian). Note: Yellowfin Tuna is also called Ahi.

Description (Thunnus obesus)

Bigeye Tuna are similar to Yellowfin in appearance, but have a larger eye & head.  Commercial average weight is 20-100 Lbs, but they can grow to over 400 Lbs.

Storage & Handling Recommendations

Store fresh loins/steaks as close to 33° as possible to maintain highest quality and shelf life. Although ice can be used, the flesh should be tightly wrapped in plastic and placed in perforated pans. The flesh should never come in direct contact with ice or water as this will discolor the meat, leech the oil content, and decrease shelf-life. Tightly wrapping in plastic will also slow the natural oxidation of the meat color which fades from a bright color to a darker, more opaque color.

Range & Habitat

Bigeye are found in all tropical and temperate oceans with the exception of the Mediterranean Sea.  Life span is about 10-12 years.  They spend a lot of time in waters as deep as 1500 ft.

Typical Wholesale Products

Rounds, H&G, Loins

Fresh Bigeye Tuna Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability.  Frozen available all year long.

 

Bigeye Tuna Butchering Yield Percentage

Item	To Skin/On Untrimmed Loins	To Skin/Off Trim Loin	To Skin/Off Steaks	To Sashimi	Notes
Whole Head/Off gutted	70%	55%	52%	35%	Skin/Off Trim = bloodline out. Yield to steaks depends upon side muscle use or not.
Skin/On Untrim Loins	--	79%	75%		If you have additional yield info on this fish please leave a comment below.
Yield % varies according to a number of factors including: size of fish, season, sex, and the skill of your fishmonger.

 

Nutritional Information based upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving * Calories/Calories from fat 182 * Protein grams 40.1 * Fat grams  1.7 * Saturated fat grams  0 * Sodium milligrams  63 * Cholesterol milligrams  77.1 * Omega-3 grams  na

 

Bigeye Tuna Sustainability Info

This window is a link to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program info on Bigeye.

 

Additional Resources:

National Marine Fisheries Service

 

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