In Search of the Best Part of the Tuna

Different Parts of Tuna

If you have always enjoyed tuna sushi, then you would know which part of the fish gives you the best experience. Depending on the type of taste and texture you’re looking for, tuna has several different options. From rich otoro to meaty akami, you’ll be sure to find something you like when it comes to Japanese cuisine with tuna. The taste of raw tuna in Japanese sushi or sashimi is nothing like a cooked tuna dish. Let us look at the three different parts of the tuna fish you can try – otoro, chutoro, and akami.

Tastes and Textures

Otoro is the most desirable part from the inside of the fish’s belly. It is the fattiest part of the fish; it practically melts in your mouth. By itself, the underbelly is separated into grades recognizable according to the marbling throughout the steak. It is exceptional if you see soft pink together with vibrant white colored lines. Otoro comes with a lot of delicious oily lines, which give it that distinctive and magnificent tastiness. By far the most precious otoro is the lower belly towards the head. Its rich and highly sought-after nature makes otoro more expensive than other parts of the fish. Although sushi includes many various tuna types such as yellow tail as well as big eye, excellent quality otoro is simply obtained from only the bluefin tuna.

Akami is the most common and frequently-used part of the tuna. This part is meaty and red, found most often atop rice in sashimi or in a sushi roll. It is the leaner meat from the sides of the fish. Because this is the main part of a tuna, it is much more readily available than chutoro or otoro.

Chutoro is another part of the tuna. This is a perfect blend of otoro and akami. It combines both types of tuna, it provides both a meaty and a fatty texture for a real celebration in your mouth. However, there is not a lot of chutoro when enjoying tuna, because it makes up only a small amount of the fish. It takes a whole fish to make one chutoro sashimi.

If you find tuna served in restaurants, it is generally one of two species, the bluefin tuna, traditionally known as ‘maguro,’ which is usually fairly lean, and the yellowfin tuna, known as ‘ahi’, which is a fattier species. Yellowfin tuna may also be labeled ‘maguro‘ but more often than not, it will be bluefin tuna. Tuna sushi is further broken up into subtypes, based on the fat content. If you ask for ‘maguro’ at a restaurant, or order any kind of tuna roll or sushi without requesting ‘toro,’ you will get ‘akami’.

Enjoying Prime Tuna in Bellevue

Looking for quality tuna? Look no further than your acclaimed Japanese restaurant in Bellevue. We serve maguro and otoro sushi and sashimi, some of the best you’ll find in Bellevue.