Picking out Tuna

[MirrOlure]

Yeah.......for a guy whose handle is a fishing lure, I should know this sort of thing.

But I'm an inshore fish catcher....not a fish buyer.

I'm batting .500 on my last few purchases of Tuna. Some has been perfect, other has been "fishy".

Let's assume you're buying from you trusted source, and assume it is fresh.

You are wanting to grill it.

Which is the best type? Yellowfin? Albacore? Other?

 

[stay off my farm]

Yellowfin is easy and good, but just barely sear it on the sides and you are done. I actually do yellowfin inside all the time, due to how little it has to cook, quick sear in a skillet, tastes great, would be just as good if not better on the grill.

You can cube (large cubes) it and sear each side in a couple of minutes

 

[DalTexHornFan]

I grill tuna all the time, a couple thoughts:

First, find a place where you can get the really good sushi-grade tuna. Generally speaking, I prefer "fatty" or "big-eye" tuna which is a bright red in color, rather than yellow tail, which is lighter in color, leaner, and I think has less flavor for grilling. This cut is from the belly of the fish rather than the tail, so it figures that it is less lean and more flavorful, just like any other type of meat. I go to a good fish market where they will cut it to order, and I usually go for 8 oz. portions.

Second, people usually mistakenly believe that "fresh" is better. For a fish to be "sushi-grade", and something that you would want to eat either uncooked or anything rare, medium rare, etc, they flash-freeze the fish once it is cut up. This is not a bad thing -- any sushi you will ever have in the U.S. is frozen to kill the bacteria in the fish.

Third, the way I cook it is this: get your grill as hot as you can get it. Marinade the tuna steaks for an hour in a mixture of lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper rubbed on the fish. Then cook 2 minutes a side, which should give the fish a nice sear and leave it medium-rare on the inside. Delicious. With a good cut of tuna, I'm a believer in keeping it as simple as possible because I love the flavor of the meat, rather than tasting some tricked-up marinade or rub. Enjoy.

 

[DRAG69]

I highly recommend you use a cedar plank to grill your tuna.
It adds a great cedar smoke flavor.
I usually marinade mine in something for about 20 to 30 minutes and then just follow the directions on the planks.
The cedar planks can be bought in any grocery store in the charcoal area.
I also cooked my asparagus this way without the marinade.
You might want to blanch the asparagus for a few minutes first.

 

[DalTexHornFan]

I'll second the cedar plank for any kind of fish. I do it frequently with salmon, but need to try it with tuna. Except you don't need to follow directions on the planks -- just go get an untreated cedar board from Home Depot, have them cut it into 12-18" pieces, and submerge the plank in water for an hour before putting it on a medium-hot grill.

 

[MirrOlure]

Thanks all.

Regarding frozen vs. fresh......I'm one of the few that prefers my fish....even the ones I catch, to be frozen (properly) even if only for a day or two before I cook it.