Yellowfin Tuna (AKA Ahi Tuna)
Yellowfin Tuna

Often seared on the grill and served rare, yellowfin tuna has soared in popularity over the past 25 years. Its delicious bright red meat has a beef-like texture, but is much milder in flavor, making it an excellent choice for non-fish eaters. It is also frequently served rare as sushi or sashimi.


With over 900,000 tons of yellowfin landed each year, it’s also the world’s most valuable tuna resource. Japan consumes about 200,000 tons, the U.S. about 55,000 tons.


Yellowfin tuna is graded by both fat content and color — the fatter and redder, the better.


Source
Ecuador, Hawaii, Louisiana, Trinidad, Philippines, Indonesia, Mexico, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan.


Availability
Yellowfin tuna are landed year-round, but the heaviest landings of the month are just before the full moon. (Tuna fishing uses lightsticks to attract the fish; during the full moon, the lightsticks are less effective, so most boats return to shore to land their catch.)


Cooking Tips

  • Yellowfin tuna has a low oil content, so cook it quickly at high heat to avoid it drying out.
  • For best flavor, try ordering it cooked no more than medium rare, seared on the outside but red in the middle.
  • Excellent pan-seared, grilled or broiled.
  • Use simple flavors, such as rosemary or pepper.
  • Keep tuna loins and steaks wrapped in plastic until ready to cook to avoid meat turning brown. (Iron ions in the myoglobin molecule that gives the meat its red color oxidizes when exposed to air.)

Recipes
GRILLED YELLOWFIN TUNA
EASY GRILL YELLOWFIN TUNA
PAN-SEARED TUNA
Directions:
Mix the marinade ingredients together and coat the tuna steaks with the marinade, cover tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high to high heat. When the pan is hot, remove the tuna steaks from the marinade and sear them for a minute to a minute and a half on each side. Remove tuna from pan and slice into 1/4-inch thick slices. Sprinkle with a few green onion slices. Serve plain, with white rice, or over lettuce or thinly sliced cabbage or fennel. Makes 4-6 servings.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine garlic with half the olive oil and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place mushroom caps top-side down and sear until slightly crisp; turn and sear briefly. Remove from heat and set aside. Make a pocket in the tuna steaks by slicing in half horizontally; do not slice all the way through. Stuff each tuna steak with 1 oz. goat cheese, 1⁄2 oz. sliced sun-dried tomatoes, 2 mushrooms and 2 basil leaves. Brush inside of top flap with garlic oil. Season outside of steaks with freshly ground black pepper; set aside. Heat remaining 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large, oven-proof sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add stuffed tuna steaks to pan and sear until brown. Carefully turn over each steak and sear on other side. Place in oven and bake 5-10 minutes or until done. Makes 4 servings.
Directions:
Gently pat seafood dry with paper toweling. Dice the Tripletail and Tuna into 1⁄2 inch cubes and place into a large glass bowl. Remove the mussel from each scallop. Cut each scallop in half through the middle to form 2 medallions, then cut each medallion into 4 equally-sized chunks and add to diced Tripletail and Tuna mixture. Add diced shallots, grated ginger, lemon juice, lime juice, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, sliced red chilies and olive oil to seafood mixture. Gently mix well, and season with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for up to one hour to allow the citrus to “cook” the seafood slightly. Remove ceviche from fridge and adjust seasoning to taste. Place into serving dishes and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.