Recipe: Bluefin Tuna

There are many wonderful things about living in Boston but one of the highlights is the access to terrific seafood.  Thanks to the fine folks at Red’s Best who set up shop in my local farmers market every Tuesday and Thursday I managed to develop a serious addiction to bluefin maguro a.k.a. bluefin tuna.  The farmers market sadly had its last hurrah the Tuesday before Thanksgiving but I could still be thankful because Red’s Best has a stall in the relatively new Boston Public Market on Hanover Street.  BPM is a terrific, year-round indoor farmers market that only sells local products.  It is a mob scene on the weekends but a delight during the week.

I headed there recently and picked up some local and gorgeous bluefin tuna – lean akami and ridiculously beautiful otoro.

The crushing news I received, however, when buying my tuna is that the season is coming to an end (no!) and that the tuna are heading south.  I don’t know why given that it is predicted to be in the 60s on Christmas Eve here in Boston but it sounds like my beloved tuna and I might not meet again unless I plan a trip to the Caribbean this winter.  Oh, the sacrifices I’ll make for tuna 🙂

On to the recipes.  It is bluefin tuna.  Slice, tiniest splash of lemon and eat.  I really think it is a shame to do anything else with the otoro.  You almost don’t even need to chew it as it just melts in your mouth.  You can be a little more creative with the akami but I still like to keep it pretty simple.  I would save the heat for yellowfin.  Bluefin is a dish best served cold.

This is a riff on an O Ya dish.  It is simply bluefin tuna with soy braised garlic and micro cilantro. Finely chop some garlic and simmer it in some shiro (a white soy sauce which is a bit more delicate and will not overpower the fish).  Strain out the garlic and lightly coat the tuna with the infused soy.  Top with micro cilantro and enjoy!