Tunas have firm, thick fillets and make succulent meat substitutes. Cutlets and steaks can be cooked by grilling, barbecuing, baking, smoking, poaching or marinating. Japanese demand for sushi and sashimi has highlighted some species superb eating qualities raw.

Grilled or barbecued, tunas are best seared and left rare centrally. Highlight with intense flavours such as charred capsicum, eggplant, balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressings on a bed of bitter greens and aioli, roasted garlic, and Japanese wasabi, soy and pickled ginger. Alternatively, prepare a baked dinner of tuna, with a herbed crust to seal in the flavour and prevent it drying out.

To marinate, use lemon, garlic oil, vinegar and fresh herbs. Serve as is (the marinade will cook the tuna), or slowly braise or poach as a finishing touch, but be careful not to overcook.

Sashimi, Carpaccio, or tartare blended with Atlantic salmon is ideal for tuna, married with dill, garlic, lemon and pepper. Tuna is also an excellent dish sliced thinly and briefly dropped into simmering fish stock or cooked as an Asian hot-pot to each diner s preference.

Invite guests to choose the degree to which they want their tuna cooked just as they would with a steak. Serve well done tuna with a sauce.

Flavour Mild to Medium

Oiliness Low to Medium, sometimes High

Moisture Dry to Medium

Texture Soft to firm, with beautiful coarse grain

Flesh Colour Pink, off-white yellowish, reddish or reddish brown, with bands of very dark flesh along the sides. Colour varies with species, condition and cut; lateral cuts are darker. Generally creamy white when cooked

Thickness Thick fillets or cutlets

Bones Few bones

Price High-priced finfish

Suggested Wines

Tuna flavours are definite, and well accompanied by medium to full-flavoured white styles and some reds.

A herbaceous Semillon or vegetative Sauvignon Blanc will be pleasant with sashimi or grilled tuna.

For Philip Johnson s Yellowfin Tuna recipe from ecco in Brisbane, try a peppery Shiraz or a Grenache.

NUTRITION FACTS

per 100g of raw product

Kilojoules	521 (124 Calories)
Cholesterol	30 mg
Sodium	37 g
Total fat (oil)	0.5 g
Saturated fat	33% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat	13% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat	54% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA	14 mg
Omega-3, DHA	100 mg
Omega-6, AA	15 mg

COOKING IDEAS

Bake	Barbecue	Shallow Fry
Grill	Poach	Raw
Smoke

IMPORTANT FEATURES

When Caught Caught year round, but supply varies depending on species and area.

Wild/Farmed Wild

Habitat Saltwater

Recovery Rate Fillets: 70 – 75% from whole tuna (gilled and gutted)

Yellowfin Tuna Research

FRDC provides a comprehensive search of the latest research papers and images on Yellowfin Tuna

Remarks

Tuna for sashimi must be stunned, bled, and processed immediately on capture. Flesh characteristics differ markedly between species. Albacore is referred to as the chicken of the sea due to its white flesh when cooked.

Common Size 50 – 190 cm