Different tuna cuts…

One of the beauty things about canned tuna is that it is available in many varieties and cuts. So far, it offers different qualities, texture and taste. Off course it reflects on the price too. Thus far, tuna flesh comes in solid chunks, chunks, flakes and shredded.

Fattiest part 

The fattest part of tuna is called Otoro. It is the tastiest and most sought-after cuts. It has a distinctive fat marbling that makes the pieces melt in your mouth. So, it almost melts in your mouth like butter. Otoro has a characteristic taste. It has a rich and smooth taste with a mild flavour.

The fattiest part is normally found around the belly of the fish. Thus far, it is the most expensive due to the scarcity as the portion of the fish. Hence, Otoro is the most desirable portion from inside of the belly. So, by itself, the underbelly separates into grades and recognises according to the marbling throughout the steak.  

Leaner meat 

The centre part of the tuna body is the leanest. It is known as Akami. It has the least amount of fats and makes it most affordable. Mostly, yellowfin and skipjack tuna are sold as ‘light meat’. Thus far, albacore is the only type of tuna comes with white meat label. Tuna meat is very lean and a complete protein source. So, if you don’t like fatty tuna, akami is a good option.

Tuna cuts 

Chunks, generally refers to the size of the tuna pieces in the can. So, solid tuna chunks are larger pieces which are much firmer. It may have fewer to no flakes in the cans. Whereas the industry standard is that chunk tuna may come in smaller pieces that would vary in sizes. In fact, it may be a mixture of 70 percent chunks and 30 percent flake or shredded tuna in the cans.

These term mostly refer to how the tuna was packaged. So, solid means pieces from a whole loin portion. Chunks are from the broken pieces of tuna loins and flakes are normally the left-over pieces. Thus far, solids may be most expensive and the flakes most affordable of the canned tuna types.

Mostly all these tunas are processed and packaged in the same way. You may want to look on the label if the fish were ‘troll’ or ‘pole and line’ caught. These are the preferred environmentally-friendly fishing methods. In fact, Skipjack and Tongol tunas are usually rated higher on sustainability scales 

Can packing

Tuna packed in oil may give a richer taste and a more luxurious tuna experience. Whereas there is enough evidence to demonstrate tuna packed in water may have higher levels of the important omega-3 fatty acids. Thus far, the reason being, omega-3 fats may leak out in the oil packing. However, it can’t mix with water.

Thus far, you look at everything form sustainable fishing to BPA in the cans. So, reading the labels carefully may be the key to choosing the best quality and type canned tuna. However, there is a lot of information on the labels and sometimes it may be confusing. For example, there are many brands that can flake tuna, however market it as chunks.