Dismantling a whole fresh 110 pounds Bigeye Tuna

Just got back from Benoa unloading my boat. Export all AA grade to Japan and decided to bring one home too. Usually I will earn range of USD $14-22 dollar per kg. So I only take A grade home or grade B. This time I wanted to eat the best quality from my boat. I instruct the checker to choose the best of the best. The one that will sell 22 USD per kg, so I took my 1000 USD fish home. The fish was oily and had a little fat so it is perfect for me.

110 pound fresh Bigeye tuna next to my son.

To start the cutting process,  sharpen the knives. you will need a very sharp knives!!! It will save you a lot of time and it  helps you cut through the fish clean. You need a  big ziplock bags, 4 big bowl preferably aluminium or plastic.

Cut the side starting from the tail working all the way to the front. Make sure u feel the bottom of knive sliding through the bone. Then cut through the middle part of the tuna all the way to the tail. That will be you first loin

Divide the loin into 3 parts, for steaks and saku for sashimi

on the left is steak cuts and on the right saku cut (middle part of the loin)

Cut the other side same method with first loin

collect left over meat from the bone using spoon. the meat later will be minced and best serve as fishball or tuna burgers.

take the skin off

cut o-toro

scrap extra meat of the skin

o -toro

do not stack the steak together

 After you finish cutting the tuna into loins, you will have many small pieces cut into cube and keep in one bowl. Tuna cube os best serve for paleala, tuna salad or sandwhich. The Tuna meat from bone and skin, minced finely and keep it in another bowl. This you can make amazing Tuna burger for the kids. The next chop all the bone to 15 cm width and keep it for fish soup, stock and broth. The tuna head take out the eye and cheek is best  cook with terayki sauce.  the remaining of the head cut into 15 cm width also for the fish soup, fish stock, or  fish broth. The loin you cut into different part like below in the diagram.

For sashimi i usually use  middle part of the meat and chu- toro. The rest is for steak. The skin you can deep fried to make tuna crackers. These fish are amazing creature, respect them and use everything meat they have to offer. nothing goes to waste!! You will be surprise how good some of the parts that  you used to throw away. Sadly these fish are being over fish here in Indonesia, i have been struggling trying to promote sustainable fishing in Bali, but it seem to be an ongoing fight. Further info regarding Bigeye, Yellowfin, and Southern Bluefin tuna fishing CLICK HERE!.