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Tuna is a predatory marine fish of the mackerel family. Fishermen find tuna in the waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic Oceans. On an industrial scale, producers breed tuna on special fishing farms. It is a commercial species for consumption.
You can easily recognize a tuna fish by its appearance – it has an elongated body and a large weight.
Types of tuna
The most famous types of tuna are common tuna, yellowfin tuna (albacore tuna), bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, ahi tuna, and skipjack tuna. Each subspecies has its own habitat and appearance features.
The most common and used in cooking is yellowfin tuna. The rest are rare on store shelves and sometimes even banned from the mass catch.
Tuna: pros and cons
Tuna is a common fish product for consumption. It has a rich vitamin b12 and mineral composition. Tuna’s complex compounds activate brain activity, improve heart function, and strengthen the structure of blood vessels.
This product also contains some beneficial nutrients: phosphorus, zinc, calcium, and cobalt. Experts identify many beneficial properties of tuna on the human body:
- reduces the risk of atherosclerosis
- strengthens the state of the immune system
- positively affects the work of the musculoskeletal system
- improves the throughput of the main vessels
- reduces the concentration of bad cholesterol
- reduces the risk of hypertension and heart disease
- normalizes the course of metabolic processes
- positive effect for the reproductive system
- slows down the aging process
- stimulates the regeneration of damaged tissues
- helps to cope with the consequences of depressive states
- pronounced anti-carcinogenic effect
- cleanses the body of toxins and toxic compounds
However, tuna can also harm the human body:
- cause allergic reactions
- develop kidney dysfunction
- poison the body with compounds of marine mercury
Contraindications to use
Contraindications to the use of tuna are based on research by specialists. They distinguish the following categories of people who should refrain from eating tuna:
- children under 3 years
- pregnant women
- people prone to allergic reactions
- people with kidney diseases
- people with individual intolerance to fish
However, all cases are individual, and with proper calculation of the consumed tuna, the danger to the body is low.
Tuna Selection Rules
The most significant stage in the preparation of tuna is the choice of a fresh and high-quality product. Professional chefs have prepared several tips that will help you choose the right fish for cooking:
- Tuna should be dense and have a reddish tint.
- You should feel the aroma of fresh fish, without bitterness.
- Do not buy tuna that has a brown tinge in the cut.
- Choose thicker pieces of fish, they will be juicier after cooking.
Do you rinse tuna before cooking?
Professional chefs advise rinsing tuna steaks with cold water before cooking. To remove moisture after washing, wipe the fish with paper towels. Why is it necessary to carry out this procedure?
Sea fish contains a lot of bacteria and plaque, which you must remove with water.
What is the healthiest way to cook tuna?
The healthiest way to cook tuna is stewing. The product is prepared in its own juice and is not saturated with vegetable oil. To cook tuna stew, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- tuna – 1 piece
- carrots – 1 piece
- onion – 1 piece vegetable
- olive oil – 40 ml
- sour cream – 2 tablespoons
- water – 300 ml
- sea salt
- seasons – to taste
- green onion – 0.5 bunch
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Defrost the tuna. Rinse the fish under cold water and peel off the scales.
- Rinse and finely chop the carrots and onions.
- Heat a cast-iron pan, pour vegetable oil into it, and place the vegetables there. Fry the vegetables a little.
- Cut the tuna along the ridge, and then into small pieces.
- Transfer the tuna to the pan.
- Prepare the gravy – mix boiled water and sour cream in a deep bowl. Add spices and seasonings.
- Add the gravy to the pan. The cooking time is 25 minutes.
What can I put on tuna instead of mayo?
Salad is also a fairly popular dish with tuna. If you do not want to use fatty and high-calorie mayonnaise as a dressing, choose alternative substitutes. Instead of the usual mayonnaise, add a mixture of mustard, sour cream, and fresh lemon juice.
This will make the dish original and spicy. Professional chefs also recommend the following mayonnaise substitutes for tuna:
- Classic dressing (mustard, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, cayenne pepper)
- Orange dressing (honey, soy sauce, orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil)
- Spicy dressing (rosemary, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, ground black pepper, soy sauce)
- Mediterranean dressing (basil, marjoram, oregano, lemon juice, honey, hot mustard)
- Sesame dressing (olive oil, mustard, lemon juice, sesame, sugar)
What does tuna go with?
Tuna is combined with a huge range of products. Among them:
Dairy products: cheese, milk, cream
Sauces: mayonnaise, teriyaki, soy, salsa
Greens: parsley, onion, celery, lettuce, dill, string beans, coriander
Spices: ginger, sesame, rosemary, thyme, basil, cumin, mustard
Vegetables: capers, tomatoes, peas, potatoes, carrots, zucchini
Oil: olive, sesame, butter
 Mushrooms: champignons
 Fruits: avocados, pineapples, citrus fruits
Pasta: spaghetti
Berry: olives, olives
Cereals: rice
Alcohol: white wine
How to cook tuna steak in the oven
A proven recipe is a tuna in the oven. To repeat it, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- tuna steaks – 1 kg
- garlic – 3 cloves
- olive oil – 2 tablespoons
- spices – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Rinse the tuna steaks and dry with paper towels.
- Cut the steaks into medium-sized pieces.
- Rub salt, pepper, and spices into the tuna.
- Place the pieces on a greased baking sheet.
- Finely chop the garlic and put it on the tuna.
- The time of baking tuna in the oven is 15 minutes on a medium high heat.
Tuna steak cooking time
The cooking time of tuna steak varies from many factors: the cooking method, the thickness of the steaks, and the baking dish. If you decide to fry tuna, 5 minutes on each side will be enough. If you chose baking in the oven – the minimum time is 25 minutes.
Cooking tuna steak on the grill is the fastest. Only 3 minutes on each side will be enough. To cook the dish faster, choose smaller pieces of fish.
How to cook tuna steak on the grill
The fastest and most convenient way to cook tuna is using a grill. To cook tuna in this way, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- tuna steaks – 2 pieces
- Rosemary sprig – 1-2 pieces
- lime – 1 piece
- soy sauce and spices – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash the fish and dry it with paper towels.
- Cut half of the lime into thin slices, squeeze the juice out of the half. Mix with spices and soy sauce.
- Pour the marinade over the fish, lay out the rosemary and lime slices. Leave the steaks to marinate for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the grill, put the steaks there, and fry for 3 minutes on each side.
- Serve with a side dish, sauce, or vegetables.
How to cook yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin tuna has a strong meat taste. The technology of cooking such a dish differs from the classical one. To repeat the necessary recipe, prepare the following ingredients:
- raw fish – 1 piece
- lemon – 1 piece
- olivd oil – 2 tablespoons
- salt, pepper, rosemary – to taste
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Wash the fish, clean it if necessary. Make incisions with a sharp knife. Do not cut off the head and tail.
- Rub the tuna with salt and pepper, brush with a little oil. Place thinly sliced lemon slices and a little rosemary in the incisions and abdomen.
- Put the tuna on a baking sheet and send it to the oven.
- Baking time – 30 minutes.
Best Way To Cook Fresh Tuna
The classic way to cook tuna is a frying in a cast-iron skillet. To repeat the recipe, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- raw tuna fillet(tuna steaks) – 0.6 kilograms
- cherry tomatoes – 200 grams
- soy sauce – 100 ml
- pepper and salt – to taste
- olive oil – 50 grams
- lettuce leaves – to taste
- balsamic vinegar – 1 teaspoon
- sugar – 1 pinch
- ground chili pepper – 1 pinch
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Rinse the tuna steaks under cold water. Wipe with a paper towel.
- Cut the fillet into steaks of 2 centimeters.
- Rub each steak with pepper and salt. Pour over the soy sauce and leave to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into 2 pieces.
- Preheat the grill pan and place the butter on it.
- Put cherry tomatoes in a hot pan and pour balsamic vinegar over them, sprinkle with sugar, and ground chili pepper.
- Place tuna steaks in the same pan. Fry them for 2 minutes on medium heat on each side.
Tuna steak recipe (avocado tartare)
This is a simple and quick recipe for a famous dish. To cook it, prepare the necessary ingredients:
- fresh tuna steaks – 200 g
- avocado – 0.5 pcs.
- shallots – 1 pc.
- lemon – 0.5 pcs .
- capers – 20 g
- sesame oil – to taste
- soy sauce – to taste
- kosher salt – to taste
- ground black pepper
- toasted sesame seeds( for decoration)
Step-by-step cooking technology:
- Cut the tuna steaks into cubes.
- Place the tuna in a deep bowl and put it in the refrigerator.
- Finely chop the shallots.
- Randomly slice the capers.
- Peel the avocado and cut it into pieces, remove the stone.
- Place the avocado in a bowl, add some fresh lemon juice.
- Remove the tuna bowl from the refrigerator. Add all the ingredients to the bowl.
- Mix well and add sesame oil and sauce.
How to Buy and Store Fresh Tuna
Professional chefs note the importance of choosing fresh and high-quality tuna. They highlight some rules that will help you buy a suitable product:
- the texture of tuna should be dense
- ideal color of tuna’s meat is red
- a flavor should be similar to the smell of fresh meat
- if the tuna meat has discolored at the bone, refuse to buy such a product
Fish is a perishable product, you should know the rules of its storage. Experts highlight some tips that will help you keep tuna longer:
- Rinse and dry the tuna before placing it in the refrigerator.
- Store canned tuna in a dark and closed place.
- When cooked, store the tuna at room temperature for no more than an hour.
- The long-term storage option for tuna is freezing.
There are several options for freezing tuna:
Brine. Place the fish in vats and freeze at a temperature of up to 25 degrees.
Shock nitrogen freezing. Freeze the fish at a temperature of up to -60 degrees.
Side dishes
You can serve tuna as an independent dish – with herbs, vegetables, and lemon slices. However, there are many options for side dishes that will be a great addition to tuna. Among the available options: potato slices or boiled potatoes, boiled rice, grilled vegetables, or beans.
Choose a side dish with a low level of fat content, otherwise, the caloric content of tuna will increase.
Substitutes and variations
Fresh tuna is a rare guest on store shelves. You can buy this product on private markets or from trusted sellers. However, there are several options for substitutes that can be a good alternative to tuna:
- salmon
- mackerel
- trout
- sardine
There are also several substitutes for canned tuna for salads:
- canned salmon
- canned mackerel
- smoked trout
- canned mackerel
Common tips
Professional chefs highlight some tips that will help you cook tuna in the best way. Among them:
- The best way to defrost tuna is to keep the fish at room temperature for 4-5 hours. So the product retains most of its nutritional properties.
- Tuna has dense scales. Use a sharp knife or a special fish cleaner for cleaning.
- To cook the meat faster, marinate it in advance.
Final thoughts
Tuna is a member of the mackerel family, which lives in the warm oceans. It tastes like medium-rare beef steak. Chefs around the world like to add tuna to their dishes. Among the most common delicacies with tuna: ahi tuna steaks, sashimi-grade, and a tuna poke bowl.
Most often, sellers supply fillets to stores instead of whole fish. This is due to the difficulties of transportation and rapid spoilage of the product. Tuna meat has a strong flavor, high-fat content, and is highly nutritious.
Tuna has a high vitamin and mineral composition. The product contains phosphorus, which improves brain function. As well as iron, which strengthens bones and improves the condition of the skin.
To preserve the valuable properties of the product, you must be able to properly cook and season tuna. This product can act as an independent dish, as well as as a salad dressing.