Preparing Bluefin for the Plate
Looking After Your Catch
The moment a tuna hits the deck, the shelf life of the meat begins. How you handle it in the next 24 hours will affect its taste and longevity. A 20kg bluefin tuna yields a lot of meat, so if you’re not keen on eating it daily or lack freezer space, consider only taking one fish. Discuss with your crew before hand how much you want to keep. If you decide to keep a tuna, quickly dispatch, bleed, gut, and chill it to preserve meat quality. As tuna can maintain a high internal temperature, it’s crucial to ice it promptly.
Once ashore, you can process it into meal-sized portions or improve the quality by dry aging. If you’re releasing excess fish, handle them correctly to ensure a successful release. For larger tuna (80-100kg), follow the same procedures but gut it and fill the cavity with ice for chilling.
Detailed Steps
1. Dispatching and Bleeding: Dispatch the tuna humanely with a blunt force blow or by spiking the brain (ikijime). Bleed the fish by making a shallow incision behind the pectoral fins, which will help reduce any fishy flavour.
2. Chilling: Remove the guts soon after capture to lower the internal temperature. You can gut conventionally or use a commercial technique for better preservation. Pack the fish in an esky with ice or a saltwater ice slurry.
3. Filleting, Portioning, and Storage: Keep the tuna whole until you’re ready to process it. Dry aging for 3-5 days improves meat quality. When filleting, separate the fish into quarters and ensure everything remains dry to prevent spoilage. For storage, keep chunks uncovered in the fridge or vacuum seal portions for freezing, aiming to consume them within 2-3 months.
Preparation Methods
a Sashimi: This is one of the best ways to enjoy tuna. Slice both fatty and lean cuts into thin pieces and serve them fresh with wasabi, soy sauce, and pickled ginger. The simplicity of sashimi highlights the natural flavor of the tuna.
b Seared Steaks: For a delicious steak, season the tuna with sesame seeds, salt, and pepper. Sear in a hot pan for about 1-2 minutes on each side until the outside is browned but the center remains rare. You can enhance the flavor by marinating the tuna in a mixture of soy sauce, ginger, and garlic before searing.
c Poke: Dice the tuna into bite-sized cubes and combine with ingredients like diced avocado, cucumber, green onions, and sesame oil. For added flavor, toss it with soy sauce, lime juice, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve it over rice or greens for a refreshing dish.
d Jarred/Preserved Tuna: This method is great for utilizing large amounts of tuna that you can’t eat right away. The preparation involves cooking the tuna in oil or brine, which preserves the fish for over a year while enhancing its flavor. Look for recipes online that guide you through this process, and consider making it on a weekend when you have time to spare. This method also works well for older frozen tuna that may not be suitable for conventional cooking.
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