Bluefin Tuna

Bluefin Tuna Flavor Profile

Bluefin Tuna Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

Bluefin Tuna has the darkest and fattiest flesh of all tuna. It has a distinctive medium-full flavor and firm, “meaty” texture 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

Giant Bluefin, Northern Bluefin, Atlantic Bluefin, Kuromaguro,Honmaguro, Toro

Description

Average commercial weight is 200-400 Lbs, but Bluefin Tuna can reach over 2000 lbs and 12′ long. They have a blue-black upper body and silvery sides.

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

Bluefin Tuna are found between southern California and Japan, Northeastern US to Newfoundland, and Spain to the Mediterranean Sea.

Typical Wholesale Products

H&G, Loins, Steaks

Fresh Bluefin Tuna Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.

Bluefin Tuna Yield Percentage and Recovery

Bluefin Tuna Sustainability Info

Name	Alternate Names	Catch Method	Catch Region	Seafood Watch	Ocean Wise	Sea Choice	Mercury Concerns
Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus	Kuromaguro,Honmaguro, Toro	Wild – Longline, Troll, Purse Seine	Pacific Ocean				Elevated
		Wild – Longline	Southern Atlantic, Indian Ocean
		Ranched	Worldwide		n/a
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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