Tuna-Ton

Bluefin Tuna

Tuna comes in many varieties, such as bluefin, yellowfin and albacore. Each variety has its own distinct flavor and is low in fat and high in omega -3. It is a very popular fish in the Seychelles especially the Yellow Fin variety. The flesh quality varies according to the species but in general the flesh is dark pink in colour with a beautiful coarse grain and rich flavour.

Yellowfin Tuna

Tuna is a meaty fish with a distinctly rich, strong flavour and is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids and protein. Due to its popularity, tuna is being dangerously overfished in some parts of the world.

Albercore Tuna

Choosing your tuna

The best way to check the freshness of your tuna is by the smell and touch – it should be odourless, firm and moist. But if you are unsure of the fresh tuna you are buying, buy frozen tuna. Tuna freezes well and the technology of freezing has advanced to a point where the product is able to be preserved with little decrease in quality. Moreover, most tuna that are frozen are processed very quickly after capture when the fish is at peak freshnesss.

Tuna is graded depending on the fat content, quality and size of the fish. The colouring of tuna ranges from deep red steaks with a lower fat content, mostly used for grilling, to the very pale pink belly which is the fattiest cut highly prized by sushi chefs for its texture and flavour.

If you plan to buy tuna steaks for cooking, ideally choose thick cuts (about 3–4cm) to ensure that the tuna remains moist.

How to cook tuna

Tuna dries out quickly and turns crumbly, so it should be cooked very briefly over high heat. It is suited to pan-frying, chargrilling or barbecuing. Marinating is a great way to pack in flavour before cooking the fish.

The Seychellois cook can also cook a fine tuna curry. When tuna is cooked in a curry, the curry sauce is usually cooked first before the cubed tuna meat is added afterwards. This minimises the time the tuna is cooked.

Although tuna is very popular served raw, the Seychellois in general has never adventured into any raw fish dish. I guess this will slowly change with the influence of the Japanese tourists who eat tuna as sushi or sashimi.