Embarrasing Moment- Fresh Tuna

[donleyk]

Okay, I am going to confess. I bought tuna fillets at the grocery store (year or 2 two ago?) And it was disguisting. Me and DH ate 2 or 3 bites and threw it out. The cat wouldn't even eat it. (We then worried the rest of the night just how sick we were going to be!)

Anyway, I told DH recently that we need to have tuna at a good seafood resturant (which we have now) to find out how it should really taste, but I printed the Ahi Tuna recipe from the resturant/most covented thread. We have a fish market that I would be confident buying the tuna at so I was thinking of skipping the resturant and jumping in with both feet.

My converted meat and tater DH has said NO to shushi. (I must say, I would probably only eat it on a dare!) And this recipe calls for the tuna to be done med rare... You can guess where I am going with this.

Can anyone please comment on their experiences with tuna specifically and shushi generally... TIA and sorry I was so long winded!!

[laurenc]

First of all - I LOVE sushi - so obviously raw fish doesn't scare me. But I do also adore grilled tuna and make it at home quite often. I just marinade in a garlic/lemon/balsamic mixture for about 30 minutes and then throw on the grill for a few minutes. I think tuna is actually really easy to cook. As long as you have very fresh fillets you should be fine.
Good luck!

[sneezles]

It would have to be a Double Dare for me to eat sushi but I too LOVE grilled tuna steaks. I've never actually seen fillet of tuna-maybe it was something else! There is a recipe from May'99 Grilled Tuna with Papaya Chutney that I thought was excellent, can post if you'd like!

[donleyk]

sneezles,

Thanks for your post. I lol! I have May '99 so I will look it up. Thanks much!

[karenv]

Wow, I just made the Tuna/Papaya last night for myself. It was wonderful!!!!

Tuna is very easy to cook but you should becareful how long you cook it. Traditionally, you cook it to the doneness you like your meat. I like mine rare, so the tuna is rare - broiled 3 mins. per side depending on how thick the STEAKS are.

If you cook tuna too long is will be dried and chewy. The marinade on the above post is a good one, I have done that myself as well as Sesame oil for 30 mins and broil and throw some scallions on top.

Enjoy!

Karen

[SETH885315]

am i correct in thinking that the health risks are different, and lesser, for undercooked (i.e. medium rare) fish than it is for meats and poultry? i thought i remembered seeing a blurb somewhere claiming that partially cooked fish is actually good for you... someone correct me if i'm mistaken.

one more comment here... i don't cook much fish, and neither do my parents, because of the smell, but i am trying to eat better. anyone have any suggestions for minimizing the odor?

seth.

[sneezles]

Seth
If the fish you buy is really fresh there shouldn't be much of an odor-at least with grilling the odor is not in the house!

[Gail]

Donley K,

Even though I do eat sushi and happen to like raw tuna and sashimi, I have my own confession to make. I didn't serve the ahi in that dish medium-rare because I don't happen to like the sensation of cold fish in the center of the hot, so I cooked it longer. Just be careful not to cook TOO much and dry out the fish. It's a delicious-- albeit a bit tricky-- recipe.

With regard to tuna in general, gosh there are many different varieties. I've had yellowfin and yellowtail in filets, one of which once was a bit on the too-fishy side-- but I've also had both when they were delicious. Can't say I've ever had a bad ahi so far... Fish is kind of a hit or miss thing, I find. Occasionally you'll get a piece which for whatever reason just isn't great. Last night, for example, I served salmon filets, which I found were abnormally "fishy." Perhaps they were a bit old, perhaps it was simply the fish, but try not to let one bad experience put you off.

Insofar as sushi or sashimi is concerned, that made with ahi tuna is actually terrific if it's fresh. Even my ten-year-old will scarf that one up!

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 02-15-2001).]

[aggie94]

I have to agree 100% with BevP. I learned the hard way that "pan-seared" was the equivalent (at least in my mind) of "just barely cooked." I don't like raw fish, but I love seafood that's cooked. Grilled tuna steaks marinated in fresh herbs, lemon, and lightly brushed with olive oil are one of my favorites. Well done, of course, but still wonderful as long as you're buying very fresh tuna. I only trust seafood from the fish market and never buy it from the grocery store. Don't give up! It's worth another try.

[donleyk]

Thanks all! Appreciate the info and advice.

[shoyski]

Donley K,

I too, tried the fillets from the grocery store...YUK!... I ended up gritting my teeth and finishing the meal.

I will say, however, that I think the key is what everyone else is saying in that it has to be very, very fresh.

I love grilled tuna at restaurants and order it quite frequently. I WILL experiment again on my own, but will go to a fish market or upscale grocery.

[BevP]

I hate sushi. I'm one of those people who think fire was invented for a reason. I accidentally had seared tuna (one bite) and that's when I learned that seared meant only barely acquainted with fire. I do, however, love tuna steaks if they are cooked. Definately go for the fish market. Remember, if it smells fishy, don't buy it.