All About Albacore Part III: The Feast
At long last my friends, we get to the final and best part of this All About Albacore series that started with the catching of the fish in part one and continued into the marketplace with part two—eating the food! For most Americans, we’ve been enjoying albacore via can in sandwiches and ma’s casserole. Those are classics for a reason and you’ll not catch me throwing shade at quality protein for the people. But now we’re going to reexamine our beautiful, Pacific Northwest troll caught, sustainable and bycatch-free, super food nutrient rich, humanely dispatched and sashimi-grade flash frozen albacore tuna. This magnificent fish is no longer just an ingredient, but a high-end entrée. The star of the show.
What to do with a Frozen Albacore
I’m not a fish processing master, but I’ve bought whole frozen albacore a couple of times from F/V St. Jude dockside sales in Seattle’s Fishermen’s Terminal. After some trial and error, and armed with advice from a few pros including Captain Joe Mally and his crew of the St. Jude, I am starting to know what I’m talking about.
If you’re going to do this the professional way, it’s important to cut the fish when it’s frozen. Yes, the fish is as hard as a rock at this phase and power tools are necessary. Notably aboard St. Jude, they have a bandsaw and basically a shop station dedicated to processing the fish frozen into the topline end products. They sell precuts too of course for those who want to shortcut to the feasting: loins, steaks, etc.
Cutting frozen maintains that firm, sushi-like texture. It’s not that dethawing the whole fish and then slicing away is terrible, but you will notice a difference in firmness. You also have to eat the whole fish in one sitting, as refreezing is a no-no that will certainly create mushy fish when thawed a second time. Again, the taste is still there and if you’re throwing the fish in a soup or homecanning the tuna it’s not a big deal. But we’re going fancy entrée here, so cut frozen and thaw once is the way.
Now, how does one accomplish this if you don’t have a big fancy shop? I, like a Tarantino gangster character taking care of a body, took to my pink bathtub, drew the curtains, and let my 20-Volt DeWalt variable speed reciprocating hand saw do the talking. This can be a messy job, especially for a relative newbie like me, so I stripped down to avoid splattering my clothes and donned sunglasses to protect my eyes. I’d also recommend disposable gloves as these fish, like all the best tasting ones, are rich in oils that can infuse a strong scent into one’s fingers. This imagery may all sound absurd, and it is, but if you take your fish seriously, nothing is off the table.
Back to the process. How does one cut the fish? I opted for a quartering cut that I’ve heard is normal for sushi restaurants. First you saw off the tail and head basically along the gills (save the head, we’ll get to that in a bit). Chop off the fins too, “the feathers”; you won’t need those. There is also a row of short, hard spines along the top of the tail that you might as well take care of too.
Now, if you make one long, straight cut right down the spine, you’ll have split the fish into two gorgeous, inviting halves. At last, the fish will start to look like food. When gazing lovingly at a frozen tuna half as I did (dressed in little more than sunglasses with my buddy DeWalt the saw in a pink bathtub), you’ll notice the meat geography. A dark red band runs along the center of the fish in the middle—you won’t eat this. Above and below this blood-rich “heartline” are the back loins (akami in Japanese) and belly loins (toro in Japanese). Both are delicious, but muscular back loins tend to be leaner and fatty belly loins tend to be richer, more melt-in-your-mouth.
You’ll give each half another long cut right down the middle, this time along the bright red heartline. Now you’ll have frozen tuna quarters: two backs, two bellies. The bellies will also have the guts, but that’s the beauty of this method. After a few firm taps and pokes, all that undesirable stuff pops off in frozen nuggets. Throw it into your compost, fish fertilizer does wonders for tomatoes.
I’ve heard that professionals grind/sand off the skin while the cuts are still frozen too, but I haven’t done that yet. In my experience, the skin comes off pretty readily from the thawed flesh when it’s cooking time. With your still-frozen two back loins, two belly loins, and tuna head in hand, you can package then pop them back in the freezer for whenever the next meal is scheduled.
Bone Appetit: Fish Stock, Sesame Sear, and More
So, you’ve got a big ole fish head with those giant tuna eyes looking at you in the freezer. What now? The one-word answer is: soup. These tuna heads make some really excellent fish stock. The oils and flavors infused are buttery and mouthwatering in my experiments. And you really can leave it at that, just add the head to your favorite fish stock recipe and save those quarts of stock for a favorite meal. For example, homemade albacore head fish stock in a cioppino would be incredible. In this scenario, what remains of the head would be chucked into the compost when the cooking is done. The tomatoes rejoice.
You can also toss the head directly in a soup as a special ingredient, which is popular in the South Pacific and Asia. I gave this a try once with a Fijian fish soup recipe I found online that was rich with flavors of coconut milk, ginger, and lemon. I made some jasmine rice and ate it all sort of like a curry. The fish head was picked at with a spoon and chopsticks—there isn’t a lot of meat in it. The eyes are pretty gummy and not for everyone. For most, the value of the head is the flavor it contributes to a soup, not the carcass itself.
The sky is the limit when it comes to applications for the back and belly loins. A few bites out of each loin represents the entirety of the amount of fish in a typical sushi restaurant roll. You could whip out that bamboo sushi rolling mat and experiment away or chop up chunks to integrate into a citrusy ceviche. What I like to do is go the sesame seared tuna route, which is simple, quick, delicious, and sushi adjacent.
All you need are sesame seeds, a searing oil (avocado or peanut are generally recommended), and a thawed tuna loin. Pat the thawed fish dry and coat it in the sesame seeds that will serve as the crust. A little soy sauce or cooking oil can help the crust stick to the tuna. You can play with the sesame crust all you want, adding garlic powder, salt, pepper, or whatever you’re feeling. I’ve heard a bit of sugar adds a bit of caramelization flavor to it all.
Get your pan very hot, add that oil, and sear for about 60-90 seconds on all sides. As with most searing, this will be a smokey experience that may require a splash guard to avoid popping seeds and wayward oil droplets. But having a very hot pan is key. The crust should be golden brown all around when done.
Now you’ve got this flawlessly seared, crusted tuna loin. Take a sharp knife and slice it like a baguette. If all goes to plan, the tuna will be rare in the center. This perfection can be served hot with some jasmine rice, lemon, and soy sauce for dipping. You can also cool it in the fridge for later in the day, both are good. Ponzu or other combinations of Japanese staples including wasabi, soy sauce, lime or yuzu juice, mirin, and rice vinegar all pair well with both the albacore and rice. I don’t know about you but all this talk is making me hungry. It is time to eat and, after all we’ve been through on this All About Albacore Series, we’ve earned it.
All About Albacore Part II: The Market – Gourmet fare or cheap lunch?
All About Albacore Part I: The Catch
