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Tuna... pork of the sea!

post #1 of 23
2/9/10 at 2:54pm
Thread Starter 
I don't understand why so many people like their tuna so over cooked and dry. Tuna has fat that melts at around human body temperature, and has rich flavorful red meat. My personal favorite way to eat tuna is to heat up a pan with a little olive oil, paint a room-temp tuna steak with a beaten egg, and then roll it in panko. And when I "fry" it, I basically just crisp the panko and leave 80% of the tuna still raw. It's like a pants party in my mouth.
I marinade to the beat of a different drummer.
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post #2 of 23
2/9/10 at 3:05pm
My favorite way is raw on vinegared rice.
"J'aime cuisiner avec du vin, j'ai parfois même mettre dans les aliments je suis cuisson. ""Mi piace cucinare con il vino, talvolta ho persino messa nel cibo sto cottura. ""I enjoy cooking with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food I'm cooking." - Julia Child 
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post #3 of 23
2/9/10 at 3:05pm
Don't know about Americans - but most British people who eat tuna would not overcook it - and as for covering in breadcrumbs? Naaaaah!:blush:
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post #4 of 23
2/9/10 at 3:09pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah it must just be an American thing to eat it cooked all the way through. Mmm "cooking" it in citric acid is also a tasty nom I haven't done in way too long. =D
I marinade to the beat of a different drummer.
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post #5 of 23
2/9/10 at 3:09pm
Most Americans neither, Ishbel. In fact, until now I've never heard of anybody breading tuna.

The most common method is to quick sear the outside and serve. They call the inside "rare" but raw is closer to the mark.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #6 of 23
2/9/10 at 3:54pm
Which part of America are you located in? At least here in Southern California, tuna is typically served raw or barely seared. I don't think I've ever seen it served fully cooked.
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post #7 of 23
2/9/10 at 7:10pm
I completely agree with you. I'm now craving for tuna sashimi! lol
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post #8 of 23
2/9/10 at 10:05pm
Coat it in freshly ground black pepper and sea salt (Malden preferred). Just mix the two on a plate and roll the tuna in it. Sear in olive oil and butter - *very briefly, on all sides, just enough to get a crust. Slice and serve.

Black on the outside, pink on the inside. A slight ring of pinkish white just under the crust, if you prefer it that way. Perfect.

Serve with whatever tickles your fancy :) Plain mixed greens in a light dressing suits me. The tuna is king.
 Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy.
Robert A. Heinlein
 
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post #9 of 23
2/10/10 at 5:09am
Although I never seen it served overcooked (or even cooked) in restaurants I admit that sometimes I overcook my tuna on purpose. I find raw tuna to taste a little fishy. When I overcook it it tastes like pork lol.
In a nutshell
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post #10 of 23
2/10/10 at 5:55am
"It's like a pants party in my mouth"

TMI
I have seen some tuna rolls that get breaded in panko and flash fried but the inside is still perfectly rare. They have to be served immediately so you get that crunchy-smooth and hot-cold contrast.
I think the most wonderful thing in the world is another chef. I'm always excited about learning new things about food.
Paul Prudhomme
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post #11 of 23
2/10/10 at 6:21am
That is how I enjoy it as well, I use sesame oil , and a couple of turns of pepper. Other times, just a sear with a squeeze of lemon.

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post #12 of 23
2/10/10 at 8:05am
Unfortunately in the Podunk Capitol of California, I have served several fully cooked pieces of tuna. It really makes me sad.:cry: Most customers would say up front if its pink at all they would not pay. They didn't care how it was supposed to be served they wanted it their way. The panko crusted style would be some sort of Katsu variation I am guessing.
"In those days spirits were brave, the stakes were high, men were real men, women were real women, and small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri were real small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri. "
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post #13 of 23
2/10/10 at 8:09am
I'm really not liking this thread. All morning since I read this I have have that jingle stuck in my head.....

Ask any Tuna You happen to sea, Whats the best tuna......



argggggggggghhhhhh. :lol:
I think the most wonderful thing in the world is another chef. I'm always excited about learning new things about food.
Paul Prudhomme
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post #14 of 23
2/10/10 at 10:03am
How odd - I have an old tuna jingle that gets stuck in my head too -

Bum-bum-bumblebee tuna -
I love Bumblebee
Bumblebee too-oo-na
The genesis of all the world's great cuisines can be summed up in a four word English phrase: Don't throw that away.
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post #15 of 23
2/10/10 at 12:10pm
Hahahaha :lol:
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post #16 of 23
2/10/10 at 12:13pm
Tuna for me is best cooked very hot, like wok hot, and very briefly. Just enough to firm the outside, slice on the bias, and onto a bed of tender greens.

That, or what I had for lunch. Fatty Tuna, Salmon Roe, Rice, and Nori. Any Sushi aficionados here know what this concoction would be called? I get it all the time and I hate having to describe it to the waitress because I don't know the name.
Dammi un coltello affilato e vi mostrerò l'arte più belle del mondo.
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post #17 of 23
2/10/10 at 3:31pm
A couple of years ago we were serving tuna on our lunch menu, customers kept sending it back saying that it wasn't cooked properly. We explained that it was supposed to be served rare or worst way medium rare and made it policy to tell everyone who ordered it. The response was "oh no, I'll have it well done please" We then got complaints that it was too dry (yawn). Sometimes you just can't win, ended up taking it off the menu :confused:
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post #18 of 23
2/10/10 at 6:57pm
If people want tuna cooked well, it has to be cooked twice. Once to medium(on the rare side) and then sliced fairly thin and braised or steamed. It's not great, but it keeps it from going dish sponge dry.
Dammi un coltello affilato e vi mostrerò l'arte più belle del mondo.
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post #19 of 23
2/11/10 at 5:24am
We went to Michael Psillakis restaurant Anthos in nyc not too long ago. I really wanted to order the yellowfin tuna and asked for it medium but they refused to serve it to me. They said it was served seared on the outside and rare on the inside and promptly directed me to order something else. I didn't mind at all, I understand that they didn't want to compromise the quality of sushi grade tuna like that and so I ordered something else.
In a nutshell
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post #20 of 23
2/11/10 at 8:06am
I cook my own tuna or salmon. I can't get it perfect yet as I like my fish more on the Asian side of cooking than the American side. This is mainly because when I first came to live here in the US, I became sort of "flavour of the month" person among my husband's friends. One couple brought us to their eldest kid and boyfriend's restaurant. I was served salmon so dry that I was scarred for life so I have never eaten any restaurant fish ever since. I serve fish once or twice a week here at home but I tend to look for more on the Asian side of cooking fish and had not touched tuna or salmon at all. Oh, I did actually, but they are usually, already canned and just for salad stuff.

My question is...when you say cooking medium or cooked through, will it be the same like cooking steaks? How long for fish?:confused:

Thanks...:mullet:
Bill and Izzie: Proud parents of a soldier.
Looking back on all the mistakes I've made in my life, all I can say is I've gotten a lot of miles out of stupid.
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post #21 of 23
2/11/10 at 8:58am
Elizabeth,

Fresh tuna, so far as fish is concerned, falls into a special category. It's most often thought of as red meat, and the modern trend is to merely sear the outside and leave the inside raw or very rare.

For other fish, the general rule of thumb, when cooking them, is ten minutes per inch of thickness.

Thus, let's say you were going to cook a salmon steak that was 2" thick. You would cook it, essentially, ten minutes per side.

Cooking style has much to do with the specifics, though. For instance, that same salmon steak might be seared and browned in a skillet for 12-15 minutes on one side, then turned, and popped in the oven for another five. But even so, the general rule applies.

Most fish is done when the flesh turns opaque, but still has a slight glisten to it. In the old cookbooks they would say cook until it flakes readily with a fork.

Hope that helps.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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post #22 of 23
2/11/10 at 12:04pm
Yes, it did...thank you very much.

Izzie.
Bill and Izzie: Proud parents of a soldier.
Looking back on all the mistakes I've made in my life, all I can say is I've gotten a lot of miles out of stupid.
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post #23 of 23
2/11/10 at 12:10pm
Glad it was helpful.

You can find other tips for fish care and cooking at my webpage, here: Camping Food. Outdoor Cooking

You might, too, want to check the articles archives here at Cheftalk. There have been several discussions about fish cookery.
They have taken the oath of the brother in blood, in leavened bread and salt. Rudyard Kipling
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