How much bluefin tuna do I need per person?

Around 80 to 100 grams of trimmed tuna per person as a standalone course, or 50 to 60 grams as part of a mixed platter. Order above that to allow for trimming loss.

Can I thaw bluefin in water?

No. Thaw it sealed, in the refrigerator, over twelve to twenty-four hours. Water and room-temperature thawing rupture the cells and the loin loses moisture, colour and texture.

Can I refreeze bluefin after thawing?

No. Thawed bluefin intended for raw service is a same-day product. Refreezing destroys the texture that the original ultra-low-temperature freezing was there to protect.

Which way do I slice bluefin?

Across the grain, always, with a long sharp knife in a single smooth pull. Slicing along the grain produces a stringy, chewy piece regardless of the quality of the fish.

In what order should the cuts be served?

Leanest to fattiest — akami, then chutoro, then otoro. Served the other way round, the lean cut reads as thin and dry against the richness that preceded it.

← The Portfolio العربية

At the Table

How to Serve Bluefin Tuna at Home

Bluefin rewards restraint. Almost everything that goes wrong with it at home happens in the twenty minutes before it reaches the table — thawed too fast, cut too warm, or sliced along the grain. Handled properly, it needs nothing but a knife, a cold plate and good soy.

Looking for the product itself? See Bluefin Tuna — Akami, Chutoro, Otoro — the three cuts of bluefin, graded and portioned — lean akami, marbled chutoro and the fat-laced otoro belly.

How much to buy

As a course in its own right, plan on roughly 80 to 100 grams of finished, trimmed tuna per person — three to five slices. As part of a larger sashimi or mixed platter, 50 to 60 grams per person is generous.

Buy above the finished weight. A whole loin loses something to trimming the oxidised face and squaring the block, so ordering to your plated weight leaves you short.

If you are serving more than one cut, weight the order toward chutoro or akami and treat otoro as the highlight — a piece or two each, not a portion.

Thawing — where most of the damage happens

Never thaw bluefin at room temperature, under running water, or in a microwave. Rapid thawing ruptures cells, and the loin weeps its moisture and colour onto the board.

Move the vacuum-sealed loin from the freezer to the coldest part of the refrigerator and leave it there overnight — twelve to twenty-four hours depending on the size of the piece. Keep it sealed and set it on a tray, because it will release some liquid.

The loin should still be firm and very cold at the centre when you cut it. Fully soft tuna is already too warm to slice cleanly.

Once thawed, use it. Bluefin thawed for raw service is a same-day product; it does not improve on a second day and must never be refrozen.

Trimming and cutting

Pat the loin dry and trim the outer face if it has darkened. Remove any sinew and the tough line of connective tissue that runs through parts of the belly — it will not soften and it ruins a slice.

Square the block so you have a clean rectangle to work from. Consistent slices come from a consistent block, not from a steady hand.

Identify the grain — the fine parallel lines running through the muscle — and cut across it, never along it. Cutting with the grain gives you a stringy, chewy slice out of the finest fish in the world.

Use the longest, sharpest knife you own and cut in one smooth pull rather than sawing. For sashimi, slices of roughly one centimetre; for nigiri, thinner and wider.

Work cold and work fast. Return the block to the refrigerator between batches if you are cutting for a crowd.

Plating and what to serve with it

Chill the plates. A cold plate holds the temperature of the fish through the course; a room-temperature plate softens otoro within a minute.

Keep the accompaniments quiet: good soy, fresh wasabi if you can get it, pickled ginger between cuts, perhaps a little grated daikon. Citrus and salt suit akami; the toro cuts need almost nothing.

Serve in ascending order of richness — akami first, then chutoro, then otoro. Reversing that order means the lean cut tastes thin after the fat one.

If you are searing akami for tataki, do it hard and briefly in a very hot dry pan, then straight into an ice bath to stop the cooking, then dry, chill and slice.

Plate at the last moment. Bluefin is not a dish that waits.

Frequently asked

How much bluefin tuna do I need per person?: Around 80 to 100 grams of trimmed tuna per person as a standalone course, or 50 to 60 grams as part of a mixed platter. Order above that to allow for trimming loss.
Can I thaw bluefin in water?: No. Thaw it sealed, in the refrigerator, over twelve to twenty-four hours. Water and room-temperature thawing rupture the cells and the loin loses moisture, colour and texture.
Can I refreeze bluefin after thawing?: No. Thawed bluefin intended for raw service is a same-day product. Refreezing destroys the texture that the original ultra-low-temperature freezing was there to protect.
Which way do I slice bluefin?: Across the grain, always, with a long sharp knife in a single smooth pull. Slicing along the grain produces a stringy, chewy piece regardless of the quality of the fish.
In what order should the cuts be served?: Leanest to fattiest — akami, then chutoro, then otoro. Served the other way round, the lean cut reads as thin and dry against the richness that preceded it.

More on Fresh Bluefin Tuna

By appointment

Pricing confirmed against the weekly list

Request current availability and pricing for Bluefin Tuna — Akami, Chutoro, Otoro — direct, by your preferred channel.