11/20/2006 - Things to Do with Tuna

While I won't exactly admit to liking tuna, I have to admit that it's one of the most versatile fishes to use in the kitchen.

Raw, it makes for fabulous sushi and sashimi.  Toro is the word for meat coming from most parts of the fish, while maguro is strictly for the rich, fatty belly.  Canned, it serves as the basis for sandwich spreads and pasta salads like the tuna wrap and macaroni salad combo pictured above.

In the Basque Region (part of Spain and part of France), tuna is stewed with onions and several kinds of incendiary peppers to make the classic dish marmitako.  I tried this in Barcelona a long, long time ago.  My palate hasn't been the same since.

Here in Asia, grilled tuna is a real treat.  Down south in General Santos City, tuna is simply grilled and dipped in a sauce made with soy, minced chili peppers, garlic, and kalamansi juice.  In Japan, as pictured above, tuna is soaked in a soy-mirin (Japanese sweet rice cooking wine) before being pan-grilled and sprinkled with sesame seeds.  Toro teppan, as this dish is called, is perfect when served over a bowl of freshly-steamed rice.

Personally, my favorite take on tuna is when it's raw and served over sushi rice in chirashi zushi.  The freshness and flavor just can't be beat.

11/20/2006 - Untitled Comment