Fish
Tail
Tail of Tuna is the tapering rear muscle—thinner and faster-cooking. Use for stews, cakes, and small pan portions rather than show steaks. Slightly firmer texture is normal. As a tail section of fillet, portion for even cooking and clear labelling. Keep tuna tail iced until cooking; pat dry for browning, and stop when just opaque (or leave a rare centre on quality loins for steaks and sashimi). Sashimi, searing, canning, and poke suit the cut. Season with salt, acid, and fat that frame dense steak-like muscle.
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Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
CookedFreshGrilledPan FriedPreparedRawRoastedStewedStockWhole
Traits
Bone InFine GrainLeanPortionPrep ReadySlowTail
History
Coastal cooks portioned tuna into tail pieces for even cooking and trade.
Filleting lines and frozen packs made tail of tuna available inland.
Restaurants standardised specialty tail portions of tuna for plate timing.