Bigeye Tuna

Bigeye Tuna Flavor Profile

Bigeye Tuna Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
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

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.

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

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				Elevated
			Worldwide except US Atlantic				Unknown
		Wild – Longline	US Atlantic				Elevated
			Worldwide except US Atlantic				Unknown
		Wild – unassosiated Purse Seine	US Atlantic	n/a			Elevated
			Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean	n/a	n/a		Unknown
		Wild – FAD Purse Seine	Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean	n/a			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.
= Best Choice/Recommended = Good Alternative = Avoid/Not Recommended							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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