Tuna Butchery: What tuna cut to buy

Noten: Top of head

Hoho Niku: Cheek

Kama Toro: Back cheek

Akami: Sekami (A), Senaka (B), Seshimo (C)

 Toro: Harakami or O-toro (D), Haranaka (E)

Harashimo (F)

Price (high to low): D, E, B, A, C, F

A, B, C is the red meat known as Akami and is what is commonly used when making sushi at home.

B (Senaka) is the highest quality, A the second and C being the least. The reason is that C is closest to the tail. Tail meat is the leanest because it gets the most exercise, thus contains the least amount of fat.

D is “O-Toro” (the word “O” means big in Japanese, referring to the amount of fat)  or The Fattiest Tuna Belly. Notice the colour of the meat is light pink and this is due to the fat content. E is the “Chu-Toro” or Medium Fatty Tuna belly, and F is red meat.

As for the price, D is the highest, E the second and B, A followed by C and F being equal.

Here is a block of tuna, close to “E” in the diagram.

“Saku”

A block of tuna is called “Saku.” From here, you need to break down ready for sushi.

First cut along the yellow lines and then the black lines.

Each part of saku look different, and you can see grains. They will look something like this:

Cut for sashimi – not too thin

When slicing tuna pull your knife backwards in one smooth motion. For nigiri, you need to cut against the grain at roughly a 30 degree angle. The most difficult part is to determine what thickness to cut, as this will dramatically affect the taste of your nigiri. Tuna can lose it’s flavour when cut too thin; aim for about 1/4″ thick and keep the slices consistent.