Tuna Types

Here Are The Most Popular Types Of Tuna Used In Japanese Cuisine


Bluefin tuna
 
Bluefin tuna are mainly caught in the Atlantic Ocean. They are the largest tuna, typically weighing around 600 to 1,000 pounds. Bluefin is usually served in top-notch sushi restaurants because it is, quite simply, the most delicious tuna available in the world. In particular, the fat and protein are perfectly balanced, and pieces have a melt-in-your-mouth-type feel.

If you sit at the counter of a quality sushi bar, the long slabs of tuna you’ll see behind the glass are likely all from the same cut of bluefin tuna. The darkest shade is akami (lean) tuna, the slightly lighter one is chu-toro (medium-fatty tuna) and the lightest and smoothest-looking of the three — often filled with healthy streaks of marbleization — is o-toro (fatty tuna).

Bigeye tuna

No surprise here — these are tuna with big eyes! They are leaner compared to the bluefin, but their akami tends to be top quality. We’d recommend going with bluefin tuna for toro lovers, and Bigeye for akami lovers.


Yellowfin tuna

Quite simply, tuna with yellow fins. Flavor-wise, they’re similar to the bigeyes. In Japan, yellowfin tuna are the most commonly found tuna and are served widely in many casual sushi spots. There’s a good chance that any menu item marked as “tuna” and offered either seared, blackened, marinated or cooked at a restaurant is of this type.

Complete list (FoodRepublic.com)