Bigeye Tuna Flavor Profile
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Texture |
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
- Bake
- Broil
- Deep-Fry
- Grill
- Poach
- Saute
- Smoke
- Steam
- Sushi
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, gray indicates not available fresh. Frozen available all year long.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How To Fillet Whole Bigeye Tuna
Thanks to Pacific Seafood for allowing me to make this video tutorial showing how to break-down a whole Tuna into loins. Rene is the professional fishmonger giving the demo…I asked him to slow down some and take his time filleting so we could see his technique.
Bigeye Tuna Butchering Yield Percentage
Item | To Skin/On Untrimmed Loins | To Skin/Off Trim Loin | To Skin/Off Steaks | To Sashimi | Notes |
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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 Informationbased upon a 6 oz (171 grams) raw edible serving.
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Sustainable Info
Name | Alternate Names | Catch Method | Catch Region |
Seafood Watch |
Ocean Wise |
Sea Choice |
Mercury Concerns |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bigeye Tuna, Thunnus obesus | Ahi, Maguro, Toro |
Wild – Pole, Troll | US Atlantic | ![]() |
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Elevated |
Worldwide except US Atlantic | ![]() |
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Unknown | |||
Wild – Longline | US Atlantic | ![]() |
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Elevated | ||
Worldwide except US Atlantic | ![]() |
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Unknown | |||
Wild – unassosiated Purse Seine | US Atlantic | n/a | ![]() |
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Elevated | ||
Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean | n/a | n/a | ![]() |
Unknown | |||
Wild – FAD Purse Seine | Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean | n/a | ![]() |
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Unknown | ||
Wild – FAD Purse Seine | Worldwide | n/a | ![]() |
n/a | Unknown | ||
Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information. | |||||||
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Updated August 2013 |
Additional Resources:
National Marine Fisheries Service
David Buchanan is a professional chef and author of Chefs-Resources.com, a site geared towards providing chefs and culinarians useful info to help in their kitchens.
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