Tuna, is that really tuna?

Tuna and Butterfish sashimi

This is the color of tuna I'm used to eating, a hint of pink to red. I would have preferred it pink marbling with white (fat) though. I cannot be sure if this is yellowfin (ahi), big-eye or bluefin (surely not bluefin as this is hardy in the market here). All I know is that the texture  and taste is far different from what I had from one of the Japanese restos I had back home (below photo). Sure, the maki tasted good but the tuna sashimi was all wrong like this is the kind that I read about fishing companies trying to make imitation tuna. I cannot find the link for now but a lot of restaurant seem to prefer this cheaper version of the so-called tuna...

You've read and heard about sushi grade tuna and the different types which are best for sushi and all those topics. This plays a big role on tuna pricing. :) Of course, how good the tuna tastes depends on other factors too...not only on the species, but the season when the fish is caught even where it is caught.

As for the "grade" well, when tuna is caught, it gets pierced with a long probe and evaluated for color and fat content. The greasier the probe comes back, the higher the grade.Not very scientific huh? And this doesn't have anything to do with the freshness at all, only the taste. There is also another variable to consider, tuna cuts. The mid-section near the belly is the fattiest and most expensive, and the tail is the cheapest.

All that being said, I could say that what I often had at the nearest Japanese resto from home must be a higher grade tuna...both for the taste and the freshness that makes me disappointed about the other plate in the photo up here.

I anyway enjoyed the beef soup which I traded with hubby. :D I had beef at first with rice then he exchanged his soup with mine.

I forgot the name of the resto, but it's a Japanese fast food joint we hurriedly went into feeling the pangs of hunger malling all day...it's not Tokyo Tokyo nor Teriyaki boy, I really forgot...lol

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Enjoy!

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