Tuna On The Grill: Think Outside The Can
This article first appeared in the Wine
Spectator.
Red wine lovers who don’t want to give up their red meat but find
their Speedos pinching a little too tight this summer are turning to a healthful
alternative to slap on the grill. Tuna.
"Tuna is so much like meat in texture and color. People see rare tuna
and it registers as rare meat,” says Charlie Palmer, owner of Manhattan’s
Aureole restaurant. But unlike beef, tuna is positively health food. A tuna
steak has roughly 40 percent of the calories and five percent of the fat of
Porterhouse steak. “It’s an ideal alternative to eating juicy steak.” says
Palmer, who has served grilled tuna atop fingerling potatoes with crisp capers,
marinated anchovies, and fresh herbs.
You don’t need to limit tuna to the grill, though. “Tuna is much
more versatile than white fish like cod or sole,” says Stan Frankenthaler,
chef at the Salamander in Boston, who serves raw bonito tuna with a ponzu
dipping sauce of soy and citrus juices. At Oceana restaurant in New York,
chef Rick Moonen fries a tuna steak with a coating similar to what you find
on an “everything” bagel, such as poppy seeds, onion and garlic.
I’ve even sautéed breaded tuna cutlets like veal.
Tuna’s meatiness comes from muscles developed while swimming almost
nonstop in an effort to take in oxygen-rich water needed because the fish
is warm-blooded. These nomads of the sea can be found in almost every part
of the globe, which means they are available year round. However, many tuna
aficionados, especially those on the East Coast, look to summer when tuna
from the Gulf of Mexico swim up to the Mid-Atlantic and New England coasts
to reside. Joe Lasprogata, director of purchasing for Samuels & Sons,
a Philadelphia-based fish wholesaler, thinks that tuna such as bluefin, bonito,
and yellowtail are at their best in September after they’ve beefed
up on fatty fish like herring for their migration south in the fall.
Types Of Tuna
Bluefin is the ultimate tuna for many. Its high fat content (especially
in the belly or “toro” as the Japanese call it) gives the flesh
a creamy mouthfeel like well-marbled prime beef. This makes bluefin ideal
for sushi and sashimi, which is why the Japanese pay top dollar for it. Scarcity
is another reason for the high price. Conservation groups such as New York-based
Environmental Defense have put the Atlantic bluefin on the “overfished” list.
In recent years, bluefin feedlots, much like cattle feedlots, have sprung
up along the Baja California peninsula of Mexico. Northern Pacific bluefin
(which are not on the overfished list) are fattened on sardines and anchovies
in converted salmon pens. But these tuna are almost prohibitively expensive.
Farm 2 Market in Roscoe, NY sells them at about $50 a pound.
Yellowtail tuna is the workhorse tuna of restaurants and retailers. It is
relatively mild in flavor with a rich red color and firm texture. But it
doesn’t have the fat content of a bluefin or big-eye tuna. Nonetheless,
it is usually consistent, reasonably priced, and plentiful. So many chefs,
especially those like Moonen concerned about sustainability issues, use it
almost exclusively. “If I’m doing sashimi, I’ll buy
the belly part because it’s fattier,” he says.
Big-eye tuna is not on the overfished list but “may be in trouble” according
to Rudy Fujita of Environmental Defense. It has a high fat content similar
to bluefin tuna, so it is also snapped up by the Japanese. The meat has great
red color and the taste, as far as Lasprogata is concerned, is the best of
all tuna. (Tuna labeled ahi, the Hawaiian word for tuna, is usually big-eye
or yellowfin.)
Albacore tuna is most commonly seen canned, though some chefs use it fresh.
The white flesh is leaner with an oilier, stronger flavor than most other
tuna, so it can take more aggressive seasoning, though it should not be overcooked
or it will be tough and fishy tasting. Bonito also has white flesh though
it is milder than albacore.
Tuna Grading
Unlike beef, tuna is graded not by the government but by the seafood industry, which uses the Japanese model. Tuna graded Number One has a high fat content with a bright red color and good clarity “not too dissimilar to red Jell-O or red Gatorade,” according to Lasprogata. Number Two tuna has somewhat less of those qualities but some fish may still be acceptable for sashimi. Most, however, will be pan seared or grilled. Number Three tuna has an unappealing brown or tan color and a slightly bitter taste. Don’t expect to see it at white tablecloth restaurants or to be cooked rare. In recent years, pluses and minuses have been added to grades. For example, a Two-Plus might cost a bit less than a Number One but still be acceptable for raw dishes.
Cuts Of Tuna
Tuna is cut into four triangular loins off a central spine. Boneless steaks of varying widths (wider towards the head, narrower towards the tail) and thickness are cut from each loin. Some tuna may have a dark red streak called the bloodline. Flesh so affected tastes fishier and somewhat bitter and should be cut away. When buying tuna look for bright red flesh without any browning or dry spots. The meat should be firm without any separation in the muscles.
Taste Test Results
I tested yellowtail tuna from four different retailers. My favorite was
a One Plus from Fiji sold by Farm2Market. It was the most attractive, with
a deep, uniform burgundy color, like well-aged beef. The very firm texture
held up best of all over three days in the fridge, the maximum time you should
keep fish. When grilled, it emerged rich, buttery and meaty tasting. But
at $24.95 a pound (with a three-pound minimum), I’m not sure it was
worth nine dollars a pound more than the second place finisher, a Number
One from the Gulf of Mexico sold by Browne Trading Company of Portland, Maine.
Though not quite as firm or uniformly colored as the Fiji tuna, it was still
tender and delicious, like a good filet mignon.
The best value, at $10 a pound, came from Groben’s Seafood, a retailer
near my home in Philadelphia. Though not as flavorful as the Fiji tuna, this
Number Two from the Gulf of Mexico was juicy and tender with a good steak-like
quality. Tuna from Ecuador, described as “sushi quality,” from
Citarella, a New York seafood company, was the least impressive. The color
was wan, almost like veal, and the taste was bland.
How To Cook Tuna
As with good beef, tuna should be cooked rare to medium rare. But since
tuna cooks more quickly than beef, tuna steaks should be at least an inch
thick, to get a nice char on the outside before the fish overcooks. Because
tuna is leaner than beef, it must be brushed liberally with oil (or kept
in oil in a zip lock bag for a few hours) before grilling. A hot fire is
essential, so use hotter burning hardwood charcoal instead of briquettes.
If using gas, let the grill heat up at least 15 minutes. Cook for two minutes
on each side for a rare steak. Figure on eight ounces per serving.
I think grilled tuna is best served with dipping or side sauces such as an
Asian one of ginger, soy, garlic, and sesame oil or a Sicilian salmoriglio
sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, chopped Italian parsley and oregano. Zesty
salsas with local tomatoes and fruit salsas of mango or pineapple are also
good ideas.
Wines With Tuna
While grilled or seared tuna is often touted as holding up to big red wines, I think light to medium bodied reds work best. I particularly liked a California Pinot Noir, and a Moulin-a-Vent cru Beaujolais. Zinfandel and Australian Shiraz are more appropriate for spicier presentations. But some whites also worked well, including an Italian Pinot Grigio and a St. Veran. Couldn’t do that with beef.
How to Get It
Browne Trading Company, Portland, Maine, 800-944-7848, www.browne-trading.com
Citarella, New York, NY, 866-248-2735, www.citarella.com
Farm 2 Market, Roscoe, NY, 800-663-4326 farm-2-market.com