Tips For Improving Your Tuna Recipes

Tuna is one of the tastiest and most nutritious of all meats that you can eat. However, tuna is notorious for being extremely soft and because of that the end result can be meat that either loses its taste or is too soft to enjoy. Also, many people who are new to cooking tuna will complain that the meat tastes burnt or not properly marinated. It is also important to keep in mind the fact that cooking canned tuna recipes requires a slight detour when following a recipe which is designed with fresh tuna in mind.

Smoking tuna recipes 

Tuna has a little bit of fat coupled with an extremely strong flavor which is why it is perfect for smoking. Smoked tuna is something that beginners can do pretty easily without worrying about ruining the flavor. However, even though fresh tuna is compared to heavier meats like beef owing to its red color and a texture similar to meat it requires a slightly more delicate approach. When smoking tuna make sure to cut it into thin slices prior to marinating. This will make it easier for things to soak up an hour prior to smoking it. Canned tuna should only be smoked once you’ve drained away the water and have warmed it slightly in the microwave just to remove all the water.

Sushi grade tuna chunks

The majority of sushi grade tuna that you can buy at the supermarket has been flash frozen immediately after being caught. Even though thawed tuna will not lose its flavor or even texture when compared to fresh tuna that is just off the boat it can be slightly softer. This will require that you defrost the tuna for 10 seconds in hot water prior to cooking. Leaving it out to defrost on its own will spoil the texture and ruin the taste.

Cooking tuna

Some of the finest tuna is often reserved for times when you want to enjoy it raw in dishes like sashimi or sushi. People who are following a fresh tuna recipe at home need to keep in mind the fact that it has to be cooked just medium rare, then seared quickly over extremely high heat, ideally on a good grill. People who are not able to eat medium rare tuna shouldn’t overcook it at the very least. Just cook it to the point where it changes color slightly i.e. it’s no longer translucent because overcooking the meat will ruin and dry the investment you’ve made in this great meat type.

Measuring canned tuna

Canned tuna is often referred to as tunafish. This is a slightly different type of tuna when compared to fresh over the counter tuna you can purchase from the supermarket. Unlike what is mentioned on the can the weight is often a few ounces less. For instance, a six ounce can yields around four ounces of flesh. This can vary depending on the brand that you buy so you may want to first dry the fish once out of the can and measure it.

Buy canned tuna with the sauces

If you’re following a tuna recipe that requires tuna to be marinated in sunflower oil for instance, then it would be a good idea to purchase canned tuna with sun flower oil. The same goes for flavored sauces. However, if you’re not able to find the correctly flavored sauce then simply buy salt water tuna, this can be used after draining the water. Keep in mind the fact that richer sauces and broths can be achieved by using the liquid that is filled in the can with your tuna, but only if you’re not on a special diet that does not permit it.

Substitution

Tuna fish can be substituted in most salmon recipes and vice versa. The only thing you may want to do is to buy your tuna fresh when substituting. This way you can control how you marinate the fish and control its taste. This is something that is hard to do when you buy canned or frozen tuna.

The number of tuna recipes out there number in the hundreds. However, many people get cooking this great fish wrong because they are not familiar with how the fish reacts to certain temperatures and spices. 

Citations:

Tuna Cooking Tips and Hints

Featured images:

Mark is one of the leading experts on tuna recipes and cooking processes. He specializes in diet foods and teaching people the right approach to cooking without destroying nutritional quality. He is the author of various publications and articles on diets and cooking dating back several years.