So two weeks ago I was talking to Paul about tuna and we both said that big eye tuna is the filet mignon of tuna. Well Thursday night I get a call from Paul saying I got a slab of big eye. I told Paul I would be up Friday after work. Well I show up and he shows me the steaks. I way WTF that thing is huge just start drooling!!!
Now that is what I call customer service at its finest. If you never had big eye I recommend you get up to his store today and get a piece. And if you never been to his store it is a good place to go on a rainy day. Plus his staff will teach you stuff about fish you never knew before. I also left there with some huge scallops, and have never seen lobsters as big as he has in his tank right now. Thanks again Paul.
When you get a steak, ask about his recipe involving this...
quote:Originally posted by penfishn
around every bend theres the promise of a treasure that can only be caught and seen in a blink.. and in your minds eye..and sometimes if youre lucky..in a picture..its there for just a minute...then gone..but hopefully once youve seen it it will remain in your heart forever. Theres nothing like the "Smell" and sounds of the creek. Its not just one thing that makes it familiar..its all of it.
sellsfish- any chance you could elaborate or point me to a good resource on tuna grading? Everything that I’ve found through Google search has not been very specific. Tuna grading appears to be represented as more of an art than it is exact guidelines. Any info is appreciated.
This post also brings up another question… I was recently in a local seafood market (Beaufort area) and noticed they had some tuna steaks out. I asked the guy what he had, and his reply was along the lines of “it’s yellowfin, caught local”. I have no issue with certain fish being shipping in, so I was not really looking for whether it was local. But with my limited browsing of this site, it does not appear that yellowfin is often caught locally. So my question is whether or not it is reasonable that those fish are caught here (let’s say a boat that leaves out of GA/SC)? Again, I’m not looking to disprove anyone or discredit the man at the store; just my curiosity.
BT, I get my YFT and bigeye from North Carolina / Va. I also get it from local sword boats when they have it (far side of the stream). As far as tuna grading, I had an old Japanese guy teach me. You need to get a sashibo (the tool for coring)
Tail color. Is the meat dark or light? Is it clear or opaque? Where within the range of reds does it fall? Is it a darker red, closer to raspberry, or bright, like a cherry life-saver?
Fat content. Can you see creamy, marbled, “mature” fat, or is the fat loosely connected, wispy or “young”? Is the meat oily to the touch or does it feel watery? Does the meat seem dry or hard when you press on it with your fingers?
Shape. Is the fish long and lean or is it shaped like a football? Does it appear to have a belly? Is there a large cavity between the skeletal structure and the skin of the fish, or do they appear to be connected?
Core. We also take a sample from the core of the tuna, using a long, thin metal instrument called a sashibo. This probe is plunged into the fish above the pectoral fin, along the lateral line, whereby a tube-like piece of meat is extracted, about seven inches long. We then compare it to the tail sample, considering its overall texture, including color and visible fat.
We evaluate the core sample separately for both color and fat, each gets an individual grade and then the core gets an overall grade. This information is used together with what we have learned from the tail sample to determine the final value of the fish.
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NMFS = No More Fishing Season
“Back home we got a taxidermy man. He gonna have a heart attack when he see what I brung him”
When you get a steak, ask about his recipe involving this...
quote:Originally posted by penfishn
around every bend theres the promise of a treasure that can only be caught and seen in a blink.. and in your minds eye..and sometimes if youre lucky..in a picture..its there for just a minute...then gone..but hopefully once youve seen it it will remain in your heart forever. Theres nothing like the "Smell" and sounds of the creek. Its not just one thing that makes it familiar..its all of it.
