Sushi Confidential: Tuna
Sushi Confidential
Funny how things go.
It’s almost a cliché statement but it’s damn near true across the board: It’s a peasant dish.
Lobster was once low brow. Pizza was peasant food. Pretty sure tacos have been delicious to everyone since their inception. When’s the last time you even ate a beef wellington, let alone made one?
Sushi is no different. Historically it was a grab-and-go food in markets, the modern day kaiten sushi style. At some point, sushi became this expensive delicacy that is the height of artistry culinarily. If you were to ask my teacher how often he ate sushi as a kid, he would tell you at most, once a year.
Why is tuna king of sushi?
I have never really gotten a smoking gun answer. Certain fish are entirely suitable for sushi. Trout is my best example. It’s easily farmed, tasty. You see trout on sushi menus from time to time but why is it not a staple fish? Why did squid make the sushi list and not catfish? Catfish are bottom feeders? You don’t eat those??? My Vietnamese heritage is telling you to fuck right off.
And don’t give me the “native to Japan" argument.
Tuna is king. It’s a beautiful fish. Let’s break give a veryyy short crash course.
Tuna are huge. Whole tuna are immensely expensive and to filet one takes a freaking sword. It’s awesome.
Are you picturing a fish?
The top “back” of the tuna is called the Akami, it's deep red. It’s the leanest part of the tuna, “rough”. It’s the meat you think of when you think of tuna. The filet below that towards to tail is called Chu-toro, little more pink. It’s fattier, more flexible, different flavor.
(By the way, this is really fucking hard to describe a fish with words. I’d rather gut an aji in front of you and show it.)
The belly is call O-toro, it's just pink. This is very fatty, very tasty, and the tiniest part of the meat from the fish. It’s the most expensive and if you want to be a dick, order all the o-toro. They’ll be happy you’re spending money but we try to spread the wealth. It’s a highlight on the menu.
I say all this, know that historically, the o-toro was looked down upon and was either discarded or fed to cats.
Not even a peasant food. We're all eating cat food.
E
#ARTiculate