I recently bought this Pacific albacore tuna from a local fisherman. My friend who arranged the whole thing out of his garage kindly had a work table covered in plastic, sharp knives, and a working knowledge of how to filet a tuna. He cut off the top and demonstrated how to do one side before handing me the knife and talking me through the other side:
I ended up with four loins of tuna - each perfect for feeding three to four people - and about a pound of scraps I pulled off the bones. We had a quick tuna tartare, made with minced shallots and bits of tuna drizzled with toasted sesame and chile oil, that night as well as seared tuna on rice with sauteed greens:
Just heat a pan, add a neutral oil, and sear the tuna on all sides.
Then I got a bit crazy and made Tuna Gravlax. We had to wait two days before we could dig in, but it was well worth it. A mix of salt, sugar, and pepper drew out moisture, firmed up the tuna, and gave it an amazingly silky texture:
At my house we liked it with a sauce made from hot sauce and mayo as well as a soy-wasabi mixture. Feel free to experiment with your own creations.
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