Bluefin Tuna Flavor Profile
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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
- Bake
- Broil
- Deep-Fry
- Grill
- Poach
- Saute
- Smoke
- Steam
- Sushi
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.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sept | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bluefin Tuna Yield Percentage and Recovery
Item | To Skin/On Untrimmed Loins | To Skin/Off B/L- Out Loin | To Skin/Off Steaks | To Sashimi | Notes |
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Whole Head/Off gutted | 70% | 55% | 50% | 35% | |
Skin/On Loins, Blood Line-In | — | 83% | 72% | 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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Bluefin Tuna Sustainability Info
Name | Alternate Names | Catch Method | Catch Region |
Seafood Watch |
Ocean Wise |
Sea Choice |
Mercury Concerns |
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Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus | Kuromaguro,Honmaguro, Toro | Wild – Longline, Troll, Purse Seine | Pacific Ocean | ![]() |
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Elevated |
Wild – Longline | Southern Atlantic, Indian Ocean | ![]() |
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Ranched | Worldwide | ![]() |
n/a | ![]() |
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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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